Last week the new iPhone 5 and latest iOS 6 mobile operating software was released by Apple, which brought with it Apple’s own iOS Map application, that replaced the original Google Map app supplied with the earlier versions of the iPhone.
As you might have read since its release the new Apple iOS Map app is a little rough around the edges at the moment, and may not be the most trustworthy iOS application to guide you to your destination.
Apple has explained that their new iOS Map application is a work in progress, and has some way to go before it can compete with the accuracy of Google Maps. Which Google currently has 7,000 staff developing at the present time.
Its now been revealed in an interview with the Tech Crunch website, by a source close to the action that Apple is now in the process of recruiting ex-Google Map developers, in an effort to help build its own iOS Map application and services.
“Many of my coworkers at Google Maps eventually left when their contracts ended or on their own accord. One guy looked around for other GIS work and ended up at Apple when a recruiter contacted him. He had heard rumors for a while that Apple was going to develop its own in-house mapping platform, and given his experience at Google, he was an easy hire. Apple went out of their way to bring him down to Cupertino and he’s now paid hansomly as a GIS Analyst. Another coworker that was a project lead at Google Maps, left for the East Coast after his contract ended, and was recently contacted by an Apple recruiter. The position sounds like a product development manager position, and will pay him $85k+ and all the moving expenses from the East Coast. He’s gone through 2 rounds of interview and seems like a frontrunner to land that position.
Apple has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to build a robust mapping platform to counter Google Maps, so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s going out of its way to lure former and current Google Maps employees. At Google Maps, we know what data’s important, rendering priorities, keyword searches, and how the user experience is suppose to be. However, Apple needs to find a way to get its own 5 million miles of street view data, partner with the right folks, and spend a fortune on licensed data – which it can.”
Source: Tech Crunch
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