Photo: autoevolution
Apple is betting big on Apple Maps in the long term, and one priority right now is to scan new regions to bring the service to more users out there.
While it’ll obviously take a lot of time until Apple Maps can even compare to Google Maps in terms of map coverage, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker is slowly but surely improving. Its cars now sent to more locations, including several in Europe.
For example, according to Apple’s image collection page, the company is now scanning several locations in Germany, with the process starting this month and then scheduled to come to an end in August this year. In France, Apple began to gain image data using its cars in February, and the whole thing is set to continue until April, so expect an update for this region to go live by the summer.
Hungary is also getting new Apple Maps data, as Apple’s cars are now in Budapest and a series of other large regions in the country. The new imagery should be collected by May, so again, it shouldn’t take too long before users themselves also get updated Apple Maps content.
Needless to say, the United States is the country where Apple is directing most of its resources, as it’s now gathering images here not only for cars but also for walking directions. According to Apple itself, pedestrian data is now collected in California and Texas, with the process to come to an end in December this year.
“Some pedestrian surveys use a backpack system to collect data that may be used directly in Apple Maps, such as in the Look Around feature. Other pedestrian surveys use iPads, iPhones or other devices to collect data for map improvement purposes. These pedestrian surveys allow us to improve and update Apple Maps in areas where vehicles simply can’t go while using the same privacy protections as the Apple Maps vehicles,” Apple explains.
In the meantime, Apple is also working on other features for Apple Maps, with the upcoming iOS 14.5 update to include an incident reporting feature similar to the one bundled with Google’s Waze.
For example, according to Apple’s image collection page, the company is now scanning several locations in Germany, with the process starting this month and then scheduled to come to an end in August this year. In France, Apple began to gain image data using its cars in February, and the whole thing is set to continue until April, so expect an update for this region to go live by the summer.
Hungary is also getting new Apple Maps data, as Apple’s cars are now in Budapest and a series of other large regions in the country. The new imagery should be collected by May, so again, it shouldn’t take too long before users themselves also get updated Apple Maps content.
Needless to say, the United States is the country where Apple is directing most of its resources, as it’s now gathering images here not only for cars but also for walking directions. According to Apple itself, pedestrian data is now collected in California and Texas, with the process to come to an end in December this year.
“Some pedestrian surveys use a backpack system to collect data that may be used directly in Apple Maps, such as in the Look Around feature. Other pedestrian surveys use iPads, iPhones or other devices to collect data for map improvement purposes. These pedestrian surveys allow us to improve and update Apple Maps in areas where vehicles simply can’t go while using the same privacy protections as the Apple Maps vehicles,” Apple explains.
In the meantime, Apple is also working on other features for Apple Maps, with the upcoming iOS 14.5 update to include an incident reporting feature similar to the one bundled with Google’s Waze.
Google News