Apple to Step Up Rivalry With Google With Its Own Maps App

No Comments »It has been widely speculated that Apple will launch an all-new Maps app in iOS 6 at WWDC next week.

Wall Street Journal has also confirmed that Apple is indeed planning to replace the Maps app that currently uses Google's mapping data with its own solution later this year. WSJ has a good track record when it comes to Apple related rumors

WSJ reports:

Later this year, Apple is planning to oust Google Maps as the preloaded, default maps app from the iPhone and iPad and release a new mapping app that runs Apple's own technology, according to current and former Apple employees. Apple could preview the new software, which will be part of its next mobile-operating system, as soon as next week at its annual developer conference in San Francisco, one person familiar with the plans says. Apple plans to encourage app developers to embed its maps inside their applications like social-networking and search services. 

WSJ reports that Apple's decision to launch its own Maps app has a lot to do with Google's refusal to initially include Street View in the maps app and later refusing to add turn-by-turn navigation feature.

Google's free Maps Navigation app for Android is considered as one of the unique selling points of Android-based smartphones, so Google's reluctance to add features to the iOS Maps app to protect its interest isn't very surprising. However, due to this shortsighted approach, Google is now in danger of losing the ad revenues it generates from iOS Maps app, which is a significant portion of Google's mobile ad revenues. Apple is also likely to update the SDK to ensure that third-party developers start using their mapping solution instead of Google's mapping data.

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