After being dropped from iOS 6’s Maps app, Google is apparently planning to return to the platform some time in the near future. A recent posting by Google exec Jeff Huber indicates that Google will not be ceding the iOS mapping sector to Apple and its partners, and that instead the company will be making a push with its own specially-designed mapping app.
The news is from a Google+ post celebrating a new Google Street View exhibit at the Computer History Museum. In response to a comment expressing dissatisfaction with Apple’s forthcoming Maps app, Huber claimed that Google is looking forward to “providing amazing Google Maps experiences on iOS.”
Another user asked Huber to elaborate as to whether his comment meant iOS users could expect a new dedicated app or web-based services, but Huber provided no further details on the company’s plans for an iOS offering.
In the days leading up to Apple’s announcement of Google Maps’ did not include iOS in an array of new features for its mapping software, including 3D models of major metropolitan areas, expanded user editing features, and the addition of offroad areas to its Street View function. The company also recently announced that it would significantly reduce the prices for third-party usage of its Maps API.
