Google's Maps application has resided on the iPhone since Apple launched the very first version of the phone in 2007. It's one of the core apps on the phone and can't be deleted by the user.
But on Monday, Apple executives said Google Maps will be replaced by an Apple-developed app in iOS 6, the new operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. It's set to be released late this year.
Apple and Google are locked in a fight over the attention of hundreds of millions of phone users, and the advertising opportunities that come with owning a mapping application.
Smartphones from companies such as Samsung and Google's own Motorola division are the chief alternatives to the iPhone, and Apple has been suing those manufacturers in court, accusing them of ripping off the iPhone's ground breaking features.
Apple also said it's building Facebook into iOS 6, snubbing the Google Plus social network. Users will be able to update their Facebook status by talking to their phones, and "like" movies and apps in Apple's iTunes store, Apple executive Scott Forstall said.
The announcements were part of the keynote presentation that kicked off Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Apple presented new features in both phone and Mac software, plus updated laptops. But investors were mildly disappointed, as they expected more substantive news, such as a hint of Apple's ambition to get into making TVs. Analysts had speculated that Apple would at least update the software on the Apple TV as a prelude to perhaps launching a fully integrated TV set.
Apple shares closed down $9.15, or 1.6 per cent, at $571.17.
Among other updates in iOS 6, Apple's voice-command application Siri will add a host of new languages, including Spanish, Korean and Mandarin Chinese, Forstall said. "She" will also be able to launch applications and movies, and will run on iPads for the first time.
Apple also said the new version of its Mac operating system, Mountain Lion, will go on sale next month for $20. The update brings features from Apple's phone and tablet software, like the iMessage texting application, to the Mac.
Source: Winnipeg Free Press
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