Apple has acquired Spotsetter, a social search engine, TechCrunch reports. According to Spotsetter’s website, the search engine “provides personalized recommendations for places to go.” The deal was reportedly made to acquire Spotsetter’s technology and its two founders, Stephen Tse and Johnny Lee, with some of the Spotsetter team also joining Apple.
It seems likely that Apple would want to work the technology into its Maps app in the future.
Six days ago, an announcement on the Spotsetter blog noted the Spotsetter app was being closed down.
The app allowed users to access personalized place results through its search engine in a manner somewhat similar to Foursquare — though the app used data from a number of platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram. Apple has yet to comment on the report.
