Could Apple Maps replace Google Maps on the iPhone?

Ever since it came out that Apple purchased a mapping service three months ago, there has been increasing speculation about whether or not Apple will replace Google Maps on the iPhone with their own maps and whether the relationship between Apple and Google is deteriorating.

The new application PolicyMap was the product of Los Angeles based Placebase, which Apple acquired in July. The PolicyMap application can be customised and has certain features that the current Google Maps does not so in a way it would some sense to use that instead.

Or, is Apple making sure they have a back up strategy for maps should they and Google ultimately go their separate ways?

Traditionally Apple and Google have had a pretty amicable partnership and many are wondering if they are starting to drift apart or as one report put it “do battle on the apps”.

On the one hand I can’t see how replacing the maps means their relationship is doomed. A bit of friendly competition can be healthy; it leads to better services and all that. However, there is evidence of something much bigger rumbling under the surface.

For example, the mutual decision between Apple and Google that it was time for Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt to leave Apple’s board of directors just after Apple purchased Placebase, even though the official reason was that Google Android and Chrome were a bit too close to Apple’s core business.

At the time, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, “Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest.”

Apple also rejected Google Voice and Google Lattitude and decided not to accept them into the iTunes App store.

Apple is also showing an increasing amount of interest, along with others of course, in location based technology which is the new in thing as far as apps is concerned.
“It would not surprise me if Apple was looking to find some way to be independent from Google, particularly for something like Google Maps, which is a default application for the iPhone and iPod touch,” Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret said.

Everyone knows that Apple doesn’t like to be dependent on anyone, Apple will do what they do best, their own thing, so yes, I think there’s every possibility you could be seeing Apple Maps on an iPhone near you sooner rather than later.

Click here to read this article by Vladimir Prelovac on GeekWithLaptop.com on Thursday, October 4th, 2009.