Are Apple and Foursquare a Potential Google Maps Killer?

Everybody seems to be going after Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) lately. First Facebook gave the company a run for its money by unveiling Graph Search. Never one to be outdone, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) has also decided to heat up the competition. By potentially teaming up with FourSquare Labs, the company is hoping to sharpen its maps application into a worthy Google opponent. Making Apple Maps look awesome may be tricky after its recent fiasco, but it could work this time around.

It's hip to be FourSquare
So far, any partnership between FourSquare and Apple is little more than a rumor. However, it's no secret that the company has been gunning to implement its own local services into Apple devices for a while now.

Apple has already forged a relationship with business reviewer Yelp, which allows Maps users to get a thorough impression of a place before they visit. The collaboration has helped Apple collect over 100 million worldwide business listings this year. An agreement with FourSquare would give Apple access to 50 million companies in 220 countries, making the database even more comprehensive. But there is one more reason why FourSquare could be a huge asset to Apple.

Accurate Apple
Besides a bigger listing of venues, FourSquare can greatly help Apple's Maps application by giving it more specific GPS information. When FourSquare users check in, their location coordinates are instantly updated in the application's system, which keeps the database constantly up to date.

After isolating iPhone users with an app that was riddled with errors and bugs, Apple Maps now needs to associate itself with a company that prides itself on accuracy. FourSquare, with its popularity and high data quality, could be the perfect company to do just that.

Is it enough?
The latest Apple discussions over local data prove the company is out for Google's blood. Apple doesn't just want to knock the dust off its formerly faulty Apple Maps. The company wants to turn it into the application to beat, and judging by the companies Apple has been talking to, it looks like it has a clear idea of how to pull it off. Only time will tell, of course, but it looks like buggy Apple Maps is an app of the past (not a moment too soon), and a huge revamp might soon be on the horizon.

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