Apple takes on Google replacing Google maps with own Apple maps on Apple devices such as IPhones. Apple also betters Siri as apple gets into maps, Siri will be burnished. Technology News

Technology News / NationalTurk – Steve Jobs’ vendetta against Google company remains very much alive, 9 months after the Apple co-founder passed away feeling betrayed by a company he once embraced as an solid ally.

Apple is escalating the feud between two of the world’s most influential companies by dumping Google’s mapping service as a built-in feature on most iPhones and iPads. Apple is also making it easier for users of those devices to share their lives on Facebook instead of Google’s competing social network.

Apple Google war is on !

Google has invested huge sums in mapping technology over the years, and about half its map traffic now comes from iPhones and iPads. Among other things, the traffic from those devices reveals valuable location data that helps improve the mapping service and provides features like real-time traffic reports.

Apple tweaked a number of features in its mobile operating system to further its lead in enticing users to stay within its ecosystem. The upgrades marked a bolstering of Apple’s arsenal as it tries to keep its top-down applications and hardware environment ahead of competition from Android device makers such as Samsung Electronics and Motorola Mobility.

Facebook, though, has warned investors that it still hasn’t figured out how to make a lot of money from mobile devices, where so far it has proven more though to bring in as much ad revenue as on traditional computers.

The snubs are part of an upgraded mobile operating system that Apple previewed Monday to kick off its 23rd annual developers conference in San Francisco.

Google’s mapping service will be replaced by an Apple-designed alternative when the new software for mobile devices, iOS 6, is released this fall. Those who want to continue using Google Maps will have to go through additional hurdle, such as finding and installing its app.

It represents a major blow for Google Inc., which stands to lose mobile advertising revenue and valuable insights about people’s whereabouts if users of the popular iPhone and iPad devices switch to Apple’s mapping service.

Apple Google battle rages on

Apple and Google are locked in a fight for the attention of hundreds of millions of mobile device users. The battle has been building since Google’s 2008 release of its Android operating system to compete against the iPhone.

Android smartphones from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Google’s own Motorola division are the chief alternatives to the iPhone. Apple has sued those manufacturers, accusing them of ripping off the iPhone’s ground-breaking features.

Although Apple is late to the game with turn-by-turn directions, Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said Apple’s new service features nice touches, demonstrating the company’s ability to take an experience offered by rivals and “go even further.”

Google’s Maps application has resided on the iPhone since the device’s 2007 debut. At that time, the companies were so close that Eric Schmidt, then Google’s CEO, appeared on stage with Jobs to hail their kinship.

Apple blocks the path of Google and Google apps on ios 6

Among other updates in iOS 6, Apple’s voice-command application Siri will add a host of languages, including Spanish, Korean and Mandarin Chinese. “She” will also be able to launch applications and movies and will run on iPads for the first time

Apple kicked off its weeklong Worldwide Developers’ Conference proceedings by touting its hardware, its biggest edge over Google.

Android destroyed the relationship. Before he died last October, Jobs told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that he viewed Android as a form of “grand theft” from Apple and declared “thermonuclear war” against his former ally.

“This is a slap in Google’s face,” said Tim Bajarin, a Creative Strategies analyst who got to know Jobs well during his 32 years following the company. “I don’t think Apple is ever going to be able to bury Android, but this is making it clear that they aren’t going to send any more ad revenue Google’s way, if at all possible.”

Apple updates its iOS software every year, to coincide with the launch of a new iPhone. Google is scheduled to show off the latest developments in Android at a conference that will be held at the same San Francisco venue beginning June 27.

In a statement Monday, Google said it is “looking forward to continuing to build the perfect map for our users in the months and years ahead.” In anticipation of Apple’s announcement, Google last week previewed a series of upgrades to its mapping service in an effort to make it more convenient and compelling.

In another jab at Google, Apple also said it’s building Facebook into iOS 6. That threatens to make it more difficult for Google to drive traffic to its Google Plus social network, a high priority for the company. As it is, Google has more than 170 million users while Facebook has more than 900 million users.

The new MacBook Pro will have a 15-inch screen and four times the resolution of previous models, Apple executive Phil Schiller said.

Among other things, users of Apple’s new software will be able to update their Facebook status by talking to their phones and declare that they “like” movies and apps in Apple’s iTunes store.

The tie-in with Apple’s mobile devices could be a boon for Facebook Inc., based on the usage of Twitter since that online messaging service became part of the current mobile system, iOS 5. Apple says more than 10 billion tweets have been sent from its mobile devices since last year’s upgrade to iOS 5.

San Francisco: Apple Inc took the wraps off its own mobile mapping service and improved the search capabilities of its Siri electronic assistant technology, as it rolled out souped-up software and hardware on Monday to help it wage war on Google Inc.

The iOS 6 also will highlight more features from online business review service Yelp Inc. and online restaurant reservation service OpenTable Inc. Both of those companies are competing against Zagat, a review service that Google bought last year for $151 million.

Besides the upcoming iOS, Apple also showed off updated laptops and new features in its software for Mac computers.

Apple’s new version of its Mac operating system, Mountain Lion, will go on sale next month for $20. The update brings features from Apple’s phone and tablet software to the Mac. That includes the iMessage texting application, which will replace iChat.

Investors appeared to be expecting something more revolutionary, such as more hints about Apple’s ambition to expand into making TVs. Analysts had speculated that Apple would at least update the software on the Apple TV, a small box that connects a TV set to iTunes for movie downloads, as a prelude to perhaps launching a fully integrated TV set.

Apple Inc. shares closed down $9.15, or 1.6 percent, at $571.17. Google shares shed $11.95, or more than 2 percent, to close at $568.50.

Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the keynote Monday at an event that last year turned out to be Jobs’ farewell appearance. In a contrast to Jobs’ showmanship, Cook mentioned only briefly during a nearly two-hour presentation orchestrated by his top lieutenants.

Apple will be replacing Google Maps, a pre-loaded app so far on the iPhone and iPad, with its own in-house map service, delivering a big blow to Google, which gets about half its map traffic from Apple devices.

Apple or Google – Who will be victorious at world domination ?

Microsoft Corp., Apple’s competitor when it comes to computer software, is also making Windows more like its phone software, with the release of Windows 8 later this year. A key difference is that Microsoft is betting that PCs will have touch screens, while Apple is betting they won’t.

Long lines marked the beginning of the week-long annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference, where Apple developers rub shoulders with employees, test the latest products and software, and connect with peers. Apple kicked off proceedings by touting its hardware, its biggest edge over Google.

Mountain Lion will also bring dictation to Macs. Users will be able to input text by talking to the computer, in any program. This is already a feature in Windows.

Apple showed off a laptop with a super-high resolution “Retina” display, setting a new standard for screen sharpness.

Apple already uses “Retina” displays — with individual pixels too small to be distinguished by the naked eye — in its latest iPhones and iPads.

On the phones and tablets, the Retina display is a standard feature. On the MacBook, it’s an expensive upgrade. The new MacBook will cost $2,199 and up, $400 more than the non-Retina MacBook with the same-sized screen.

Despite the high price of Apple Macbook, Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin projected the souped-up MacBook will be a master hit. “It’s a sexy machine,” he states. “Any self-respecting gadget lover is going to be drooling over this thing.”

The new Apple MacBook borrows features from the ultra-slim MacBook Air. It’s only slightly thicker, and like the Air, lacks a DVD drive. Instead of a spinning hard drive, it uses flash memory for storage. In the most radical departure from past PC designs, it lacks an Ethernet port. Those who don’t want to use Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet will have to buy an adapter that goes into the MacBook’s “Thunderbolt” port.

Apple’s other MacBooks are being updated with the latest processors from Intel Corp. Apple will still sell a more traditional 15-inch MacBook Pro, with a standard display.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who took over from late co-founder Steve Jobs last August, spearheaded the unveiling of new services – such as in-house mapping, beefed-up Siri software, address-bar search on its Safari browser – to help keep at bay Google and its fast-growing Android mobile platform.

The event’s key highlight was the debut of Apple’s new in-house mapping service that the company has been working on the past few years.
Its new mobile operating software – the iOS6 – comes with the mapping system “built from the ground up,” said software chief Scott Forstall, sidelining the Google map service that the Internet giant has invested heavily in.

Apple Google Battle – Apple mapping system replaces Google mapping on device services

Apple’s new mobile operating software — the iOS6 — comes with the mapping system “built from the ground up,” software chief Scott Forstall said. The addition sidelines Apple’s use of the Google map service, which the Internet giant has invested heavily in.

The move signals that the friendship between Apple and Google – whose former CEO once sat on Apple’s board – is long over, and underscores Apple’s efforts to reduce its ties with Google, said Colin Gillis, analyst with BGC Partners.

“What happens if one day Google decides to not provide Apple with maps,” said Gillis. “You can’t have that kind of dependency on a competitor.”

Apple’s map service comes with three-dimensional images of cities called “Flyover” along with real-time traffic updates and also turn-by-turn navigation, the last a feature that Google has in Android devices but had not made available in Apple devices.

And Siri, the innovative voice-activated iPhone search-feature users have criticized as faulty and inadequate, is now available on iPads and recites a larger database of answers, especially sports, restaurants and movies.

Siri will be burnished since Apple has also integrated into the new mapping service so Apple users can ask for step-by-step directions.

While Apple is late into the game with turn-by-turn directions, Forrester analyst Charles Golvin mentioned that Apple’s new service featured various nice touches, demonstrating Apple’s ability to take an experience offered by rivals and ‘ go even further.’

He also cited a new app for iPhone and iPads called Passbook that organizes a user’s electronic airline tickets, movie tickets and restaurant loyalty cards. The app is a “harbinger of them doing much, much more,” said Golvin, pointing to the electronic payment and mobile commerce market.

Finally, executives said Apple has integrated No. 1 social network Facebook deeper into the operating system, allowing Siri-users to post photos with voice commands.

The consumer device giant introduced an all-new addition to its MacBook Pro lineup, Apple’s highest-end laptops. At 0.7 inches and weighing under 4.5 pounds, the new MacBook Pro ranks among the thinnest laptops in the market and will hit store shelves months before many Microsoft Windows-equipped “Ultrabooks.” They will employ the “retina” displays that have won strong positive reviews for the new iPad, but start at $2,199.

Along with the introduction of the new MacBook Pro, Apple also updated it current Mac lineup including the MacBook Air.

Marketing chief Phil Schiller outlined how the redesigned MacBook Air notebooks will be about $100 cheaper on average than predecessors, but sport quicker Intel Corp processors, potentially eating into territory staked out by Hewlett-Packard , Dell Inc and other PC makers.

Analysts have speculated that the Apple will start aggressively competing on price, gradually shrinking the premium its Macs carry in general.

More than ever, Apple finds itself in a pitched battle with Google: in smartphones, cloud computing, and a never-ending competition to attract the best software developers. That is crucial as Apple looks to draw users deeper into its applications ecosystem.

Cook told the audience that customers have downloaded more than 30 billion Apple apps so far, choosing from more than 650,000 apps – the largest library in the industry.

Battling in many arenas, the rivals employ different weapons. Apple’s vise-like grip on its ecosystem – with the closely managed app store and its seamless integration with the hardware – stands in sharp contrast to Google’s free-for-all approach.

The open system approach, reminiscent of Microsoft Corp’s hugely successful strategy of creating standard-setting software that runs on a variety of hardware, has allowed Android to capture the market lead in smartphones, albeit with nothing close to Apple’s profit margins.

Apple Inc. took the wraps off its mobile mapping service and improved the search capabilities of its Siri electronic-assistant technology as it rolled out souped-up software and hardware yesterday to help it battle Google Inc.

Apple tweaked a number of features in its mobile operating system to extend its lead in enticing users to stay within its family of products. The upgrades mark a bolstering of Apple’s arsenal as it tries to keep its applications and hardware environment ahead of competition from Android device makers such as Samsung Electronics and Motorola Mobility.

The event’s highlight was the debut of Apple’s in-house mapping service, which the company has been working on for a few years.

Apple will replace Google Maps, a pre-loaded app that is on the iPhone and iPad, with its own in-house map service, delivering a big blow to Google, which gets about half its map traffic from Apple devices.

The move signals that the friendship between Apple and Google — whose former CEO once sat on Apple’s board — is long over, and it underscores Apple’s efforts to reduce its ties with Google, said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners.“What happens if one day Google decides to not provide Apple with maps?” Gillis said. “You can’t have that kind of dependency on a competitor.”

Apple’s map service comes with three-dimensional images of cities called “Flyover,” plus real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation; the latter is a feature that Google has in Android devices but had not made available in Apple devices.

And Siri, the innovative voice-activated iPhone search feature that users have criticized as faulty and inadequate, is now available on iPads and recites a larger database of answers, especially about sports, restaurants and movies. Siri also speaks in more languages.

Siri is integrated into the new mapping service so that users can ask for step-by-step directions.

He also cited a new app for iPhones and iPads called Passbook that organizes a user’s electronic airline tickets, movie tickets and restaurant loyalty cards. The app is a “harbinger of them doing much, much more,” said Golvin, pointing to the electronic-payment and mobile-commerce market.

Executives claim Apple has integrated Facebook deeper into the operating system, allowing Siri users to post photos on the social network with voice commands.

The consumer-device giant, Apple the nemesis of Google introduced an addition to its MacBook Pro lineup, Apple’s priciest laptops. At 0.7 inches and weighing less than 4.5 pounds, the new MacBook Pro ranks among the thinnest laptops in the market and will hit store shelves months before many Microsoft Windows-equipped “ultrabooks.” The new Pro will employ the “retina” displays that have won strong positive reviews for the new iPad, but it starts at $2,199.

Marketing chief Phil Schiller outlined how redesigned MacBook Air notebooks will be about $100 cheaper on average than predecessors, but they will sport quicker Intel Corp. processors, potentially eating into territory staked out by Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc. and other PC makers.

Analysts have speculated that Apple will begin aggressively competing on price, gradually shrinking the premium its Macs carry.

Apple finds itself competing with Google in smartphones, cloud computing and a competition to attract the best software developers.

Android has captured the market lead in smartphones, exceeding Apple iPhones.

Android also has helped create several potent hardware rivals to Apple. Samsung’s Android-driven Galaxy SIII is drawing favorable comparisons to the iPhone, and Amazon.com Inc.’s cheaper Kindle Fire is challenging Apple in tablets and digital content.

CEO Tim Cook, who took over from co-founder Steve Jobs in August, spearheaded the unveiling of services such as an address-bar search on Apple’s Safari browser. The new services are intended to help keep at bay Google and its fast-growing Android mobile platform.

Android has also helped create several potent hardware rivals to Apple. Samsung Electronics’ Android-driven Galaxy SIII is drawing favorable comparisons to iPhone and Amazon.com Inc’s cheaper Kindle Fire is challenging Apple in tablets and digital content.

The move – years in the making – to replace Google Maps is a dramatic example of how the rivalry between the companies has been evolving.

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