According to the Sun, Apple has purchased Quebec-based Poly9, a mapping API provider for Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo!, MSNBC, and NORAD.
Poly9's website has been shuttered, their employees moved to Cupertino.
Last year, Apple bought PlaceBase, a company that specialized in API for layering data sets over maps.
Since there's only a few companies that actually own the maps themselves, Apple still isn't going into the map business -- but they certainly look to be doing a lot to make their implementation of maps better and more powerful.
iOS 5 anyone?
[MacDailyNews, image via designrevolution.org, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Reader comments
Apple acquires map API company Poly9
Last year, apple bought PlaceBASE.
It would be pretty cool for Apple to redo the Maps app. Especially if they throw in their own free Apple-branded turn-by-turn voice guided navigation. :D haha. Doubt it, but it'd be nice.
Hey I live in Quebec!
And I never heard of this company.
The first report I saw said that they do the following:
Poly9 is a technology studio in Quebec City specializing in 2D & 3D web mapping, and interactive media. Since 2005, we have designed and developed some of the most exciting and popular web mapping applications for major clients. We are also behind highly visible Google Gadgets, running on iGoogle and the Google Gadget Ads platforms.
Sounds like a shot over Google's bow and something to be used in a future product. iOS5, hopefully more like iOS4.2
Wake me up when something shows up in iOS. Otherwise, it's really a non-event. Same with PlaceBase, LaLa, Siri, whatever.
They're most likely going to replace Google as the maps provider in their maps applications.