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Apple enters new territory; maps app could replace Google Maps on iPhone

Google Maps is one of the most popular smartphone apps and one of the most lucrative, as advertisers are quick to see the value in location-based mobile ads. Now Apple is reportedly working to move into Google’s territory with its own maps application to replace Google Maps in the iOS 6 operating system.

The Apple maps app was first reported by 9to5 Mac last month, and now BGR says it has a picture (right) of a map displayed by the app, which it says will include a 3D option.

With just 6 days to go before Apple’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference, analysts are speculating that the Apple maps app will be a cornerstone of the company’s iOS 6 operating system announced at the conference. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple wants to encourage developers to embed the maps app in other applications.

In a sign that Google may be expecting a maps announcement from Apple, the Mountain View company has made a preemptive strike by scheduling a press conference tomorrow to showcase “the next dimension of Google Maps.”
Google says it will “provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually,” suggesting that Google Maps is also going 3D.

The competing map apps could eventually become a major consideration for consumers deciding between Android and iOS smartphones. Right now, more than half of all smartphones purchased worldwide are Android phones.

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Martha DeGrasse
Martha DeGrassehttp://www.nbreports.com
Martha DeGrasse is the publisher of Network Builder Reports (nbreports.com). At RCR, Martha authored more than 20 in-depth feature reports and more than 2,400 news articles. She also created the Mobile Minute and the 5 Things to Know Today series. Prior to joining RCR Wireless News, Martha produced business and technology news for CNN and Dow Jones in New York and managed the online editorial group at Hoover’s Online before taking a number of years off to be at home when her children were young. Martha is the board president of Austin's Trinity Center and is a member of the Women's Wireless Leadership Forum.