Apple reportedly buys Canadian mapping startup in latest bid to salvage iOS Maps

A new report claims that Apple has acquired a local data startup as part of its latest effort to improve its Maps application on the iPhone and iPad. According to AllThingsD, Apple has come to an agreement with Locationary to both buy the company’s technology and hire its team. The Toronto-based startup is described as a “Wikipedia for local business listings.” The company uses crowdsourcing information, along with a federated data exchange platform to “collect, merge and continuously verify a massive database of information on local businesses around the world.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. An Apple spokesperson told AllThingsD that “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”