Will Microsoft Finally Buy HERE Maps?

Windows Phone users will understand the difficulty of choosing between Microsoft’s Bing Maps and Nokia’s HERE Maps when they need to use a good GPS app. While HERE Maps is a great app on its own, Microsoft’s alternative is still based on the HERE technology.

Microsoft first attempted to buy Nokia’s HERE Maps along with the big Nokia deal, but it was too expensive at that time. The Windows maker eventually ended up licensing the HERE technology and integrating it into its Bing Maps.

As time passed, its value went down and compared to the $8.1 billion acquisition Nokia made to buy out Navteq Corp back in 2008, HERE Maps is now estimated at a value of $2.1 billion.

Nokia is said to have reached out to Uber and other companies in hopes to sell its technology and focus on its wireless networking business. However, the more the latter companies and the Redmond giant ponder on what to do, the more opportunity they give other big name companies such as Apple or Google to strike a deal first. Why might they be interested you say? It’s simple.

The HERE technology is significant due to its availability on all major smartphone platforms. Given that Microsoft has previously showed interest into making a profit off the more popular smartphone markets with its own products, it would be wise for it to swoop in and make a deal ahead of everyone else.

Microsoft did not make any official statement regarding its intentions to buy the HERE technology just yet. But truth be told, it would be a shock to see the technology in the hands of some other company since Microsoft’s Bing Maps relies heavily on HERE’s data.

Thank you ZDNet for providing us with this information

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