<p>The biggest controversy brought along with the release of iOS 6 was the new Maps.app. Apple decided to replace Google Maps with an in house solution, which brought along free, voice prompted, turn-by turn navigation. However, the data remains to be in question. Shortly after release, Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to customers regarding the hoopla and suggested alternatives. The company continues to improve its application and one way it can be improved is by acquiring Foursquare. You probably think I'm crazy at this point, but Foursquare is a lot more than a check in app. I'm a daily user of the app and have seen just how powerful the database really is.</p><p>A few months ago, Foursquare pivoted into an exploration service to take on Yelp. Now the service helps users find and keep track of places to visit, eat, drink, and hang out. In addition, it also provides local offers. As the app is used for such things, it is constantly gathering data that can be valuable to Apple. This data has a lot of rich information that could be built into iOS 6 Maps and into other services Apple provides. Let's take a look.</p><p>Maps</p><p>The new maps is sub-par against its competitors like Google Maps. Turn by turn directions have been a great experience so far, but finding local places with it has been a nightmare. In my experience, the app is able to handle basic local searches. For example, if I look for "Starbucks", it will find the closest ones. However, a more advance search "Starbucks 3rd St San Francisco, CA", leads me to an irrelevant result or a screen that displays "No Results Found" even when there is data to be displayed. A similar query in Foursquare would provide an answer I'm looking for. The service's database of point of interests is powerful and a lot more mature.</p><p><a href="http://www.unwiredview.com/2012/12/04/apple-needs-to-buy-foursquare-to-beef-up-its-maps-app/">Keep reading...</a></p>