Apple is reportedly looking to improve its own version of Maps by integrating data from social check-in service Foursquare. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple Internet head Eddy Cue has been involved in talks with Foursquare in New York, though the discussions are still said to be in the early stages.
The Journal didn't offer details on what kind of Foursquare services Apple might want to integrate with Maps, but Foursquare devotees often use it to tell friends where they are, find new people nearby, or take advantage of check-in related deals and coupons. There are a number of other services that allow users to "check in" to a location online as well, including Facebook and Yelp, but Foursquare has long been a frontrunner in this space (R.I.P. Brightkite). One of Foursquare's strengths is that its large user base has helped it gather plenty of high-quality business listings as well as user tips and data on which businesses are seeing the most foot traffic, as noted by the WSJ.
But should we expect to see Foursquare-style check-ins coming to iOS 6 Maps anytime soon? Probably not in the near future, but it's possible they may come to the next major release of iOS or Maps. One of the better features of Apple's Maps is that it uses business listings and reviews from Yelp; combining those business listings with data from Foursquare could make the app more useful—but possibly only for a certain over-connected segment of the population.
One amusing line at the end of the Journal's piece: "Speculation about a possible deal between the two companies heated up last week after Mr. Cue reportedly posted a check-in on the service to Twitter." Indeed, Cue made his first public foursquare check-in last week at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, with another the next day at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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