Google cuts Maps API pricing for high-volume users by over 85 percent

Several prominent companies and organizations like Foursquare and Wikipedia have dropped the use of Google Maps in recent months thanks in no small part to the free API call limits that Mountain View started imposing last year. Those limits aren’t going away, but Google has simplified the rules and significantly reduced pricing today: what once cost $4 per 1,000 map loads is now down to 50 cents per 1,000 loads, and there will no longer be a different cost structure for using customized map styles versus Google’s stock design. Whether the move will help stem the loss of high-profile clients is unclear — but with Apple’s entry into the business, it’s likely that Google will be doing everything it can to fortify its own position in the coming months.