Apple Acquires GPS Start-Up

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.

Comments

Re:A GPS company.

[Anonymous Coward]

So does this mean Apple Maps will stop guiding people out into the middle of nowhere, off cliffs and into lakes?

If so that's too bad. As a society, why do we hate natural selection? Do we _want_ Idiocracy? Natural selection is your friend! There are network effects, after all. Ergo, a moron falling off a cliff is a GOOD moron!

The people with a shred of sense are capable of saying "hmm that can't be right, time to try something else" when a navigation system tells them to drive off a cliff or into a lake. Those are the people we want to keep. Best of all, both groups self-select so you avoid all the nasty politics of allowing anyone to choose who is who.

Re:A GPS company.

[OzPeter]

So does this mean Apple Maps will stop guiding people out into the middle of nowhere, off cliffs and into lakes?

Do you mean like every other nav system in the world also does?

Re:Life of Iridium satellites

[pushing-robot]

The Iridium project bankrupted Motorola (it was motorola right?). Are they putting up new satellites to the Iridium constellation? Did they ever completed it and put up all the planned satellites in orbit? How long are these satellites going to last?

Iridium Corporation has been healthy since the bankruptcy (amazing what ditching your debts can do...). They've already launched some replacement satellites and are planning to replace the whole network over the next several years.