Google on Friday unveiled a new pricing scheme for its Google Maps application programming interface (API), dramatically cutting costs to developers for using its maps data.

If you have an application that regularly makes a ton of calls for Google Maps data, you're charged for every 1,000 calls the app makes.

That used to cost up to $4 per 1,000 calls, but now it's going to cost around $0.50.

Google still lets developers of newer and smaller apps make calls to the Maps API for free, but once your app reaches 25,000 API calls per day for three months straight, Google will start charging you.

Ahead of Google's I/O developer conference next week, that's a relief for developers. Several competitors, like OpenStreetMap (employed in Apple's iPhoto), have emerged to challenge Google's dominance in Maps.

Google needed to create a compelling case as to why developers should be using its maps data.

Apple's Maps app also definitely has Google a little concerned.

Apple is ditching Google's Maps data in the next version of the iPhone operating system. With the iPhone being option one for app developers, they might be more inclined to use the same maps data that Apple uses on its phone. Earlier this month, Google had a press event about Google Maps that featured almost zero news. It felt like one long advertisement for the service.

滬江英語快訊：谷歌于北京時間6月23日宣布，已將第三方應(yīng)用使用其應(yīng)用程序接口（API）的費用從每加載1000張地圖4美元下調(diào)至每加載1000張地圖0.5美元。谷歌曾免費提供地圖服務(wù)，但從去年10月開始收取費用開始，包括Foursquare和維基百科移動應(yīng)用等主要地圖驅(qū)動應(yīng)用程序，都決定放棄谷歌。而最近，蘋果也拋棄了谷歌地圖。為避免蘋果將要推出的地圖服務(wù)的威脅，谷歌的新地圖服務(wù)對外觀、價格等方面進行了一系列改革。