Apple to dump Google Maps off iPhone and iPad

“Later this year, Apple is planning to oust Google Maps as the preloaded, default maps app from the iPhone and iPad and release a new mapping app that runs Apple’s own technology, according to current and former Apple employees,” Jessica E. Vascellaro and Amir Efrati report for The Wall Street Journal.

“Apple could preview the new software, which will be part of its next mobile-operating system, as soon as next week at its annual developer conference in San Francisco, one person familiar with the plans says,” Vascellaro and Efrati report. “Apple plans to encourage app developers to embed its maps inside their applications like social-networking and search services. Apple has been hatching the plan to evict Google Maps from the iPhone for years, according to current and former Apple employees.”

Vascellaro and Efrati report, “Mobile ads associated with maps or locations are estimated to account for about 25% of the roughly $2.5 billion spent on mobile ads in 2012, according to Opus Research, up from 10% in 2010. That is expected to grow as the number of location-aware software apps grows. But more than ad revenue, Apple is going after the map market to have more control over a key asset in the widening smartphone war. Google Maps is used by more than 90% of U.S. iPhone users. So Apple believes controlling the mapping experience and offering features that Google doesn’t have can help sell more devices and entice developers to build unique apps for iPhone users.”

“In the short term, Google will lose some ad revenue and miss out on data about what local businesses people are searching for—which it uses to pitch retailers on buying certain ads,” Vascellaro and Efrati report. “Longer term, it is likely to hurt Google’s ability to generate map-related revenue, according to former Google employees.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Google won’t just lose “some” ad revenue, they will lose access to the best demographics and the most highly-coveted users (iOS users, who actually spend money to buy things) and their data.

Depriving Google of data is like depriving a vampire of blood.

Inch by inch, Apple hammers home the wooden stake.

Google’s going to rue the day they got greedy by deciding to try to work against Apple instead of with them.MacDailyNews Take, March 09, 2010

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29 Comments

      1. I don’t know. But I’ve been a happy user of DuckDuckGo.com for the past six months or so.

        The only time I *might* use Gurgle is for maps. Looking forward to 100% Gargle-free computing!

      2. only thing is, DDG does NOT produce the best searches.. I used it for awhile and sadly google, yahoo and bing just did far better..

        on my iOS devices I switched to Yahoo, I just can’t do Bing…
        and on my Mac I just block everything Google via plugins, but still used google search only.

        Not saying DDG is bad.. just not as good at searching.

        Just wish Apple would allow more search engine choices on iOS.

  1. About every third time I use Google maps search, they show the wrong place, sometimes WAY off. For businesses, I have to tap the phone number (only occasionally wrong) to ask where they are. It’s pitiful, and I hope Apple can do better.

  2. This is a clear example of why Google should have been Apple’s best friend as opposed to its competitor. At some point, Google may realize they are losing more revenue by being ousted from iOS than they are seeing in profit from Android.

    When it seemed like it was Apple/Google vs. Microsoft, I cheered the company. But the stabs in the back were unbelievable and Microsoftian. Apple has got the talent and war chest to create whatever they can imagine and Google’s services are squarely in the target (just as Michael Dell how that turns out).

  3. Hate to disagree with you all but if the maps Apple uses with iPhoto geolocation then Apples maps are destined to be another Ping. Google has years building Maps and Google Earth into apps used by everyone. As an Apple loyalist since my first Mac 128 in 1984 I would advise Apple to live Cartography to Google. I doubt Apple could catch up with Street View for example in 10 years. The huge trove of photos supplied by users of GE would likely only come from iOS users, a very small percent of map users.
    As a retired Cartographer and Land Surveyor I think you all have a limited view of what Google has built. I know many Cartographers in the Silicon Valley and none work for Apple. Using the puplic generated free map will not provide anything near what Google has. Ping maps just will not cut it. Google is not standing still either, and has a huge headstart in mapping.

    1. $100 billion can buy a lot of maps and cartographers. The point is taken that Google has a great deal invested in street view, but in typical Google fashion, the execution sucks.

      1. Agreed. I have used Google Maps since the beginning and it amazing how many times they DO NOT get the location correct. Fingers crossed Apple can correct the problem and offer a better user experience. Regardless of who did what and who spent what — my current Google Street View shows an image from 2008.

  4. Apple will do a better job of software design than Google any day of the week, so you don’t know anyone at Apple so what, if they are working at Apple they ain’t talking (remember all those years Apple was working on Mac OS 10 Intel version for nine years before release to the public). You can bet Google is worried.

  5. Google’s going to rue the day they got greedy by deciding to try to work against Apple instead of with them. – MacDailyNews Take, March 09, 2010

    EXACTLY. Imagine the happy world Google would have enjoyed if they had not BACK-STABBED Apple via Eric T. Mole.

    Karma’s a BITCH Google! Enjoy. 😛

  6. Just saw a Navteq camera car drive past my office. If they have some sort of relationship with Apple….. street view-like capabilities could be part of Apple’s new maps.

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