“Apple suffered a serious public relations hit when its Apple Maps product was unveiled to the world,” Chris Ciaccia writes for TheStreet. “Its latest purchase may be about changing that perception, even if it comes six months later.”
“Over the weekend, Apple acquired WiFiSLAM, a indoor-GPS company,” Ciaccia writes. “According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple paid around $20 million for the company, but the impact could be far greater as it pertains to Apple Maps.”
Ciaccia writes, “While Apple wouldn’t discuss its plans for WiFiSlam, there are a few facts known about the company which could hint that Apple is really serious about improving Maps.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
How indoor location could find its way into Apple services – March 25, 2013
Apple wants to map your favorite malls and airports – March 25, 2013
Apple acquires indoor location company WifiSLAM for $20 million – March 23, 2013
Yes, I want Apple Maps to better guide me to the closest Apple Store in any Mall in any City.
Now it’s imperative that WiFi is implemented in all large venues.
You should really watch the company video. Weak WiFi signals are just as valuable as strong ones to geolocate. They also use magnetic strength and inertial sensors in the iPhone.
In the malls I have been in that have Apple Stores, one does not need a map to find the Apple Store … one only needs to look for the store with the most people in it (not including the food court, of course).
Sounds Excellent. Not necessarily the Wifi location part (ok), but maps of structures and places. Numerous times I could have used a simple map of a metro station or even parking lots around a stadium. If Apple Maps could drill right into those, that would be sweet.
But really they need to get serious about fixing the massive glut of problems with the data (talking internationally here). I really hate the Google Maps app on the iPhone, but I find I have to turn to it more often than I like to admit.
Ditto.
Yes there are locations near San Marcos and San Elijo Hills in California in relatively new housing tracts (been there a couple years though) still not identified where my daughter lives. Also I notice sometime a destination is pinned a little off from its actual location. I haven’t loaded Gaggle Maps and don’t want to have to.
Apple has been improving Maps since it was released. They recently added enhanced maps in Japan and flyover support for a bunch of new cities, for example.
Acquiring a company that specializes in indoor mapping is not a sign that Apple is “turning a corner”, but if you start with the premise that Maps was fatally flawed to begin with, like you’d read in your typical blog tripe, I guess it is.
So basically it’s making the same progression that Google Maps made, and all other mapping services do when launched.
Maybe since it was starting from behind Apple maps should have been better from the start since it was going to be directly compared to established alternatives, but it ultimately has to be remembered that Google maps had whole sites devoted to errors and problems.
Google also did not proclaim to be a replacement for MapQuest when it was launched. And it launched as a beta. And people chose to use it or not, because it was just another website.
Siri was a beta, and also didn’t replace anything. Sure there were sites poking fun at it, but almost all were in good natured ribbing.
iOS Maps was both “final” *and* a replacement for their arch-rival’s map system. You can’t set a different app as default to handle mapping API requests. So, the bar and expectations were set much higher, and Apple has to take responsibility for that (and they have).
Sure hope this is the turn that puts them on the straight and narrow. Or maybe leads where no company has gone before. Navigation is so confusing.
I used Maps a lot the last few days and even with the Siri voice commands I missed a turn due to traffic and stop light congestion. Kept on driving and tried to figure out how to turn around when Siri pointed me to the next exit and said to do a quick U-turn and head back the other way. Pretty cool that it reacts in real-time.
Great, but can they make the main database better before they add indoor mapping?
I love Apple Maps, but the business database Apple uses really sucks! You can’t find half the restaurants, gas stations, or other business with Apple Maps that you can with Google Maps. I have to use Google Maps to find stuff, but I cringe the whole time I’m using it because the usability is horrible compared to Apple Maps. I have two choices: A great app with crap info, and a crappy app with great info. Yay!
Also, I’ve submitted several dozen corrections in my locale using the “Report a Problem” button, and none have been addressed. Come on, Apple!
Apple maps has been the biggest improvement to the new iPhone. (and IOS) I use it EVERY DAY and it works great!!! When I find a mistake I look and find (forever beta) Google makes the same mistake.
The fact that this twit thinks Apple is turning a corner because Apple bought WiFiSLAM just shows how clueless Chris is about what he is writing about.
To right!
No street view. No public transit. Still no feature parity with iOS 5 maps. Still a FAIL
Street view was never promised. Don’t blame an App for not being a different App.
My point is that it WAS a different app that had greatly reduced functionality. The issue of what was “promIsed” matters only from Apple’s perspective, not the end user.
Street view is a fun gimmick that would be nice to have but not THAT useful.
It was Google that intentionally kept turn-by-turn from us, they deserve what they got.
The new Google map for iPhone just shows how bad they are at designing UI software.
Compared to Apple.
Apple Maps with Siri integration has never failed me. Don’t know what all of these people are talking about.
All you guys who say: “Maps works perfectly for me.” Try this right now. Search for “Cabelas.” I am literally 1 mile from one of these huge outdoor retailers. Google finishes my thought for me by the fourth letter. Maps gives me a city in France with a somewhat similar name. Maps may be “turning a corner” but it can’t find a huge store around the corner.
I think Apple Maps user experience is actually superior than Google Maps.(http://linwangge.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/uicraft-what-apple-map-ui-done-right/)
What they really need is better (smarter) back-end map data, this purchase is directly address that. Great move!
Just wanted to add that I am loving Apple Maps, in comparison to Google maps in Australia. The 3D rendering in Sydney is brilliant and while not fully up to date is awesome IMHO.
Will this be significantly better then the indoor maps Google has for Airports etc?