• Le Soleil et al., Wednesday, July 14, 2010 1:29 PM

Along with those already offered by Google and Microsoft, does the market really have room for another virtual mapping service? Well, we might soon find out amid reports that Apple has purchased a Quebec-based maker of Web-based mapping technology and interactive 3-D software.

French-Canadian news site Le Soleil is reporting that Poly9 has been purchased by Apple. If true, the purchase of Poly9 would be the second mapping related acquisition for the software giant -- following last year's acquisition of Google Maps competitor Placebase -- notes Apple Insider.

"Some have speculated that the acquisition of Placebase, along with the growing rivalry with search giant Google, is a sign that Apple plans to create its own mapping software for use on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad," writes Apple Insider. "Currently, Apple partners with Google for its Maps application."

"It looks like this was an acqui-hire for talent," speculates Business Insider. "Apple could be hiring Poly9 to help build a map product for the iPad and iPhone so Apple doesn't have to rely on Google Maps."

Under the headline, "Here Comes Apple Earth..." TechCrunch writes: "The days of Google Maps as the default mapping app on the iPhone may be coming to an end ... Apple is beefing up its Geo team."

"With this acquisition, it raises the question of whether Apple is planning to aim head-on at Google's mapping and earth projects," adds The Next Web. "It would certainly seem so, given Apple's other acquisition of Placebase last year."

Further evidence of Apple's Maps ambitions surfaced late last year in a job listing, in which it expressed a desire to "rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started."

Along with Apple, the Canadian company has worked with such illustrious clients as Microsoft, Yahoo, MSNBC and NORAD.

Read the whole story at Le Soleil et al. »