Apple Acquires Poly9. Another Mapping Company

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has apparently added to its mapping company portfolio today as we are hearing reports that it has picked up the Quebec based mapping company Poly9. Poly9’s staff are said to have been moved to California, and their website is now no longer available.

One of Poly9’s products is a “cross browser, cross platform 3D globe which does not require any download”. It is similar to Google Earth, and it provides real time statistics on a user’s location as well as altitude.

As usual with any Apple strategy details are sparse and employees have apparently been asked not to talk about their, or Apple’s future plans.

Apple purchased Placebase, another mapping company, last year, and advertised at the time for a project leader to help take the iPhone’s mapping apps “to the next level”. This has led people to speculate that Apple is looking to at least mitigate its dependence on Google for mapping services on its platforms.

When one considers the new location related hardware in Apple’s iPhone 4, and its push to get into both advertising, mobile finances, and consumer product search, as well as service location and ultimately sales (with its purchase of Siri), it seems quite clear that a road map is emerging for iOS devices to incorporate location awareness into every aspect of our lives.

Do you see the synergy emerging between Apple’s various purchases and product enhancements? Let us know your views in the comments…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *