Apple Continues Building Its Maps Portfolio With HopStop Acquisition
Apparently, Locationary wasn’t the only maps-related acquisition Apple is making these days; the Cupertino company also snapped up HopStop, which is a service that provides “door-to-door transit, walking, biking, and taxi directions in over 300 cities worldwide”.
It would seem that HopStop’s key features concern the ability to navigate city transit, as well as the ability to email directions, plot a course with multiple destinations, and even helpful items such as the calculating cab fare or estimating calorie consumption (on a bike ride or walk).
Apple’s initial foray into maps, which was an attempt to break free of a Google Maps reliance on its mobile devices, was a disaster. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but when the CEO issues a public apology about how bad a product is, that’s pretty much the definition of a failed product.)
However, you have to give Apple credit; the company hasn’t conceded the maps market, which is clear from its two recent acquisitions. iOS users surely hope that Apple will figure it out, because it’s only a matter of time before Apple kicks Google Maps to the curb again.
It would seem that HopStop’s key features concern the ability to navigate city transit, as well as the ability to email directions, plot a course with multiple destinations, and even helpful items such as the calculating cab fare or estimating calorie consumption (on a bike ride or walk).
Apple’s initial foray into maps, which was an attempt to break free of a Google Maps reliance on its mobile devices, was a disaster. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but when the CEO issues a public apology about how bad a product is, that’s pretty much the definition of a failed product.)
However, you have to give Apple credit; the company hasn’t conceded the maps market, which is clear from its two recent acquisitions. iOS users surely hope that Apple will figure it out, because it’s only a matter of time before Apple kicks Google Maps to the curb again.
