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An Anonymous Coward writes:

For years Google Maps has offered Street View, giving viewers a street level glimpse into far away destinations.

Word on the street (no pun intended!) is that Apple is sending out vehicles to photograph various locales in Ireland, UK, and the United States, with the imagery being used in their Apple Maps application.

In the US, Apple will be driving around parts of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas, Utah, and Washington state.

In Ireland, Apple will map the greater Dublin area. For the UK, street mapping will be done in Essex, Greater London, Kent, and Birmingham.

Apple's page states:

[...] Apple is driving vehicles around the world to collect data which will be used to improve Apple Maps. Some of this data will be published in future Apple Maps updates.

[...] We are committed to protecting your privacy while collecting this data. For example, we will blur faces and license plates on collected images prior to publication.