Apple Said to Buy HopStop, Pushing Deeper Into Maps

Apple Inc. (AAPL) agreed to buy online transit-navigation service

HopStop.com Inc., people with knowledge of the deal said, seeking to

improve mapping tools after a rocky debut for its directions software

last year.

The people asked not to be identified because the deal isn't public.

AllThingsD reported yesterday that Cupertino, California-based Apple

is purchasing Locationary Inc., a Toronto-based company focused on

business-location maps.

New mapping software Apple debuted in September with the iPhone 5 has

been faulted for getting users lost and for its lack of

public-transportation directions. HopStop shows users in more than 500

cities the fastest way to travel by foot, bike, subway and car;

Locationary deploys real-time data from a variety of sources to help

users find featured businesses.

Apple, which touted the map features as a key software change in the

iPhone 5, built its navigation application amid a growing battle with

Google Inc. (GOOG), which had provided mapping data since the iPhone

was introduced in 2007. Apple built the replacement app in part

because it wanted to scale back its relationship with Google, not

because of any product flaws, two people familiar with Apple's mapping

product said last year.

Google unveiled its mapping application for the iPhone and iPad in

December. Google Maps is the most popular free program in Apple's App

Store. HopStop ranks No. 7 among free navigation tools.

HopStop, based in New York, provides directions for more than 140

major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and six other countries,

according to its website.

Maps Battle

Google, seeking to seeking to keep rivals from eroding its lead in

mobile-navigation, acquired Waze Inc. last month. The developer, whose

mobile app solicits input from about 50 million users to improve

directions and display traffic and road-hazard details.

The acquisitions reflect a widening rift between the two companies as

they court mobile users.

After Apple introduced its mapping software and met with customer

complaints, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook apologized for the

"frustration" in September, vowing to improve the program and

suggesting alternative apps.

Google has been building out its online mapping software since 2005,

using cars and satellites to accumulate data that helps improve its

accuracy and reliability. To catch up, Apple can use location data

collected from customers using its maps to improve the service.

Apple's map software includes a feedback feature for users to report

inaccurate directions and other bugs.