I'm not sure if you're aware, but the launch of Apple Maps went poorly. After a rough first impression, an apology from the CEO, several years of patching holes with data partnerships and some glimmers of light with long-awaited transit directions and improvements in business, parking and place data, Apple Maps is still not where it needs to be to be considered a world-class service.
Maps needs fixing.
Apple, it turns out, is aware of this, so it's re-building the maps part of Maps.
It's doing this by using first-party data gathered by iPhones with a privacy-first methodology and its own fleet of cars packed with sensors and cameras. The new product will launch in San Francisco and the Bay Area with the next iOS 12 beta and will cover Northern California by fall.
Every version of iOS will get the updated maps eventually, and they will be more responsive to changes in roadways and construction, more visually rich depending on the specific context they're viewed in and feature more detailed ground cover, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways and more.
This is nothing less than a full re-set of Maps and it's been four years in the making, which is when Apple began to develop its new data-gathering systems. Eventually, Apple will no longer rely on third-party data to provide the basis for its maps, which has been one of its major pitfalls from the beginning.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 02 2018, @11:40AM (2 children)
I hope that data is more reliable than Bing maps. Five years ago I reported - via the official Bing reporting tool - that a road around here has been closed for years. Bing still wants to route people that way, even though actually going that way would require climbing a fence, then sneaking across the railroad and finally climbing another fence.
And that's with routing set to "car". Good luck climbing the fence with a car on your back.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday July 02 2018, @05:22PM
voice navigation says:
Turn left in 600 feet. Then proceed for 2 miles straight ahead. Please ignore any signs warning that the bridge is out and continue straight ahead.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 02 2018, @05:43PM
Do you even lift bro?