Apple's Smart Move - Purchasing WiiSLAM

Remember when people were having fun at Apple’s efforts to rival Google maps? Well, Apple (AAPL) cleverly purchased WiFiSLAM (an indoor GPS company) for a reported $20M.

While most GPS companies focus on pinpointing locations in general, WifiSLAM is able to detect user locations inside buildings where standard GPS services often don’t work.

WifFiSLAM is a two-year old start-up that “building the next generation of location-based mobile apps that, for the first time, engage with users at the scale that personal interaction actually takes place.”

Its technology addresses the problem of detecting a user's GPS location when that person is indoors or otherwise in a location that might not be easily reachable by traditional GPS or cellular signals. The company uses nearby Wi-Fi networks to pinpoint where that user is located. Apple obviously wants to leverage WiFiSLAM 's capabilities to improve its own iOS offerings which is perfectly legit.

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By incorporating WiFiSLAM, Apple can provide walking directions to businesses inside shopping malls or airports. 

Will this be enough to compete with  Google Maps? You are the judge!