Report: Apple Acquires ‘Social’ Search Engine Spotsetter
by Brent Dirks
June 6, 2014
According to a new report from TechCrunch, Apple has acquired Spotsetter, a “social” search engine. The app, which was recently pulled from the App Store, offered personalized recommendations on where to go.
The social data was then layered on top of a map interface. The report says Apple could integrate the technology into its own Maps app.
To make its recommendations, Spotsetter took information from a user’s social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Foursquare, other trusted sources, and more than 30 review sites.
The universal app would then combine that data into a personalized map for users.
Co-founder Johnny Lee announced that the app was shutting down last week in a blog post, but also hinted at some future plans:
With fondest emotions, I’m announcing that we are closing down Spotsetter app. We still have big dreams for personalized search for places and look forward to seeing great progress in this area. Thank you everyone for your support over the past years!While I never used the Spotsetter app myself, the technology definitely sounds interesting, and would greatly help to improve Apple’s Maps. In iOS 8, which was unveiled earlier this week, the app remains virtually unchanged compared to iOS 7. For other news today, see: Apple Stores In The US Will Soon Offer Prepaid And Month-To-Month iPhone Plans, Apple's HealthKit Lets Some Health Product Makers Bypass iOS App Development, and PayPal Already Working To Integrate Apple's Touch ID Into Its Mobile Payment Apps.