Goodbye, HopStop. What a run it's been—literally, if you used the service's mapping services while running toward a subway stop, in the hopes that you'd be able to catch the next train.
Apple acquired HopStop back in July of 2013, paying just around $1 billion for the service (sources have assumed) that put a pretty big focus on inter-city directions via public transit. In other words, it was a pretty critical part of the entire "get from one location to another" aspect of inner-city life, directions that Apple Maps lacked at its launch.
So, to get a leg up and compete with more established players like Google Maps, Apple purchased HopStop and started to fold its technology right into Apple Maps. It's taken Apple until June of this year to get public transit directions up and running within its mapping service. And now that it has, well, there's just not all that much incentive to keep HopStop running as a standalone service (and set of apps).
At least, that's our best guess as to why HopStop is going away. Apple hasn't explained why it's planning to shut down HopStop, only that it is: "HopStop will no longer be available starting October 2015," reads the giant, red text now posted to the top of HopStop's website.
Beyond transit directions, Apple has also been working to improve some of the core aspects of Apple Maps. The company recently deployed its own vehicle fleet to "collect data" and "improve Apple Maps," presumably by driving around and getting the latest information on streets, taking pictures of locations (and storefronts), and generally giving Apple as much of its own data as it can acquire (instead of relying on other mapping services' data). Details of exactly where Apples vehicles will be driving around, and when, can be found on Apple's website (in case you want to try and photobomb one).
Apple also acquired Coherent Navigation earlier this year, a global positioning company that develops high-precision navigation systems—even more accurate than a typical global positioning system that you might find in a smartphone or other consumer-grade device.
According to The New York Times, reporting about the deal in May, Coherent Navigation's technology is allegedly accurate to around three to five meters. It's unclear just how Apple might integrate this new tech into its existing product lineup (or mapping services), but it could certainly help the company bolster its location-tracking services.
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