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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 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.
Report: Apple has purchased mapping company Poly9
Apple's been on a bit of a shopping spree lately. French-Canadian newspaper cyberpresse.ca is reporting that Apple has purchased the online mapping company Poly9. The paper reports that many of Poly9's employees have been moved to California, and that their website is no longer online. One of Poly9's products was Poly9 Globe, which presented a zoomable, cross-browser globe that could be rotated and manipulated by the user. You can see it in action here at Skype. If this rumor turns out to be true, it will be the 2nd maps-related purchase Apple has made lately. You'll remember the company grabbed Placebase last year. What's up with Apple's sudden interest in cartography? I'm sure we'll find out via a future software update. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple acquires web mapping firm Poly9, probably has something up its sleeve
Per usual, it seems as if this deal has happened in the dark of the night, but thankfully for the curious among us, it's a bit difficult to disguise a caravan of humans escaping Québec and fleeing to Cupertino. According to a report in The Sun as well as an independent confirmation on our end, Apple has picked up a small Canadian firm by the name of Poly9. As of now, every last employee has been relocated to California, with the couple who declined left to find other work in the Great White North. Poly9's official website is also blanked out, but in the past, the company has been credited with developing loads of web-based mapping programs (primarily in Flash, crazily enough) as well as APIs for a handful of monolithic clients like Microsoft, Yahoo!, NORAD and MSNBC. Generally speaking, Apple tends to integrate its purchases into the workflow at a rather rapid clip, so we're actually expecting something to come of this in the not-too-distant future. What, exactly, remains to be seen. [Thanks, Anonymous]
