B_B schreef op 14 december 2012 14:23:
Apple ‘map-gate’ gives Google an edge
But the mobile battle is far from over for tech titans
December 13, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Apple Inc.’s decision to make Google Inc.’s map app available for the iPhone strengthens the search giant’s already dominant position in the mobile market.
For one thing, Apple’s (US:AAPL) reversal in the wake of what one analyst dubbed ‘map-gate’ gives Google (US:GOOG) an edge in the search for ways to make money from mapping and location features on smart phones and tablets.
Still, analysts agree that the fight over who has the better map app is bound to continue as location and navigation become critical in the battle for dominance in the mobile market.
“From Google’s end, it’s a big win,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told MarketWatch, even as he also noted that Apple’s map-gate has not stalled the momentum of the iPhone 5.
Apple made Google Maps available on its apps store late Wednesday, three months after replacing it with its own application. That move had turned into a public-relations nightmare as users complained about how bad the Apple app was, prompting a public apology from Chief Executive Tim Cook.
But IDC analyst John Jackson noted that despite Cook’s mea culpa, “You can absolute bet that this is not an admission of defeat.”
“This is not Apple abandoning this space,” he told MarketWatch. “This is Apple coming out too soon. You have to assume they’ve gone back to the drawing board. [...] Apple has to be in this space with a robust set of assets to compete effectively.”
Carolina Milanesi of Gartner said that by allowing Google Maps back into its apps store, Apple may be able to “retain those few users who might have thought about moving to Android,” Google’s rival operating system.
But “it does not take any pressure off to fixing maps as fast as they can,” she added. That’s because of the long-term stakes involved in having an effective mapping and navigation application.
Munster of Piper Jaffray noted that Google Maps currently accounts for “sub 1%” of the company’s total revenue. “Maps are insignificant today in terms of revenue,” he said.
But that’s expected to change dramatically in the future.
Businesses and advertisers are already using location and mapping apps for promotional ads. Jackson of IDC said there will be other “futuristic instances” in which businesses and advertisers can find ways to use consumer data to try to generate sales, essentially by knowing “what they bought and where you are standing.”
Google may have an edge in this battle, in the wake of the Apple map-gate and given its strong position in mobile computing.
Google’s Android operating system is on track to remain the No. 1 mobile operating system in the world this year with 68.3% total market share, according to IDC. Apple’s iOS is No. 2 with 18.8%, while Research In Motion’s (US:RIMM) BlackBerry OS is at No. 3 with 4.7%.
articles.marketwatch.com/2012-12-13/i...