Apple doesn't like Google Maps and it is likely a pain to the company knowing full well that it had to go back on its plan and make Google Maps available in the App Store after its own mapping solution failed. With this in mind, Apple has been hard at work trying to catch up and it appears the company has finally found an ace in the hole.
Up until now, there aren't many good reasons to use Apple Maps apart from finding the Loch Ness monster. That might just change after Techcrunch sources claim that Apple has acquired Spotsetter, an app that deals in social search. This could help Apple add some cool new features to its Maps app on the iPhone that are not yet available on Google Maps.
With Spotsetter, Apple could offer personalized recommendations of places to go on Maps. Spotsetter is capable of pulling big data from the likes of Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Instagram to show users the places their friends have or have reviewed to give an idea of where to have dinner or where to get a good drink.
Bear in mind that the Spotsetter app isn't doing anything new since Foursquare already does it all. What makes Spotsetter different is that it collects its data from multiple sources, while Foursquare depends solely on itself.
Since Apple didn't mention the acquisition at its latest developer's conference, we're assuming it is pretty important, and could transform Maps into something worth using after all this time. Surely, enough it won't be enough to unseat Google Maps from the Apps Store, but it should be enough to get users to use the service on a regular basis.
For those who are fans of the Spotsetter app, we have sad news. The app is no longer available for download in the App Store, as the developer has removed it. This action could be the evidence that proves sources of Techcrunch as correct when it comes to the Apple acquisition.
Going forward, Apple will need to do much more if it wants the iOS user base to make Maps their default app for getting out of a grind when they are lost in a desert somewhere.
