Apple acquires indoor location app developer WiFiSlam
25 Mar 2013
Apple Inc has acquired Silicon Valley startup, WiFiSlam, a developer of next generation indoor location-based application for smart phones.
Although Apple has confirmed the transaction, the California-based technology giant did not give details of the acquisition. A spokesperson for the company said that Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and generally doesn't discuss its plans.
The deal was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said that Apple has paid around $20 million for the two-year-old startup that has developed a mobile app to detect a smartphone user's location in a building using Wi-Fi signals.
WiFiSlam's app allows your smartphone to pinpoint its location and the location of your friends, in real-time to 2.5 metre accuracy using only WiFi signals that are already present in buildings.
Apple's arch rival, Google, through its Android operating platform, already offers indoor mapping in certain locations like airports, shopping centres, and sports venues.
Apple, which was using Google's mapping services, had switched to its own maps app software but the change saw users complaining about inaccurate data, forcing CEO Tim Cook to apologise for the errors.
