What to Expect in Apple's Upcoming Maps App

Though once close partners joined together by a common foe (Microsoft), Apple and Google are now nothing short of fierce adversaries. The rift between Apple and the search giant of course began when Google decided to get into the smartphone business, a move which Steve Jobs viewed as an ultimate betrayal given that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt used to sit on Apple's board.

Now Apple and Google's drama aside, it's no secret that Apple has an innate desire to control as much of the technology that goes into their products as possible. And with Google now a legitimate and arguably growing competitive threat to Apple's iPhone, it's hardly surprising that Apple would want to lessen its reliance on Google technologies. You think Apple likes that Google currently has two apps (YouTube and Maps) on the prime piece of real estate that is the iOS homescreen? Me neither...

...So if we put Poly9 and PlaceBase together, it's easy to imagine some of the possibilities. Imagine an interface, for example, whereby a user could explore a virtual 3D globe and ascertain information about any location in the world. Zoom in on Italy and be presented with news stories from around the country. Zoom in even further on Rome, for example, and be presented with weather for the week, local sports scores, crime statistics, the cost of flights to Rome from your current location (similar to Kayak Explore), demographic info - a virtual almanac at your fingertips...