FOXNews.com: Google promises 'next dimension' in Maps with Apple breakup looming

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Google promises 'next dimension' in Maps with Apple breakup looming Jun 6th 2012, 14:41 Google is unveiling new technology for its popular mapping software today at 12:30 p.m. ET in San Francisco, just a week after reports surfaced that Apple would be dropping its Google Maps software by year-end. Google Maps vice president Brian McClendon promised a "behind-the-scenes look" of the new software in an invitation sent last week titled "the next dimension of Google maps." "We'll also demo some of the newest technology and provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually," McClendon said in the note. '[Mapping] is the historic battle of today.' - Rajeev Chand, a managing director at investment bank Rutberg & Co. Paul van Dinther, a developer who has worked extensively with the Google Earth team, believes Maps is going the way of Hollywood movies these days -- in full-on 3-D. "Google Earth has been a fantastic platform capable to do much more than what was envisaged for it," Dinther said in a post on his Google+ page. "With the introduction of WebGL to Google maps and 3-D building outlines it became clear where this is heading. I would not be surprised to see Google Earth and Google Maps become one." The company, typically more accustomed to buying than selling, recently sold its 3D modeling platform, SketchUp for an undisclosed fee to Trimble Navigation, according to Reuters, potentially indicating a new direction in 3D software for the company. The event comes just days after a Wall Street Journal report revealed Apple's plans to give Google's mapping software the boot from its mobile devices later this year. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, Google Maps has served as the default map app and is now used by more than 90 percent of U.S. iPhone users. The breakup could turn out to be an expensive one for Google as the ongoing war for mobile supremacy continues. By some estimates, ads associated with maps or locations accounted for 25 percent of all spending on mobile ads. "Apple is aiming squarely at Google on multiple dimensions," Rajeev Chand, a managing director at investment bank Rutberg & Co., told the WSJ citing mapping and Web search. "Google and Apple are in a battle over data, devices, services, and the future of computing. This is the historic battle of today." Beyond potential revenue streams, developing their own in-house platform gives Apple more control over its product and ultimate user experience. Apple may demo the new software as early as next week; it will be holding its annual WWDC developer's conference on June 11.

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