A fresh new job posting has appeared for the Cupertino camp with its sights set on landing an iOS Maps engineer. Duties include working on “innovative features” and “sophisticated user interfaces”. Could this be a sign Apple is ready to challenge the Google Maps experience on Android with its own rendition?
Truth be told, Google Maps offers a considerably superior experience on an Android handset when compared to any iOS device, whether that be an iPhone, iPod touch or even a shiny new iPad 2. Factor in Google Navigation beta and Maps for iOS falls further behind the competition. Yes, there are third party solutions in the App Store, but the status quo requires a free solution on par with Google’s offering.
Enter, the new job posting for a iOS Maps engineer. The new position is focused on the two areas which iOS Maps greatly needs improvement: features and user interface. What remains to be seen is whether Apple plans on adding features to the existing Google-provided mapping data or whether it will licensing its own satellite imagery and turn-by-turn directions. We’ll be following this one closely and with any luck free navigation will be headed to an iOS update very soon.
via 9to5Mac
