Sources are reporting that Apple has purchased social maps app Spotsetter. Apparently, Apple not only bought the company for its technology, but for its two founders: Stephan TSE, former Google Maps engineer, and Johnny Lee, former Siemens consultant and FitFiend CTO. Spotsetter is an app which shows your friends’ recommendations and reviews of establishments in the area around you. You can use a map-view to search around and see what places your friends have reviewed as well. Spotsetter uses Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and over 30 online review sites as its data sources. Spotsetter rasied $1.3 million in seedfunding in 2012 and as of last summer, reportedly had 5 million user profiles, 40 million venues, and 1 million curated venue content items from around the world. No word yet from Apple, but the app is no longer in the App Store or on Google Play, so keep an eye out for this technology to be incorporated into the Maps app within iOS.
