Will China Help WAKE UP a Sleepy Apple?

China-based digital map provider AutoNavi (NASDAQ:AMAP) will be Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) mapping partner for iOS 6 in that country, according to a report in China Daily. Overseas firms who want to offer mapping services in China are necessarily required to operate on domestic servers and clear a review by the country’s National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation. They are also required to obtain relevant online licenses.

Don’t Miss: Will Apple Rake in RECORD Earnings in 2012?

AutoNavi, NavInfo, and Shenzhen Careland Computing Systems were China’s top three domestic map content providers in the first quarter of this year, with a 45 percent, 43.2 percent, and 6 percent share of the mobile mapping market, respectively, according to the same report. AutoNavi also led in terms of market share in China’s mobile mapping client market with 26.3 percent, followed by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) at 23.2 percent and Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) at 13.6 percent.

According to AutoNavi’s website information, the company has completed 3D navigation maps of key areas in 49 major cities as well as photo-realistic 3D models in 22 cities for various public sector projects.

Don’t Miss: Will Microsoft’s New Tablet CHALLENGE Apple or Amazon?