Get ready for the local Internet wars to heat up significantly as Apple prepares to move away from Google Maps and go to their own ‘in house’ maps creation that is the result of a combining of several recent map related acquisitions.

Rather than being viewed as just sitting on their hands while this significant piece of business walks, Google announced today some changes to the Google Maps offering.

As reported by Mashable

Offline mapping for Android phones, Street View for nature trails and 3D Google Earth maps are all improvements coming to Google Maps in the near future.

The three new features were unveiled by company executives at a press event at the company’s San Francisco offices.

Ahhh yes the SMB. That wild beast that roams the business landscape often looking very hungry and wondering where its next meal will come from if it comes at all. It has moments of brilliance when things click and there is plenty of attention showered upon it but when reality sets back in it returns to its survival mode which means it stays lean and mean just to get to its next kill.

Exaggerated? Maybe. But the idea of the SMB being an elusive entity especially for the likes of Google is simple truth. Maybe it’s because the definition of the SMB is something that needs to be changed. As was pointed out by Greg Sterling of Search Engine Land

Many smaller locally based businesses find big ROI on advertising to be elusive. It could be that many are not measuring effectively or that many simply don’t have the resources to track efforts like one would think they should.

Not so with big national brands and their local advertising efforts. National advertisers expect serious returns. Of course, who doesn’t want big returns on their advertising efforts or at least desire them, right?

According to the folks from Balihoo, which is a local marketing automation provider, whatever the return expected most national brands are not earmarking large percentages of their budgets for local. eMarketer shared the data

Apple is rumored to be drawing one of the final battle lines that will truly separate Google and Apple, or (Android v. iOS if you prefer) in the world of mobile.

It’s about maps. Maps and the ability to get around while out and about are one of the most critical functions of any mobile device. Until now the backend of Apple’s maps function was Google Maps. With the introduction of iOS 6 in the near future that will end. According to 9 to 5 Mac

According to trusted sources, Apple has an incredible headline feature in development for iOS 6: a completely in-house maps application. Apple will drop the Google Maps program running on iOS since 2007 in favor for a new Maps app with an Apple backend. The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps program on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience.