At the WWDC keynote yesterday, Apple announced it was moving away from Google Maps and showed off its new maps program, which will make a debut in iOS 6. Users who installed the beta noticed a familiar maps company in the copyright section of the new application, TomTom. Rumors of an Apple-TomTom partnership immediately swept around the internet, and today TomTom has announced that Apple has indeed signed a global agreement with TomTom for key map data.
TomTom has up to date map information, including live traffic and dynamic route planning in over 200 countries around the world. With this agreement, TomTom becomes the primary supplier of this information to Apple, save for the few countries such as China where TomTom does not have this information.
Apple and TomTom’s mapping solution for iOS will feature some advanced technology, including interactive 3D views–a feature Google showed off at its own event last week–, Apple-designed navigation which finally brings turn-by-turn navigation to iOS devices, and a 3D flyover feature that provides a birds-eye look of a city in 3D. The totally revamped Maps application also features tight Siri integration, giving you voice-controlled access to navigation features and the ability to search for local businesses.
Terms of the agreement between Apple and TomTom are unknown at this time, though we expect the companies have inked a long-term deal that will allow Apple to better compete with Google Maps on its iOS line of devices. The new Maps for iOS 6 will launch in the fall.
[via Computer World]