Apple Making Google Maps Competitor?
This could be a possibilty as Apple just bought the Canadian mapping company Poly9. Poly9 makes several products but the most interesting is Poly9 Globe, which is a browser based, 3D globe which can be used on all Platforms. The interactive software allows 3D rendering of the Earth in the 3 axis.
Poly9 was apparently purchased "recently" by Apple, but there hasn't been any official confirmation of the purchase. It was also said that Apple asked Poly9 employees to not discuss the matter. But if it is true, the purchase of Poly9 would be the second mapping related purchase for Apple. Last year, it was revealed that the company had purchased Placebase, a direct Google Maps competitor.
Because of these purchases, some people have wondered that Apple is going to create its own mapping service on its mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad which would replace the current Google Maps on its iOS devices.
Source AppleInsider | Gizmodo