Michal Ždanský From time to time, Apple is looking for experts in various IT fields, whose focus often indicates the future plans of the apple empire. Now the company is looking for people to fill four vacancies, this is the post of a software engineer, and experience in developing navigation software is a requirement.
This fact suggests that Apple will probably want to create its own maps, perhaps even its own navigation. If we look at the mobile market, all the interesting players in the smartphone field have their maps. Google has Google Maps, Microsoft has Bing maps, Nokia has OVI maps. Only Blackberry and Palm remain without their own maps.
So it would be a logical step for Apple to create its own maps as well, thus pushing Google out of this area, at least within iOS devices. In addition to the skills listed above, which candidates for the vacant positions should have, Apple is looking for candidates with "deep knowledge of computer geometry or graph theory". This knowledge should probably be used to create the route finding algorithms that we can find in Google Maps. In addition to all this, software engineers should have experience developing distribution systems on Linux servers. Therefore, Apple is clearly not just an application for its iOS devices, but a comprehensive map service, not unlike Google Maps.
But there are also other factors indicating an effort to develop one's own map service. Apple already bought the company last year placebos, which came with an alternative to Google Maps, in addition, with significantly expanded options than offered by Google maps. In addition, in July of this year, another company specializing in maps appeared in the apple company's portfolio, namely the Canadian Poly9. She, in turn, was developing a kind of alternative to Google Earth. Apple thus relocated its employees to its headquarters in sunny Cupertino.
We can only wait to see what next year will bring in terms of maps. In any case, if Apple really came up with its own map service that all iOS devices would use as a replacement for Google maps, it would knock out its great rival in the field of mobile devices. After Google, only the search engine included in Safari would be left in iOS, which, however, can also be changed to, for example, Bing from Microsoft.
source: appleinsider.com
Well, I can imagine a better, smarter and above all easier to use map and especially navigation than from Google or Navigon. After Apple proves to us that it can do better than others, I wouldn't be surprised or angry if it entered this area as well. If nothing else, let the existing players start to step on the buckles, so that the development will move again.
Even if the maps from Google seem to me to be of relatively high quality, I can imagine improvements in several directions. However, as far as the search engine is concerned, it will probably stay with Google for a long time. Steve once said something to the effect that the current players in the search field are doing their best and then he should not have the power to come up with anything new. And the maps? Why not :-D