Apple Considering Partnership With Foursquare For iOS 6 Maps [Report]

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main-foursquare

Apple is looking to evolve its own Maps app in iOS 6 by potentially partnering with Foursquare to provide local listings, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. Talks between Apple and Foursquare are still in the early “preliminary” stages, according to the report, but Apple is definitely interested in what Foursquare has to offer.

Yelp is already integrated into iOS 6 Maps, and Apple partners with other services to offer more than 100 million business listings. A partnership with Foursquare could help enrich Apple’s location data and even help fix inaccuracies in iOS 6 Maps.

Apple Inc. is in early discussions to integrate local data from Foursquare Labs Inc. into its mapping application, according to people familiar with the talks, as the company continues to build an arsenal of local data to try to take on Google Inc.

Foursquare really pioneered the whole ‘check-in’ movement on smartphones, and the service still maintains about 8 million active users. Over the years Foursquare has collected a treasure trove of location data and user-generated listings. There’s also the expertise Foursquare could offer Apple for improving Maps, but a buyout doesn’t appear to be on the table right now.

Google Maps launched in the App Store just last week to a warm welcome from disgruntled iOS 6 Maps users. Apple is likely doing everything it can to make its Maps app a more attractive offering than the free alternative Google just unleashed on the iPhone.

Interestingly, Apple VP Eddy Cue has been checking in with Foursquare on his Twitter account recently. Cue was put in charge of Apple Maps when Scott Forstall was given the boot back in October.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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