Google loses its Waze?

A map app with a gap

I see Google has landed out another cool billion, this time for a fairly unknown map app called Waze. The FT article on this barely balks (though you might if you hit their paywall), seeing the business side, rather than the maps, which leave room to be desired. When Google took YouTube for the same amount, it took the market leader (Daily Motion has since proven it is as good, but far smaller).

What about Waze? Has Google lost the plot on the map?

Take Mappy.com, which is a far better map app than Waze in my view, though perhaps on smartphones there is less of a difference. At least for navigation Waze couldn’t get me from Paris to Lyon: a message flipped up that said "Could not find a route ". Lost your waze, huh?

But it’s not always about that, is it? There is something else lurking behind the billion which you can only guess at. I think that perhaps its overpriced, but then again, what do I know about business. Trust Google, and its Waze, not doubt it will get better. So well done Waze, you (and innovative Israel) have won a lottery. You have to become the YouTube of maps now: good luck. :O)

RJD

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