Apple has bought competitor Google Maps

Corporation Apple has bought competitor Google Maps, company Placebase.

The transaction has taken place in July, but attention of mass-media has involved just now when it became known, that founder Placebase was a part Apple Geo Team. On it has informed edition ComputerWorld.

Geo Team

About existence in Apple the project "Geo Team" till now it was known nothing. But journalists assume, that occurrence of the similar project speaks about desire Apple to refuse service Google Maps which is used in products Apple — iPhone and iPod touch. Company Placebase purchase could be one more reason on which general director Google had to leave board of directors Apple, writes blog TechCrunch.

Worthy competitor Google Maps

The cartographical company Placebase created by the businessman from Los Angeles Jaron Waldman, has successfully sustained a competition to free service Google Maps started in 2005. Has been for this purpose developed Pushpin — the interface of programming of appendices (API), allowing the companies-partners to impose on the existing cartographical plan the data.

Paid Pushpin there was more attractive to commercial use, than similar free interface Google Maps. It has allowed Placebase to become profitable business with a gain in some millions dollars a year. Site GigaOM underlines, that Waldman developed the company on own money, without attraction of external investments.