Apple Snaps Up Social Suggestion Platform Spotsetter

In what appears to be an attempt to make their Maps app better, Apple has acquired Spotsetter. The small firm is aimed at providing you suggestions on places to go, all overlaid on a map interface. This would make Apple maps a bit more contextual, as well as just plain useful.

TechCrunch is reporting the deal is as much about the crew behind Spotsetter as it is about the product. Led by two former Google Maps team members in Stephen Tse and Johnny Lee, Spotsetter is likely as much acquihire as it is service based.

Spotsetter uses the suggestions of friends as well as reviews to offer up cool things to do in your area. It culls data from places like twitter and Facebook as well as TripAdvisor and the Michelin guide. According to Spotsetter, they've currently got about five million users and 40 million locations in their database.

Spotsetter, which operates almost as a meta-crowdsourced Foursquare or Yelp, would be a very neat addition to Apple Maps. Of course, Apple hasn't made reference to the acquisition (they almost never do), but both founders' LinkedIn page points to them being Apple employees now.

Source: TechCrunch, Spotsetter