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3D Mapping Company C3 Technologies Acquired by... Someone
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I sincerely hope it WASNT Apple that invested in this company. The last thing we need is for Apple to swallow up even more patents and stifle both competition and innovation. Its bad enough that Apple is the new Microsoft, we dont need to stall any further progress of technology by having Apple not get enough of a push from others to innovate (and vice versa).
Being Swedish I can understand that statement. People in general are worried about Chinese takeovers in Sweden since a chinese company bought out Volvo from Ford. C3 being partly owned by Saab (though the aircraft manufacturer, not the car maker) they most likely just wanted to make it clear that they are not going to an asian company as Volvo is.
The general consensus among people in Sweden is that chinese companies that take over western brands basically lowers the value in the brand as chinese companies are seens as counterfeit manufacturers. So people basically worry about chinese companies buying western companies to "Steal" their tech and move the manufacturing to china. To highten their own status in the world as an actual innovative rather than couterfeiting country.
There is no way Apple could ever be "the new Microsoft." Apple has been very good at innovating and pushing the technological envelope. Microsoft never has. Apple isn't buying patents to stifle competition and innovation, but to protect itself from the likes of Intellectual Ventures and other patent trolls. It's a very lucrative business for these bottom feeders. They are the ones stifling innovation and the ones you should be directing your ire towards.
You mean the government, right?Would this type of application be useful to terrorists?
Yes, because what's good for innovation is Google and Microsoft/Nokia being the only smartphone operating system manufacturers with mapping technology.
Location-based mapping technology is essential to the future smartphone market.
It makes sense for Apple, Google and Microsoft/Nokia to purchase these small companies with innovative technology and incorporate it into their own products.
They had better update Maps..
If there's one aspect of the iPhone I think deserves legitimate calling out, it's the ridiculously outdated Maps app. It's virtually the exact same as when it was released with the very first iPhone in 2007. Sure they've added very minor functionality, but that doesn't mean much when they literally need an all new app.
My buddy has started complaining to me about it more and more often, citing how much better the default Maps app is in Android, and all I've been able to say is: "Look for something better in the App Store, that's what I did." But that just isn't cutting it anymore. For a phone that's so far ahead in every single other category, there's absolutely no excuse for their current Maps app.
Get with the program Apple, either implement the Google Maps app that Google themselves stated they would gladly allow to run on every platform, or use some of those 76 billion dollars and overhaul the current app.
For the record, I've had the iPhone since day 3 of it's existence, which meant paying $900 to get the original model on eBay so I could have it ASAP without waiting in line, and I've acquired every other model within 24 hours of their launch. I'll be doing whatever is necessary to have an iPhone 5 on launch day, which is looking more and more difficult considering how many people are expressing interest in buying one, and I can't even imagine a scenario where I switch to another platform, so you know something is wrong when a die-hard like myself is so unhappy.
If there's one aspect of the iPhone I think deserves legitimate calling out, it's the ridiculously outdated Maps app. It's virtually the exact same as when it was released with the very first iPhone in 2007. Sure they've added very minor functionality, but that doesn't mean much when they literally need an all new app.
My buddy has started complaining to me about it more and more often, citing how much better the default Maps app is in Android, and all I've been able to say is: "Look for something better in the App Store, that's what I did." But that just isn't cutting it anymore. For a phone that's so far ahead in every single other category, there's absolutely no excuse for their current Maps app.
Get with the program Apple, either implement the Google Maps app that Google themselves stated they would gladly allow to run on every platform, or use some of those 76 billion dollars and overhaul the current app.
For the record, I've had the iPhone since day 3 of it's existence, which meant paying $900 to get the original model on eBay so I could have it ASAP without waiting in line, and I've acquired every other model within 24 hours of their launch. I'll be doing whatever is necessary to have an iPhone 5 on launch day, which is looking more and more difficult considering how many people are expressing interest in buying one, and I can't even imagine a scenario where I switch to another platform, so you know something is wrong when a die-hard like myself is so unhappy.
There's no way it's going to be Microsoft buying this, they already own a large chunk of Geoeye and WeatherCentral it would make no financial sense for them to buy it. Furthermore I would sense an anti-competition lawsuit happen if they bought into another mapping/geospatial organisation in Europe.
While Google, yes it could do so but with how Google Maps and Google Warehouse runs I can't really see the competitive advantage and ability to monetize it in the current form would be hard.
I've worked in Geospatial for the nearly tens years, the most likely buyer of this tech would have be Raytheon, Lockheed Martin or General Electrics (GE) IMHO, I would not consider the interest of Apple to be as high as defense contractors would be.
While Google, yes it could do so but with how Google Maps and Google Warehouse runs I can't really see the competitive advantage and ability to monetize it in the current form would be hard.
I've worked in Geospatial for the nearly tens years, the most likely buyer of this tech would have be Raytheon, Lockheed Martin or General Electrics (GE) IMHO, I would not consider the interest of Apple to be as high as defense contractors would be.
Nokia already has a partnership with them
http://blog.ovi.com/2011/04/28/a-peek-behind-the-scenes-how-c3-did-the-3d/
Nokia's 3D maps are indeed C3 maps so you can already go and check them out. I would say the partnership is legally binding, so it should carry to the new owner, Nokia's 3D maps also has a partnership with CNN.
So Partnerships are C3<->Nokia<->CNN
Interview with C3 here.
http://blog.ovi.com/2011/04/21/ovi-bring-you-luca-ludvig-3d-maps/
View the Maps here!:
http://maps.nokia.com/3d
http://blog.ovi.com/2011/04/28/a-peek-behind-the-scenes-how-c3-did-the-3d/
Nokia's 3D maps are indeed C3 maps so you can already go and check them out. I would say the partnership is legally binding, so it should carry to the new owner, Nokia's 3D maps also has a partnership with CNN.
So Partnerships are C3<->Nokia<->CNN
Interview with C3 here.
http://blog.ovi.com/2011/04/21/ovi-bring-you-luca-ludvig-3d-maps/
View the Maps here!:
http://maps.nokia.com/3d