Apple Acquires GPS Start-Up

Posted by Soulskill on Monday May 18, 2015 @01:38AM from the you-can't-get-there-from-here dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Apple is still sprinting to catch up with Google with its navigation software — the company just acquired Coherent Navigation, a startup focused on GPS tech. Its navigation services are reportedly more precise than most commercial-grade systems. Their system "combines signals from the traditional mid-earth orbit GPS satellites with those from the low-earth satellites of voice and data provider Iridium to offer greater accuracy and precision, higher signal integrity, and greater jam resistance." They've already worked with Boeing and the U.S. Department of Defense. Apple didn't disclose the terms of the deal or explain any specific plans for the GPS technology.

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Re:Cui bono? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-05-18 02:38 · Score: 2, Interesting

Why does Apple feel the compulsion to plow money into an inferior map service?
Because Google forced them too.
Google was not going to continue to allow the previous Apple developed, Google data backed iOS mapping software without Apple sharing user data with them. The two companies couldn't come to an agreement, so Apple had to develop their own maps.
And I'm glad they did. As a developer, the Apple maps are free to use. That is not true for Google maps.