Apple snaps up company to improve its Maps

Over the years, Apple has quietly scooped up several location-services companies, including HopStop, a crowd-sourced maps tool, in 2013 and Coherent Navigation, a GPS company, this past May. It is being speculated that Apple is conducting a major Maps overhaul to include imagery from mapping vans that are collecting data on streets around the world.

Apple Inc. has acquired a mapping analytics company that could help bolster its navigational and automotive capabilities.

How Mapsense will benefit Apple?

Translation: If you provide the data, its platform will give you the map. Here’s how Mapsense describes their purpose: There are over 10 billion devices on the planet streaming location data on a daily basis. This lets businesses in understanding how their customers are making use of the products offered.

Mapsense is a small firm established in 2013. The primary purpose of Mapsense is to understand, visualize and analyze this data.

Re/code reported that Apple acquired San Francisco-based Mapsense, which develops tools to create and analyse visuals from location data.

The news comes just after Mapsense raised .5 million in a seed round led by General Catalyst back in May.

Although Apple hasn’t publicly confirmed the acquisition, it’s not entirely surprising.

Separately, S&P CapIQ’s Angelo Zino has upgraded Apple to Strong Buy, arguing the launch of annual iPhone upgrade plans directly sold by the company – they were announced at last week’s event, and cost $32.41-$44.91/month depending on the model – is “a notable positive”.