

Apple Maps Vehicles - qzervaas
http://maps.apple.com/vehicles/

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Nicholas_C
I'm surprised there aren't any companies already doing this and selling the
data to the street level image newcomers.

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heimatau
That would be a nice business but it has a high entry point and a short life
overall. Also, doing the same thing, the same way, that competitors have done
is foolish. Maybe if there was a model where people could submit their drives
with a gopro or something. Then the model would be a middleman for the data.

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Nicholas_C
>That would be a nice business but it has a high entry point and a short life
overall.

High entry point = lack of competitors.

As for the short life: New development is always occurring, meaning up to date
images will always be needed. These cars could also be contracted out to real
estate firms to take up to date photos of neighborhoods where new development
is proposed.

>Also, doing the same thing, the same way, that competitors have done is
foolish.

They've done the hard part and validated and created the market for street
level photos. I wouldn't consider Google, Bing, and Apple as competitors
unless they sell their street level data. Perhaps they do, then I would be
uninterested.

This business model wouldn't be the same as Google, Bing, and Apple either.
They are using street images to create a better UX for maps. This idea would
be using street images to sell to enterprises who would then use this data for
whatever purposes. B2C vs. B2B.

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kyriakos
I believe this is completely unnecessary. Not that competition is not good but
in this case they are just wasting money that could have otherwise been used
to innovate in something else.

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Nicholas_C
Really? Street level images are something Apple needs if they want to be a
true contender with maps. Maps apps are some of the most used apps and it's in
Apple's best interest to be up to speed with competition so users won't just
use Google maps and form a gap in the Apple ecosystem.

