iOS vs. Android: Apple and Google map different routes

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The success of Android and iOS in part depends upon the innovation provided for each platform by third-party mobile app developers, and some would argue that Android has taken a beating as a result.

So, in a competitive strike against Google, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on June 11 that it is dropping Google Maps from iOS 6 this fall in favor of its own mapping services. Amsterdam-based navigation-system maker TomTom has signed a global agreement with Apple for developing maps and related information.

By launching its own mapping service and leaving behind Google Maps, Apple is ?moving away from any type of relationship with Google,? said Kenneth Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, which specializes in online, social and mobile marketing. ?It signals that they have started to clearly define each other more as competitors whereas before they could be viewed as complementary.?

Apple dropping Google Maps from iOS 6 will be of concern to some Android app developers. ?For many Android developers who also target iOS (which sees the majority of the most popular apps), this might have an effect because the map services may now vary across devices,? said IDC analyst and program director Al Hilwa. ?However, not all apps use maps, and so this is of limited effect.?

Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin thinks the news of Apple dropping Google Maps from iOS 6 could influence Android app developers to begin developing for iOS. ?The new Maps interfaces from Apple may provide additional incentive for them to develop for iOS as Apple looks to create a new revenue stream from those APIs,? he said.

While dropping Google Maps is strategically significant for Apple, mobile industry analysts say developers will continue the trend of developing cross-platform apps that support both Android and iOS, albeit more often for iOS. Even though it takes some extra energy, developers will continue to develop cross-platform because doing so maximizes their app sales, plus app availability and quality is what consumers look at when choosing their phones.

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