Apple has acquired Locationary, a crowdsourced location data company that helps businesses keep their information up to date. The company confirmed the acquisition to All Things D, noting that it "buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." According to the publication, the deal includes both Locationary’s technology and its team but a price was not disclosed.
Apple came under fire from customers when it launched Maps in iOS 6, thanks to its buggy and incomplete nature. Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter in which he admitted that the new app "fell short" of the company's high standards and promised that the company was "doing everything" to improve it. Locationary has built a business on collecting, verifying, and updating information on businesses around the world. While Apple's plans are not clear, its new acquisition could help deliver up-to-date listings not only in Maps, but in other services on its iOS and OS X devices.