The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is in early talks with Foursquare – the popular location-based social network to include local data in the Maps application.
According to the report, Apple is actively looking to build an “arsenal of local data” to compete with Google, which recently announced that the Google Maps for iPhone was downloaded more than 10 million times in the first 48 hours.
Apple is in early discussions to
integrate local data from Foursquare Labs Inc. into its mapping
application, according to people familiar with the talks, as the company
continues to build an arsenal of local data to try to take on Google.
The talks, which took place in recent
weeks and involve Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, are the latest
sign of Apple’s plans to more tightly integrate local services into the
iPhone and iPad. The discussions with New York-based Foursquare come as
Apple has been talking to a number of companies that collect local data
to improve its new mapping product. The maps service, released in
September, has had a rocky reception and faces fierce competition from
Google.
In addition to allowing users to check-in at venues like bars and
restaurants and connect with friends, Foursquare also gives personalized
recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people
with your tastes have been. The report claims that Apple could include
that data in the Maps app. Currently, Yelp’s business reviews are integrated into Apple’s Maps experience.It will be interesting to see how Apple plans to integrate local data from services like Yelp, FourSquare etc., but it could give Apple the edge in the long term by integrating with services that directly compete with Google.
Via: WSJ
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