Apple Maps Navigation: Is Apple Navigating its Way to a Waze Acquisition?

Apple Maps Navigation: There is nothing worse than sitting in traffic. The people at Waze are well aware of this, and it now appears that the executives at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are beginning to catch on.

Multiple outlets, including TechCrunch, are reporting that Apple has a strong interest in acquiring the world’s fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app.

Before we go any further, let’s take a closer look at what Waze is all about. The company offers this quick blurb that brings everything together:

Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) clearing playing catch-up in the mobile maps space, this acquisition makes perfect sense. Despite the fact that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Maps may be out ahead at the moment, this addition could help the company close the gap as 2013 wears on.

Here is what Mike Butcher of TechCrunch thinks of a potential deal:

There can be no doubt that one of the hottest startups of the last couple of years has been social sat-nav smartphone app Waze. Not surprising in an era when – largely due to Apple initially dumping Google Maps in iOS 6 – everyone woke up, as if from some slumber, about the importance of decent mobile maps. Something many had taken for granted was thrown into sharp relief, especially when it became clear that even the mighty Apple was capable of royally screwing up its own maps product. So it comes as almost no surprise to us that there are rumors flying around that Apple is sniffing around Waze with a view to a possible acquisition. After all, Waze is already a data partner for Apple’s Maps app and was the only app to gain meaningful marketshare after the Apple Maps fail.

Here are a couple more reasons why this move may make sense for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL):