Although some say that Apple’s home-brewed Maps app was rushed out and should never have passed through testing, the Cupertino based company should be applauded for holding their hands up, admitting their mistakes and doing what is necessary to put the software right for the millions of users around the world. If the recent Wall Street Journal report is to be believed, then it looks like part of that rectification process could hinge on striking a deal with Foursquare to include the company’s extensive mapping data in the Maps app.
The general consensus is that Apple and their engineers have managed to build a technically sound app that has some great features built underneath the gorgeous vector based graphics that are used to display maps to the end-user. But, the app suffers from the lack of data to put it on a level capable of competing with the likes of Google Maps. Foursquare has become extremely popular in the last few years, thanks to its ability to allow users to check into specific locations and share information with a variety of social networks about that location and surrounding points of interest.
The report in question is suggesting that if any partnership were to be agreed between Apple and Foursquare, then it would involve Foursquare’s local data being harvested and incorporated into the Maps app on iOS devices to dramatically increase the effectiveness of the app. Although, the stock Maps app has never really posed any great problem for me, personally I have encountered a number of issues where businesses or local points of interest are missing entirely, so presumably, the idea is that the data would be used to alleviate that issue going forward.
If the deal does come to fruition, it can only be classed as a positive move for all parties involved. Using Foursquare’s extensive local data will dramatically benefit end-users by providing a more comprehensive search experience within the native iOS 6 Maps app, while Foursquare themselves will get additional exposure from being tightly integrated into the operating system which they initially brought to the platform through their own app.
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