Google (and others) probably have enough patents to give Apple some real headaches here, but I sincerely hope their response is to innovate quicker in order to

Google (and others) probably have enough patents to give Apple some real headaches here, but I sincerely hope their response is to innovate quicker in order to stay ahead instead. That being said, it's going to take time as well as money for Apple to even marginally close the gap. Google has a tremendous lead when it comes to data. e.g. Just having a place on your map arguably isn't enough when Google probably has a dozen user reviews just for your local neighborhood dry-cleaner! No doubt that's why Apple initially tried to ram their maps down all iOS users' throats.