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Apple possibly held back by Google for years on iOS' Maps features, might bring turn-by-turn nav to WWDC
The tales of Apple possibly dumping Google Maps as the backend for iOS 6's Maps app are gathering steam, but we're now learning just how much forethought may have gone into the split. According to the WSJ's favorite tipsters, "people familiar with the matter," Apple isn't just hoping to spurn Android -- it's reacting to push-back it got years earlier. Google supposedly delayed Street View, and blocked Google Maps Navigation outright, as it wasn't getting the limelight for branding and couldn't push in social tracking services that tend to make a privacy-sensitive Apple jittery, like Latitude. The August 2009 buyout of Placebase was ground zero for Apple's shift, which saw subsequent deals for Poly9 and C3 Technologies flesh out the project. As for the end results? They supposedly include turn-by-turn navigation that mimics an "in-car GPS device," and regular mapping should now be free to integrate with other apps: Calendar might warn you if a traffic jam on Interstate 280 will affect that appointment at 1 Infinite Loop, as an example. We might not have long to wait for the truth behind the new tips and earlier leaked shots, as the contacts believe Apple could show its Maps overhaul when WWDC starts next week.
Report: Apple dumping Google for own Maps app in iOS 6 (update)
Granted, Apple and Google aren't quite the bosom buddies they once were, but how far is Cupertino going to free itself from the Android-maker? Well, Apple's picked up a number of mapmakers and is now reportedly getting ready to unveil a Google map competitor for iOS. 9to5Mac is reporting that the mapping solution will be in-place for the next major version of the mobile operating system, combining technologies gathered with the acquisition of Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9. The star of the show is said to be the 3D mode with graphics nabbed from C3. All Things D has "independently confirmed" the forthcoming app reinvention, with sources adding, (hopefully a bit hyperbolically) that it will "blow your head off." According to rumors, we'll be finding out a lot more come WWDC next month. Update: To add more fuel to this rumor, a TechCrunch source notes that the iOS 6's "Sundance" codename is aptly named after a resort, just as previous versions have. Hit up the more coverage link below for further insight.
Apple patent roundup: Pico projectors and schematic maps
It's turning out to be a pretty big week for Apple's patent portfolio. Earlier this week the company was granted nearly 20 new patents, and it's just filed for two more eyebrow-raising patents. The first patent, described in detail at Patently Apple, covers so-called "pico" projectors that could display information from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac against a wall for presentations and other applications. The patent describes built-in projectors for iDevices (which have been a pie-in-the-sky rumored feature for years) and a small projector accessory for Macs. According to the patent this goes beyond simple projection, however, with a "shared workspace" feature enabling images from one projected display to be shared and transferred to another. This projector patent also describes support for a gesture-based interface that sounds broadly similar to the Kinect peripheral for the Xbox 360. The advantages for Keynote presentations are obvious, and it's likely that third-party game developers would jump on this feature too. Between the gesture-based interface and the projected images, this all sounds very evocative of the computer interface from the early 00s film Minority Report. Apple may just be covering its patent bases and may have no plans to actually debut this feature any time soon, but MacRumors notes that Apple did recently purchase the applepico.com domain, possibly related to these new pico projector concepts. AppleInsider describes today's other major patent application, Schematic Maps. This patent describes a feature whereby relevant features on a map would be emphasized for a user. For example, roads along a driving route could be distorted to represent only those roads relevant to the route, with distances warped so the entire route could fit on an iPhone's small display. This would of course render the map inaccurate in several other ways, but it would definitely simplify navigation compared to the current Maps app, which must zoom in and out among various levels of detail for longer routes with multiple turns. This would also be more in line with how most users actually think about navigation; the emphasis is usually less on accurate representation of distances, cartography, etc., and more about finding landmarks and relevant points of interest along a route. AppleInsider notes that this second patent is credited to two former employees of Placebase, a Google Maps competitor that Apple purchased nearly two years ago.
Apple hiring iOS navigation software experts
Four new job board listings suggest Apple may be looking for engineers to help build navigation software for iOS. Each position is looking for someone to "deliver the next generation of Apple products" and asks for "experience developing navigation software." All four job listings are identical, suggesting Apple may be building a development team dedicated to mapping and navigation. Currently, iOS relies on Google Maps and Google Map data for its navigation solution. This reliance on a third-party solution has hindered the improvement of navigation on the iPhone and the iPad. Updates for the iOS map program have been slow and the iOS feature set currently trails its Android counterpart. The Android version now features turn-by-turn navigation and will incorporate 3D mapping in its new 5.0 version.
Why Apple might want to buy ARM
--- Last January, Apple COO Tim Cook stated, "We believe we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make." That motivation, backed by Apple's 41 billion cash on hand, makes its rumored acquisition of ARM Holdings so compelling. --- What would you do if you had $41.7 billion in cash reserves? That's what Apple has and, as Ken posted earlier, the rumor du jour suggests the company might use a modestly large chunk of it to acquire ARM Holdings. If such a deal is in the works, it would be Apple's largest purchase ever by an order of magnitude; the suggested £5.2 billion (US$8 billion) sticker price dwarfs the biggest prior buyout, which brought NeXT into Apple for $400 million and delivered the foundations for Mac OS X (along with a certain iCEO). ARM licenses its chips to many consumer electronics heavyweights; in addition to powering the iPad and iPhone, ARM processors power other smartphones, including those running on the Symbian, Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7, and yes, Android operating systems. An Apple acquisition of ARM, therefore, could have far-reaching implications on consumer electronics, especially when it comes to competitive access to the latest and greatest ARM chips. In the London Evening Standard article, a trader was quoted as saying "A deal would make a lot of sense for Apple .... That way, they could stop ARM's technology from ending up in everyone else's computers and gadgets." That may be taking it a bit far -- ARM's licensing and product lineup couldn't be made completely private in the short term -- but it would make Apple the most-favored customer for ARM's designs. It would also help Apple's other recent buyout, chip shop Intrinsity, make the most of its expertise. Back in January 2009, Apple COO Tim Cook stated, "We believe we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make." As the processor plays a pivotal role in shaping the user experience on mobile devices (think performance and power consumption) an acquisition of ARM could provide Apple the ability to better integrate and leverage ARM technologies in order to stay ahead and differentiate from the competition. The A4 chip in the iPad is based on an ARM design, which was first whispered about almost two years ago. In the last two years, Apple has made several notable acquisitions: of semiconductor company P.A. Semi, mapping company Placebase, music streaming service Lala, and mobile ad firm Quattro Wireless. So far, the Quattro Wireless acquisition has produced the most visible results, in the form of iAds. If an ARM acquisition is indeed happening, it'll be fascinating to see what comes out of it.
iPhone's Google Maps app now shows ads
Have you noticed the new "Sponsored Link" search results showing up when you search in Google Maps on your iPhone? These new search results are ads. They're easy to pick out, because they use a customized icon instead of the typical push pin icon. While it's not surprising that Google is going to want to find every way possible to monetize its mapping service, it's still a little disconcerting to see these results popping up. Given this obvious new revenue stream, it makes us wonder whether Apple wants to get in on the lucrative mapping action. Their recent purchase of the mapping service company Placebase certainly suggests the possibility. Do you mind seeing ads intermingled with your map search results on a mobile device? Why or why not?
Apple bought mapping service company Placebase
Seth at Computerworld has noticed Apple's purchase of Placebase, the former mapping service company that GigaOm was praising last year. Of course, this begs the question: Will Apple be rolling their own maps?As Gizmodo says, Apple uses the technology they buy (Coverflow, for example). We were unfamiliar with the service, but GigaOm describes some sweet features like PushPin, which provided developers with an API that could layer commercial information, crime data, etc. on a map. For a nice example of PushPin at work, check out PolicyMap. Now for the baseless assumptions. Google maps appear in a number of Apple products, like the iPhone, iPhoto and iWeb. Perhaps Apple plans to stuff their own solutions into those slots. Or perhaps they're after a certain technology from Placebase and not the whole enchilada. Note that the purchase went down back in July. Seth has also discovered that PlaceBase's founder and former CEO, Jaron Waldman, is now a part of Apple's "Geo Team," which sounds like the Justice League but with Al Gore in charge.
