Apple has purchased mapping startup Mapsense, reports Re/code. Mapsense is a San Francisco-based startup that's able to sort through massive geotagged datasets to create quick geographical visualizations of location-based data points that can be embedded into apps.
According to its website, Mapsense built a cloud-based high-speed mapping engine that could ingest and index huge amounts of data with "lightning fast" search and filtering and simple visual analysis tools.
There are over 10 billion devices on the planet streaming location data on a daily basis. While collecting location data has become mainstream, the traditional tools to visualize, understand, and harness it have been hampered by the speed and scale of this massive and complex new datasource. Mapsense's platform and developer tools help organizations quickly ingest and analyze billions of rows of location data to make more intelligent, locally targeted business decisions across the organization.
Apple is said to have paid between $25 and $30 million for Mapsense, and its 12-person team will join Apple. Apple confirmed the acquisition to Re/code with its standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
It is not clear what Apple will use the Mapsense technology for, but this is just one of a long line of mapping companies Apple has purchased to improve its Maps app. Over the past several years, Apple has purchased companies like HopStop, Coherent Navigation, Locationary, WifiSLAM, Embark, and Broadmap.
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone.
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In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
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Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times.
The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said.
While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
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MacBook Air (Early 2026)
The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
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In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
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Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Insert your "Google Maps is better" comments below:
Paper foldable maps are better! You can instantly view the entire map at once without screen size restrictions, and you can fold them up into a pocketable size when you're done.
It is not clear what Apple will use the Mapsense technology for, but
Why does MacRumors always feel obliged to preface every supposition they make with a "It is not clear, but " disclaimer. Looking back at the last month or so's articles, I found they did it more than 30 times. That gets a little tiring to read don't you think. It adds almost nothing to the discussion because we already know that you don't know and are only making guesses. You don't need to apologize every time for not knowing.
Here look for yourself:
It is not clear what Apple will use the Mapsense technology for...
It is not clear why Apple has chosen today to create a new Twitter account for gaming...
It is not clear what colors Apple is planning to introduce, but ...
It is not clear if this update will add any outward-facing changes to El Capitan,...
It was not clear to me which of the bugs I encountered were the fault of Apple...
It is not clear what will be introduced in iOS 9.1, but...
It is not clear if Apple has plans to allow third-party developers to create watch faces, but...
It is not clear what is included in the fifth beta as Apple has not released a new seventh developer beta,...
It is not clear when Apple will release a patch for machines running OS X Yosemite...
It is not clear if the visits came from existing iOS devices...
It is not clear when service will be restored for affected customers...
It is not clear where the Apple Store will be located within the mall, but...
It is not clear if all of Cortana's functionality is available when run this way, but ...
It is not clear what Apple plans to do with the office space, but...
It is not clear when Apple began its Apple Music advertising push, but ...
It is not clear if Apple will adopt 3D Xpoint when it first becomes available, but...
You rather they don't make moves to improve at all? Late is better right? Beside, they started to improve map as soon as they released it. Map and navigation are not easy. It takes Google years to get good and even google is still having the wrong data in so many places.
Even after 3 years, Apple is still sooooo far behind Google Maps. What do they do all day? As they say, if your try to be good at everything you'll be good at nothing.
Map and navigation are not easy. It takes Google years to get good and even google is still having the wrong data in so many places.
