“Apple has poached at least six engineers from Berlin-based mapping company Here —owned by German automotive firms Audi, BMW, and Daimler — and may have a Maps team based in the city,” Roger Fingas reports for AppleInsider.
“Recruits from Here include a director, two product managers, two senior software engineers, and regional map and content lead for eastern Europe, Business Insider said on Wednesday,” Fingas reports. “While some of the defections date back to 2015, and in one case August 2014, one of the senior software engineers —Khang Tran —made the switch just this month.”
“Germany’s capital would be a natural location for a Maps office, given the city’s tech industry and labor pool,” Fingas reports. “It might also be a good place to connect with German automakers, both for CarPlay and if Apple decides to partner with an existing company on a future electric car.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The more (accurate) data for Maps, the better!
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s secret car lab in Berlin – April 18, 2016
BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen’s Audi to buy Nokia’s HERE maps – August 3, 2015
Nokia wants Apple to buy its money-losing HERE maps business – April 22, 2015
Nokia announces ‘HERE’ maps application for Apple’s iOS devices – November 13, 2012
I actually like HERE and use it a lot in the USA along with SYGIC
VW- owner of Audi- is based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony and Audi in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Daimler is Headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. Porsche- also a subsidiary of VW is headquartered in the Zuffenhausen District of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg.
None of those are anywhere near Berlin. I am a shareholder in VW- owner of Audi and used to live in Stuttgart, home of Porsche and Daimler. They have offices in Berlin, but that is not where the magic happens.
Berlin is a hipster haven and there is money to incentivize SW development there.