TripAdvisor, Booking.com Reviews Start Appearing in Apple Maps

Chris Barylick, writing for O’Grady’s PowerPage:

Apple Maps is starting to get some neat stuff put in.

Since the launch of the app back in 2012, Yelp has served as the sole partner for integrating customer reviews of businesses and other points of interest. Recently, Apple’s Maps app has begun including reviews from TripAdvisor and Booking.com on select hotel listings.

A fundamental difference between Apple and Google is that Apple is willing to make partnerships for things like this. Google, like Microsoft of yore, wants to do everything itself. The question is, which leads to a better experience? Google’s approach to services — owning and controlling everything — is a lot like Apple’s approach to devices.

★ Tuesday, 7 April 2015