Apple is reportedly mulling over the prospect of launching its own iOS device satnav service to take a bite out of Google Maps Navigation, and could implement a TomTom-style system that crowdsources user data to help calculate the quickest routes.
The report comes courtesy of analyst Toni Sacconaghi, so take it with a pinch or two of salt, but there are reasons to think it likely. There is the matter of Apple’s soon-to-open North Carolina data centre – this facility could be used to run the service – plus the fact that Apple acquired voice search specialist Siri last year. Siri’s voice recognition expertise could be used to understand navigation commands.
Interesting stuff. We’ll bring you more on this story as we get it.
