Apple Buys its Own “Google Earth” Mapping Company

Unless they’re in the business of idly buying major companies for no reason, it looks like Apple might be taking steps to further itself from Google even more.

Last year, we saw Apple acquire Placebase, a mapping service that boasts a lot of customization features we don’t get with Google Maps (like layering data sets). This news didn’t make much of a splash when it broke, but now we’re hearing that Apple has also purchased Poly9. Based in Canada, this firm designs 3D interactive software.  Knowing it’s attraction to independence, it’s not a far stretch of the imagination to think of Apple combining these new companies to design it’s own maps app and further remove Google from the premises.

Poly9 takes up 303kb and runs on any platform and any browser. Comparisons to Google Earth seem quite appropriate, though I’m looking forward to seeing where Apple might take the technology. With all the ingredients seemingly on hand, how much longer should we expect to wait for a final product? None of the respective companies are commenting just yet, but it’s safe to say that this is no gesture of peace in the war between Apple and Google.

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Devin Wieland

 

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