Apple reportedly poaching Google Maps staff

Tech giant Apple is poaching workers who have experience working on Google Maps to improve its own product, according to a report by TechCrunch.

TechCrunch's report cited an unnamed source who it said had connections with both teams. “Apple has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to build a robust mapping platform to counter Google Maps, so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s going out of its way to lure former and current Google Maps employees,” TechCrunch quoted the source as saying. Apple's mapping service was introduced in the recent iOS 6 update that accompanied the highly successful iPhone 5 launch. The Maps app has however attracted extensive criticism for its inaccurate locations and poor directions. Tech Digest even reported Motorola mocking what was described as a ‘lacklustre mapping service’ from Apple when compared to the accuracy and functionality of Google Maps.