Google Says They'll Release Nav for iPhone... If Apple Lets Them

[Paul Daniel Ash]

Google announced earlier today that they would release a beta of Google Maps Navigation, a free service bundled with Google Maps for Android 2.0 when the new Motorola Droid phone is launched by Verizon next week. Google said that they would be willing to bring it to the iPhone, but implied Apple was standing in the way.

Google Maps Navigation will be a feature of Google Maps on the Droid, providing such functions as turn-by-turn directions, voice recognition and Google Street View.

"Mobile platforms--Android and others--are so powerful now that you can build client apps that can do magical things connected to the cloud," Google CEO Eric Schmidt said.

Google said they would be working with Apple on bringing the app to the iPhone. Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering at Google, said that the development process was different in this case because Google Maps is a built-in iPhone application, he said. He also indicated the software has “stringent” hardware requirements and may not run on older Android phones.

Google and Apple have come into conflict recently over a number of apps - like Google Voice and Google Latitude - that Apple claims duplicate the "core functionality of the iPhone. Google Maps Navigation may fall into the same category.

"Apple is a close partner," a Google spokesperson told AppleInsider Wednesday. "Millions of users experience Google Maps on the iPhone. We will continue to work with Apple to bring innovation, including Latitude and Navigation, to users but you'll have to speak to Apple about availability."

Google is also unclear on whether existing Android phones will be able to run Google Maps Navigation even after they are upgraded to Android 2.0. Gundotra indicated that would depend on the carrier and on the particular phone manufacturer.

[cpjr]

Apple allows Google Maps.....

Apple allows Navigation apps.....

Apple wont allow Google Maps Navigation app.....

What crap.

[96hondaex]

We'll never see this on the iPhone...

[musicguy303]

never happening.. i hear a jailbreak coming

[fventura03]

doubt it'll be on, too many other companies stand to loose money out of this. just sad .

[foureight84]

gps companies stand to lose money anyway. the sole reason is that it's availability somewhere else. and because the best gps apps on the app store are quite expensive, people may actually switch carriers in order to get the free navigation app. I mean I would. android 2.0 looks great!

[cpjr]

I dont know if anyone is going to switch carriers just for a free navi app.

But either way....its just plain old competition....like anything else.

[scott940603]

gps companies stand to lose money anyway. the sole reason is that it's availability somewhere else. and because the best gps apps on the app store are quite expensive, people may actually switch carriers in order to get the free navigation app. I mean I would. android 2.0 looks great!

well we can always jailbreak and get gps apps for free so i'll stick to iphone

[ddonuts4]

This app will cause gps companies to lose a lot of money Streetview integration would make it a killer gps app.

[StealthBravo]

Looks great but it will never make it to the iPhone

[chakraj]

it has street view integration. And yes as soon as a nice new android 2.0 phone comes out with the snapdragon , and a bigger better screen comes out next year. I am going to be done with my iphone. I have been in since the first day, and Im tired of always fighting with the OS.

[dbizzy1]

This would be a really great thing...if it ever comes out. Too many hands in the navigation cookie jar and I'm sure they're not too keen on sharing with Google. I love money but I hate it at the same time =)

[Cocacolafire]

Apple always does this. They always never give out something that will make good money.

Besides, its called a ****en iPhone I-PHONE

I AS IN YOU. WHY THE HELL CANT WE CUSTOMIZE IT, IF ITS MENT TO BE CUSTOMIZED!

I hope one day Google will just say- "F-Apple. Lets go with Sprint or Verizon."

[tudtran]

What the hell Apple? I want that app.

[ecd5000]

APPLE WE WANT THIS...or I DO anyways

[moto_noob]

everybody wants it. and that is the problem.

anyways, how could it be replicating a core feature of the app on the iphone. the maps is from google.... god damn... that better not be the reason just like the last two google apps were.

[Kariya9mdoa]

You guys are just concentrating on the app being free and yes it would be free but there is one catch. You have to connected to the internet. So a 2 hour trip would run your data bill up and up. At least with the current apps the maps are on the iphone, this is not.

And what happens when you lose your signal like most of us know that this happens fairly regularly you will be screwed. So i am not worried cause i like the nav apps that are available now. Yes they might not have all the features that this would have but who cares about the bells and whistles when the you have something that just works with out having to run up your data allowance.

[hollow0]

Google should have it placed within Cydia!

[kaaroFC]

Its a nice strategy...release your own phone and bundle it with a great free app and offer it to your main competitor, if they accept the offer good if not you can use that against them just like GV....smart thinking

[jimmybino]

See the ******** is...that if this is a update to the google maps app on the iphone then it should be no big deal that apple would let this go thru as a upgrade...but it always seems that no one is allowed to upgrade there apps unless it directly has something to do with apple's bigger picture which is a shame cause it really stagnates the iphone....i'm a iphone dude thru and thru but as soon as at&t gets that htc android phone with the 4'inch screen and the snap dragon processor i'm grabing that phone immediatly!!!!....and using my iphone part time with that phone...i love jailbreaking customizing and hackin my iphone but i need a secondary phone that i can rock and really do some jig **** with and have a open platform phone to do the type of things and run the kinda apps that apple shits on us and blocks us from...there loyal customers!!!