Google Maps to Be Used In iOS 5 Maps Application [Eric Schmidt Confirms Speculation That Apple & Google Will Stay Partners On Maps & Mapping Data, No New Map Application For iOS 5?]

Posted on TFTS by Kevin Schram on Tuesday, 31. May 2011 under: Mobile/Cell Phones

A few weeks ago, we reported on a rumor that that Maps application in iOS 5 would still use mapping data from Google Maps, despite the increasing competition and animosity between Apple and Google. Dr. Eric Schmidt, at the AllThingsD D9 conference announced today in a fireside chat that Apple ‘just renewed’ the deal to use Google Maps data.

This is sort of a big deal. Not only are Google and Apple at each other’s throats, but Apple has bought two mapping-related startup tech ventures in the last two years, and it’s been speculated that the company was planning to go head to head with Google with their own “Apple Maps” or some such.

As many of you know, the “Maps” application on the iOS has been “Powered by Google” since the beginning. The application is actually sort of bare bones when compared to its Android counterpart, which has all sorts of extra features that are available on the Google Maps website and are above and beyond what is offered on the iOS Maps application. A lot of Apple fans blame Google for this, but Apple is responsible for developing that “Maps” utility, so the blame lies on them. But it’s not like the Maps application for iOS awful.

Some tech blogs believe this means that we’ll see no updates to the Maps application next week at Apple’s WWDC show. I don’t know about that, but it does look less likely. Was anybody looking forward to a new Maps application on the iPhone?