Dec. 20, 2012 at 1:00 AM ET
Apple's own Maps app may eventually include information from Foursquare. A recent report suggesting that the Cupertino-based company is courting various companies which collect local data.
According to the Wall Street Journal's Jessica Lessin's sources, who are supposedly familiar with the talks between Apple and Foursquare, the two companies may bond over Apple Maps.
"The talks, which took place in recent weeks and involve Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue," Lessin explains, "are the latest sign of Apple's plans to more tightly integrate local services into the iPhone and iPad."
One of several key complaints about Apple's Maps app upon its release was that it is sparse on local points of interest. By integrating data from services such as Foursquare, Apple could offer listings of popular businesses along with user-generated tips. This should, in theory, help it better compete against well-established products such as Google Maps. (Coincidentally, the new Google Maps for iOS app has been downloaded more than 10 million times in the first two days since its release, according to a Google+ post by Jeff Huber, Google's senior vice president of commerce and local.)
Apple's got its work cut out, but it does seem that the company is taking baby steps to keep CEO Tim Cook's promise to do "everything [it] can to make Maps better."
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