Apple Acquires Indoor Location Company WiFiSLAM for $20 Million

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has acquired indoor location company WifiSLAM for a huge $20 million. Apple has confirmed the purchase, but declined to offer any details on its plans for the acquisition.

An Apple spokesman confirmed the deal saying the company “buys smaller technology companies from time to time” and generally doesn’t discuss its plans. He declined to comment further. WifiSLAM could not immediately be reached for comment.

The two-year-old startup has developed ways for mobile apps to detect a phone user’s location in a building using Wi-Fi signals. It has been offering the technology to application developers for indoor mapping and new types of retail and social networking apps. The company has a handful of employees, and its co-founders include former Google software engineering intern Joseph Huang.

Apple has been trying to take on Google and this move brings in more arsenal to Apple. Apple has acquired smaller startups with location expertise like  Placebase, Poly9, and C3 Technologies. With its purchase of WifiSLAM, Apple seems to be adding a new focus on indoor location tracking.

WiFiSLAM is a two year old startup that has developed ways for mobile apps to detect a phone user’s location in a building using Wi-Fi signals. It has been offering the technology to application developers for indoor mapping and new types of retail and social networking apps. The company has a handful of employees, and its co-founders include former Google software engineering intern Joseph Huang.