Apple has acquired mapping company Poly9 in a move that many consider to be another step by Apple to remove Google products from the iPhone.
Quebec, Canada based Poly9 creates 3D map software for use in a browser, including “Poly9 Globe,” a “cross-browser, cross-platform 3D globe which does not require any download.”
According to AppleInsider , Canadian press reported the acquisition Wednesday, saying that a majority of the company’s employees have been moved to California. Poly9’s website is no longer available.
This is the second acquisition for Apple in the mapping space, with the tech giant having purchased Google Maps competitor Placebase last year.
The combination of the two companies can only mean one thing: that Apple intends on replacing Google Maps as a default install on the iPhone with its own product. Speculation has also been rife that Apple is moving towards a full purge of Google products as the search giant’s Android platform has quickly become Apple’s largest competitor in the smart phone market.
