Apple to Take iPhone's Maps App to 'the Next Level'

[MacRumors]

MacRumors has found a new Apple job listing seeking an iPhone Software Engineer to join the iPhone and iPod Touch Maps team with the goal of taking the iPhone's built-in Maps App to "the next level":

We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started.

The specificity of the job description is somewhat unusual for Apple, and particularly interesting given recent events.

Apple and Google have increasingly become competitors in the mobile space while Google's mapping data remains an integral part of the iPhone's Maps application. Google has recently stepped up even further with the introduction of many new features for their Android mapping application. This included advanced features such as plain english search, voice search and more. Although Apple and Google are said to be working on bringing the same technology to the iPhone, there's been evidence that Apple is working on their own mapping technology.

Apple recently acquired a mapping company called Placebase which had differentiated itself from Google's offerings. The former CEO of Placebase is now part of the "Geo Team" at Apple, which has led to speculation that Apple is looking to separate itself from their dependance on Google maps.

Article Link: Apple to Take iPhone's Maps App to 'the Next Level'

 

[Doju]

Very cool. They'll have to do a lot to make me give up my TomTom app.

 

[zedsdead]

Very cool. They'll have to do a lot to make me give up my TomTom app.

I just picked up Tom Tom because of the discount. Oh well...sounds like this a year off anyway.

 

[Darkroom]

good-bye google maps. hello new and improved MKMapKit framework.

 

[calemon]

I bet I know what it is...

Imagine this! It's a regular "map" where when you switch to street view and by using the iPhones built in compass and GPS will enable you to see both businesses and friends around you in 'real-time' depending on where you look and it's all thanks to the integration of a location-based social network and directory system. They can even coin the phrase 'augmented reality'.

No one has thought of this before, and no one but Apple can bring it out to you in such a way, and even better they can then eliminate other 3rd party apps that replicate this form of technology out of the App Store because it reproduces something the base software already provides.

Perfect!

/sarcasm

 

[pmz]

I would have a hard time believing that Apple is only in the hiring phase for a developer to further the built in Maps app, which surely will be abandoning Google Maps in the near future...

...if it weren't for the fact that Apple all but abandoned in house iPhone software development the day they introduced the SDK. No reason to develop when you make money off of other's work.

(honestly, does anyone ever believe these stories the way the author seems to? It's much more likely that Apple makes fancy moves such as putting out snarky job ads to buzz the community)

I wonder how the original developer of the Maps app feels about this job listing? Is he not capable of copying off all the great Location-based app ideas and rolling them into one App? Surely he can.

 

[shady825]

I wonder how the original developer of the Maps app feels about this job listing? Is he not capable of copying off all the great Location-based app ideas and rolling them into one App? Surely he can.

you mean Google!?
I'm sure they'll live.

 

[pmz]

Imagine this! It's a regular "map" where when you switch to street view and by using the iPhones built in compass and GPS will enable you to see both businesses and friends around you in 'real-time' depending on where you look and it's all thanks to the integration of a location-based social network and directory system. They can even coin the phrase 'augmented reality'.

No one has thought of this before, and no one but Apple can bring it out to you in such a way, and even better they can then eliminate other 3rd party apps that replicate this form of technology out of the App Store because it reproduces something the base software already provides.

Perfect!

/sarcasm

I hear you. When they introduced the App store, I laughed heartily, and when I saw the icon, my jaw simply dropped. It's hard to say it was copied directly from Installer.app, but its even harder to say that it wasn't.

But this is what Apple does. Success in the consumer world is two fold: you need a solid idea, and you need to get it into people's lives. Many companies and proprietors succeed at the first task, but fail utterly at the latter.

Look at 3G data. The iPhone was a year late with 3G connectivity compared to most smartphones, but yet its release was many people's first 3G experience, and it now accounts for 50% of the cellular data usage in the world.

Good idea, medicore idea, stolen idea... makes no difference. Make people want it, and you WIN.

 

[shady825]

Good idea, medicore idea, stolen idea... makes no difference. Make people want it, and you WIN.

what Apple is best at!
(making us wAnt it, not stealing ideas)

 

[strike1555]

good-bye google maps. hello new and improved MKMapKit framework.

Wrong. Read the article again, carefully.

 

[ouimetnick]

I just hope they don't kill google Maps. If they lock u to Apples new mapping service, it MUST Be Kick ass to leave out Google.

 

[pmz]

you mean Google!?
I'm sure they'll live.

Wouldn't Google's involvement have been simply paperwork? Meaning licensing agreements? Google Maps itself was just copied and pasted code, used within an otherwise rudimentary App?

I've done my own App development and from what I can see, anyone could easily recreate the built in Maps app with just the given APIs. Google Maps is the easiest part.

 

[pmz]

Wrong. Read the article again, carefully.

Easy there killer. There is a laundry list of reasons why Google Maps' days on the iPhone are numbered. This article is just one more indication that the app is going to receive a due overhall.

 

[*LTD*]

Very nice. Seems Apple will redefine the online/mobile maps space as well.

 

[ARF900]

Well this will clearly will kill tom tom and apps like it.

Though I think that this will end up being exclusive for the next iphone. I think the next iphone will be different, so different that OS 4 will not be available for previous phones. This is why i avoided the 3GS

 

[shady825]

Wouldn't Google's involvement have been simply paperwork? Meaning licensing agreements? Google Maps itself was just copied and pasted code, used within an otherwise rudimentary App.

I'm sure more is involved in google maps than just "signing paperwork" as you say.
the iPhone app could and probably is based off google maps.com.
Weather they copied it or not, someone at one point had to do some work to develop the program.
Either way, I'm eager to see what Apple comes up with

 

[Cybbe]

AFR900: Apple would never be foolish enough to abandon the existing user base. While new functions may depend on new hardware (such as was the case with 3GS and 3.0), Apple understands the importance of catering to existing customers. Basically, by making OS upgrades incremental and compatible, Apple can leverage its existing user base and number of downloaded apps. I can almost guarantee you that you are wrong.

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.5; en-gb; HTC Hero Build/CUPCAKE) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Interesting. I wonder what the clever people at Apple have planned?

 

[shady825]

Though I think that this will end up being exclusive for the next iphone. I think the next iphone will be different, so different that OS 4 will not be available for previous phones. This is why i avoided the 3GS

Same here. I'm glad I didn't get the 3GS.
It honestly didn't seem like enuff of a "upgrade" to me.
CAN'T wait for the 2010 iPhone tho! (I'm not gonna call it any name as of right now, 4G, 4GS....)
the only thing I dislike about my 3G is I SWEAR TO GOD that ever since the 3GS came out, they slowed down the 3G iPhone. What better way to make people want the "S" for Speed and make them upgrade.

 

[Shodan]

Very cool. They'll have to do a lot to make me give up my TomTom app.

In the case of the TomTom app, they won't have to do much.

In the case of the CoPilot app, they will have to do a lot.

 

[dagamer34]

good-bye google maps. hello new and improved MKMapKit framework.

The MapKit framework still depends on the tiles which Google owns. The app itself is simply a front-end.

 

[Little Endian]

I just hope they don't kill google Maps. If they lock u to Apples new mapping service, it MUST Be Kick ass to leave out Google.

+1, I must say that Apple has a long road ahead if they intend to outclass google maps in a substantial way.

 

[pkoch1]

I'm excited for what it could be but I'm nervous that it won't be as good as the new google offerings.

 

[joemama]

Um, how about we start with a FREE map/navigation app first?

If Apple doesn't offer this, they are going to miss out on a LOT of people signing with Droid.

 

[shady825]

Um, how about we start with a FREE map/navigation app first?

If Apple doesn't offer this, they are going to miss out on a LOT of people signing with Droid.

Who said anything about Apple charging for the app?
If you didn't know, google maps come free on all iPhones. Now I'm no computer programer or anything but I suspect the Apple Maps will replace google maps. AKA be free.