Automatically pulled from Google Starred

Here’s hugely interesting: seems that in April, Apple dumped its previous location service partners, Google and Skyhook, preferring instead to use its own location databases.

Now, if you think about it, these databases must constitute at least in part some of the intellectual property Apple acquired with its Quattro purchase. That naturally boosted by iTunes and iPhone data gathering.

Apple’s move to control its own harvest of location-based data makes complete sense too from the pov of a company tryiung to get iAds off the ground.

In a letter from Apple’s chief legal beagle, Bruce Sewell, AAPL confirmed the changes (kudos to TechCrunch).

To provide the high quality products and services that its customers demand, Apple must have access to comprehensive location-based information. For devices running iPhone OS versions 1.1.3 to 3.1, Apple relied on (and still relies on) databases maintained by Google and Skyhook Wireless (“Skyhook”) to provide location-based services. Beginning with the iPhone OS version 3.2 released in April 2010, Apple relies on its own databases to provide location-based services and for diagnostic purposes. These databases must be updated continuously to account for, among other things, the ever-changing physical landscape, more innovative uses of mobile technology, and the increasing number of Apple’s customers. Apple has always taken great care to protect the privacy of its customers.

Apple is now in complete control of the location services on the iPhone (and iPad/iPod touch).

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