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Apple looking to hire "iOS Maps Application Developer"
Apple has posted a new job opening for an iOS Maps Application Developer. Last December, Apple posted a job opening stating it was looking for someone who had "experience developing navigation software," but this is the first time Apple has explicitly stated it's looking for a Maps developer. The job listing doesn't drop any hints as to what future features Maps might include, but the listing is a sign in itself that Apple is gearing up to significantly update or revamp its Maps app. A revamped Maps app has been rumored ever since Apple acquired the mapping and navigation companies PlaceBase and Poly9 in 2009 and 2010. Then, just last week, the latest hints of what is to come emerged when Apple stated that it was using some of the locationgate data "to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years." Maps are an import feature for any smartphone, and while iOS does offer one of the better mapping apps out there, it's nice to see Apple isn't content with the status quo. And if anyone at Apple is reading this, might I make a humble suggestion? The ability to save routes and download country tile packs would be a huge bonus for international travelers. [via MacNN]
Sonos job opening signals entry into wireless home theater audio?
Well now Sonos, what's this? A job opening for a Senior Product Manager to help the company "re-invent home theater sound for the digital age." More specifically, the position will be responsible for leading "new product creation teams." Hard to say for sure, but sophisticated wireless audio for home theaters certainly sounds like a safe refuge now that Marantz, Denon, JBL, iHome, B&W, and countless others will soon be competing with Sonos' whole-home distributed audio solutions just as soon as Apple's new AirPlay technology can gain traction. Besides, just picture a fully synchronized wireless 7.1 channel surround speaker system that requires just a few minutes to setup and works as robustly as Sonos' other streaming audio gear. We imagine that it wouldn't take too many tweaks to Sonos' existing software and hardware (you can already convert two S5 all-in-one speakers into a more powerful stereo pair) to pull it off. And anyone who's ever tried to cleanly wire a home theater for multichannel sound will surely understand why the prospects of going wireless have us more than a little intrigued.
