????本文為與《時(shí)代》雜志的合作內(nèi)容。下文最初發(fā)表于Time.com。

????據(jù)《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》報(bào)道，租車服務(wù)公司Uber有意以30億美元收購(gòu)諾基亞旗下的地圖服務(wù)HERE，后者與谷歌地圖一直在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。

????芬蘭公司諾基亞留給人們最深的印象，可能是它的商標(biāo)和熟悉的手機(jī)鈴聲。該公司正在經(jīng)歷大規(guī)模的轉(zhuǎn)型，這家曾經(jīng)的手機(jī)巨頭如今正專注于網(wǎng)絡(luò)硬件業(yè)務(wù)。最大轉(zhuǎn)型標(biāo)志是，公司在去年以70億美元的價(jià)格將手機(jī)部門賣給了微軟。所以，諾基亞想要出售地圖部門也不難理解，這不僅能給公司帶來一大筆資金，還能提高公司的專注度。

????不過Uber為何想買一家地圖公司？原因有二。

????Uber的后臺(tái)系統(tǒng)由谷歌地圖支持。當(dāng)你加載Uber應(yīng)用，并標(biāo)示搭車地點(diǎn)時(shí)，用的就是谷歌地圖。當(dāng)你的司機(jī)按照GPS指示前往目的地時(shí)，用的也是谷歌地圖。Uber最近將重心轉(zhuǎn)向遞送包裹而不是乘客，體現(xiàn)出他們有興趣成為一家全方位的物流公司——類似于UPS那種，而不是一家出租車公司。對(duì)Uber而言，擁有自己的地圖部門，可以讓公司在不斷演變發(fā)展的同時(shí)，減少對(duì)谷歌的依賴。

????還有另一個(gè)因素是：Uber的高管從不避諱他們對(duì)自動(dòng)駕駛汽車的熱愛。公司正與卡耐基梅隆大學(xué)合作研發(fā)這項(xiàng)技術(shù)。畢竟，機(jī)器是不會(huì)為了索要更高薪水而罷工的，它們也不會(huì)毆打乘客。

????無人駕駛汽車運(yùn)行離不開兩樣?xùn)|西。一樣是車載感應(yīng)器，它能實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)控行人或停車信號(hào)等需要立即反應(yīng)的路況。另外一樣則是地圖，它能縱覽全局，告訴汽車該走哪條路。要使無人駕駛汽車成為現(xiàn)實(shí)，后端支持的地圖需要不斷地更新。設(shè)想一下，假如一輛無人駕駛汽車不知道前方有座橋已經(jīng)不能走了，就會(huì)走進(jìn)死路。收購(gòu)HERE以后，Uber就能更快地實(shí)現(xiàn)自動(dòng)駕駛汽車的未來，人們不必雙眼一眨不眨地盯著路況就能從A地來到B地了。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

????This post is in partnership with Time. The article below was originally published at Time.com.

????Ride-hailing company Uber is willing to pay up to $3 billion for HERE, a Nokia-owned mapping service that competes with Google Maps, the New York Times reports.

????Nokia, a Finnish company you probably best know for itstrademark and stubbornly infectious ringtone, is undergoing a highly transformative shift. Once a leading smartphone maker, it’s now focusing networking hardware business. The biggest sign of that shift: Nokia sold its handset division to Microsoft for more than $7 billion last year. So it makes sense for Nokia to want to unload its mapping unit, for which it could earn a pretty penny while also increasing the company’s focus.

????But why would Uber want a mapping company? Two reasons.

????Uber’s backend systems are powered by Google Maps. When you load up Uber’s app and drop a pin for a pickup, that’s Google Maps. When your driver is following GPS directions to your destination, that’s Google Maps too. Uber’s recent moves into shipping packages rather than people signal it’s interested in becoming more of a full-on logistics company, akin more to UPS than your local yellow cab service. For Uber, having its own mapping unit would reduce its dependence on another company — Google — while it continues to evolve.

????There’s another factor at play here, too. Uber executives haven’t been shy about their fondness for driverless cars; the company is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to work on the technology. After all, robots don’t strike for higher wages, nor do they assault passengers.

????Driverless cars need two things to work. The first is on-car sensors, which constantly monitor for changing road conditions that require an immediate response, like pedestrians and stop signs. The second is maps, which tell the car where to go on a bigger scale. For driverless cars to be feasible, the maps that power them have to be updated constantly. Imagine a driverless car doesn’t know that construction means a bridge is out, for instance: Dead end. Acquiring HERE, then, would help Uber more quickly realize a future where driverless cars get us all from A to B without us batting an eyelash.