Apple has a strong interest in building its own map service.
Over the last few years, Apple has added a number of fully functional features to its mapping technology, from GPS directions to a fully accessible API. However, the service is heavily reliant on another mapping program; Google's Map service. Apple is working on building an alternative to Google Maps for its users. That's why it's trying to acquire other mapping startups for its own purposes, such as PlaceBase, which Apple acquired in 2009.
Apple is continuing the development of the service through its acquire Coherent Navigation, a mapping startup from the San Francisco area. Coherent Navigation was started in 2008 by a team of engineers from Cornell and Stanford. Coherent's specialty is "High Integrity GPS," which is a modified version of GPS that uses the combined signals from mid-Earth orbit satellites and low-Earth orbit data satellites to improve the GPS' accuracy and avoid jams.
What are Apple's plans for Coherent Navigation's team?
The company said in an email to the New York Times that "Apple acquires smaller companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
Apple's acquisition of Coherent Navigation seems to be a logical move for the company, since it hired employees from the company in recent months. Coherent CEO Paul Lego and cofounders William Bencze and Brett Ledvina all joined Apple's staff in the last three months. Lego told MacRumors that he was joining Apple's Maps team, while Bencze and Ledvina were going to help with Apple's location engineering technology.
Apple did not disclose the exact details of the deal.
