Apple readying 'crowd-sourced traffic' service in 'next couple of years'

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Included in Apple’s “Q&A on Location Data” press release this morning was a rare and concrete statement that pointed to a future project the company is working on. “Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years,” reads the release. Currently, iOS offers its users traffic-data through the bundled Google Maps application. It is unclear whether Apple is collecting this information to supplement the aforementioned offering, or — as rumors suggest — to build a new application that is less reliant on Google. Either way, it is an unusual statement from the Cupertino-based company about a future service.

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14 Comments
  • Bringit

    all good.

  • greenlight

    Well at least now we know why they were logging our location!

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GP2WYAHXS6CRUREISWBGPUSUGE Michael

      This is the exact reason most phones track your location. So they know the ins and outs, the who/what/when/where and whys of everything related to their network and their phones….. They could care less what you surf online or who you hang out with at what bar. All they want to know is how to make our smartphones work better.

      That’s it no more, no less.

      But people run around with their Tin Foil Hats on and scream “BIG BROTHER” when in all honesty they could care less what we are doing. As long as you aren’t breaking the law, don’t worry about it. BOTTOM LINE

      • Anonymous

        There’s also, OMG, E911 reasons.

  • http://twitter.com/bugabuga Max Smolev

    Oh they mean like Waze for iPhone (and Android and even Nokia phones)? It’s available right now :)
    Plus you can mark police traps, hazards etc. and the app detects slow-downs and auto-marks traffic jams

  • Wmtufts

    How are they going to build this crowd source network…?

  • Generatione

    Good, hope it will work better than google traffic, which is not very reliable in the Chicago area.

  • Anonymous

    doesn’t google already provide this via location data from android phones?

  • Anonymous

    doesn’t google already provide this via location data from android phones?

  • Yup

    crowd sourcing or secret crowd tracking

    • http://twitter.com/mattsinopoli mattsinopoli

      …AND HOW IT’S GIVING YOUR CHILDREN CANCER. MORE AT ELEVEN.

  • Yup

    crowd sourcing or secret crowd tracking

  • Anonymous

    So… They admit that iPhone is at least three years behind Android in this regard. Interesting.

  • http://twitter.com/livingbasehead Shelton

    What happens when you have a school bus at a light full of highschoolers with iphones? that road with 3 cars and a bus just turned into a massive traffic jam no?

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