I think this is imminent! Given the way these two companies are at loggerheads, this is bound to happen. Each of these companies immensely benefited from the ‘maps’ app when iPhone was launched way back in 2007. But differences flared up when Google started slowing the update of features of maps on iOS and started coming up with those features ahead of time on android devices. It is just like the way Microsoft tried to take advantage of making IE for so many default features in windows trumping firefox etc! But now Apple has enough clout to counter this so they are coming up with their own maps technology(or acquired one). It is again the case where the two giants are set to lose out on unnecessary competition! But the users will gain either way. 🙂
see this news:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/11/apple-maps-io6-google?newsfeed=true
Bhanu Prakash Garu,
Google is fine to be proficient in an area of expertise in which what they do best. But they should do that on all platforms. Currently they are fine tuning maps on android platform but not on iOS! In my opinion this is anti-trust. Since google is primarily a software company, it’s apps should have more or less same features as on all platforms. I think they pissed of Apple by starting to steal some of the features from iPhone OS way back when android was in a very nascent state. For many of it’s features android was lacking in direction initially but now is an alter-ego for iOS. Steve Jobs was livid on this even on death bed. It is not because of that, but if Google has bought some of the patents from Apple just like Sony did buy the patent’s for transistor technology from Western Electric way back in 50s, there would not have been this much controversy. Just because it is software doesn’t mean they can copy as is. To me they are going the wrong path. But who knows I may be arguing on the wrong side of the history. 🙂
Cheers
Ramana
Ramana garu,
If anything its good for Google. Apple like to squeeze money from everything they sell. The HTML5 advancements will make most of the Apple Apps irrelevant. With HTML5 a normal web page can mimic the elegance of the app. As for the maps are concerned I am an ardent fan of Google. They are the best. Apple might try to get something on their devices but they have to catch up a lot to compete with Google. Let me give my personal experience on how diligent Google is with maps. There is a brand new highway in DC area that was opened up for operations last year. Google followed the progress of the project like a hawk and updated the maps regularly. Bing is still behind. The highway opened in November, seven months later Bing is yet to update their database.
Does Apple have what it takes to compete with Google ? I don’t think they want to move away from their core competency i.e. hardware.