I wonder how many of Apple’s iPhone users over the last three years have defected to Android with the number one reason being Google Maps and its transit features? Apple knows full well the importance of maps and is probably loathe to ever make that mistake again. But this got me to wondering if the Didi Chuxing deal isn’t really more about getting the jump on mapping in one of their most important markets.
Last year appleinsider had an interesting writeup on how Apple Maps was actually better in China than they are in the Unites States or Europe. It turns out that foreign companies are prohibited from mapping China, so Apple has to use the official Chinese government approved database which is fairly good in the big cities.
From what I gather, as good as the Chinese maps from the government are, they are riddled with errors and misplaced landmarks. If Apple could get an airtight mapping system, it would give them a competitive advantage over Google and help them keep pace with the local Chinese phone companies.
So what is Apple going to do? They can’t just buy a bunch of vans and pay people to start mapping the cities and confirming data. That’s illegal. If only there were thousands upon thousands of Chinese drivers willing to match up street names and landmarks with map coordinates. And if only they were willing to do this non-stop around the clock and share this data with Apple. Wouldn’t that be fortunate?
Even if the Chinese government didn’t allow them to use the data immediately, Apple could quietly grow their Chinese database in anticipation of a future loosening of the rules. At that point, they could immediately jump to the head of the pack with accuracy that sends everyone else scrambling.
From what I gather, as good as the Chinese maps from the government are, they are riddled with errors and misplaced landmarks. If Apple could get an airtight mapping system, it would give them a competitive advantage over Google and help them keep pace with the local Chinese phone companies.
So what is Apple going to do? They can’t just buy a bunch of vans and pay people to start mapping the cities and confirming data. That’s illegal. If only there were thousands upon thousands of Chinese drivers willing to match up street names and landmarks with map coordinates. And if only they were willing to do this non-stop around the clock and share this data with Apple. Wouldn’t that be fortunate?
Even if the Chinese government didn’t allow them to use the data immediately, Apple could quietly grow their Chinese database in anticipation of a future loosening of the rules. At that point, they could immediately jump to the head of the pack with accuracy that sends everyone else scrambling.
RSS Feed