Microsoft announced today a new software developer kit for Bing Maps on iOS. The SDK will give developers a set of C classes to create iPhone and iPad applications within xCode, according to a blog post by Bing.
The Bing SDK map control will sport Bing’s road, aerial and hybrid aerial map styles. It will be able to access user location through GPS and locate the iOS device on the map as well as be able to add pushpins to maps.
Microsoft has separated the Bing Maps Controls from the maps service to help increase performance across the platform. That means developers will be able to use the iOS Control with the Bing Maps REST service to create a mobile map application.
In its blog post, Bing takes a gentle jab at Apple’s map SDK: “We think you will find that the terms of use are less restrictive than what you find with the Apple Map Kit, with no sacrifice in functionality.”
Bing Maps has an SDK for both Windows Phone and Android platforms and Microsoft has a full suite of SDKs for building mobile applications for its services.
In terms of maps and smartphones, when Nokia and Microsoft release a Windows Phone together some time later this year, some of the mapping technology and location-based services will be supplied by Nokia, building on the experience it has had with its Ovi Maps service.
