Placebase — a company that offers global mapping services similar to Google Maps — is now owned by corporate giant Apple.

But why is this big news? Gizmodo believes Apple intends to 1-up Google. The gadgeteers are confident Apple will be releasing their own satellite mapping service, as the company deftly makes use of the technology they buy (Coverflow, for example). It's also believed Apple is looking to further pull away from Google services as a whole — which actually makes sense, seeing as how Apple is becoming more of an independent company -- designing custom chips for the iPhone, instead of using the same generic chips available to everyone, for example. Not to mention, Apple has been keeping this purchase on the "hush hush" — the deal evidently went down last July.

So what is Apple's aim? Some bloggers speculate that Apple is simply trying to further itself from Google. Others believe the intent is less extreme, and falls along the lines of more revenue:

Whenever you run a Safari search, as opposed to a Google search, Apple profits. When you use Google, Google profits greatly — while Apple receives the minimum of what Google owes them for using its service (significantly less when you think about the number of Google searches made daily). Why is this? In a nut shell: advertising revenue — It's how search engines make money.

Whatever their intent, with Apple involved you can be sure this isn't the last you'll be hearing about the inevitable "Safari Maps".