Photo: USPTO
Apple is one of the companies that are currently offering a Google Maps alternative, and given it’s available as a native iPhone application, it’s no surprise that so many people use it on a regular basis these days.
But at the same time, it’s also not a secret that Apple is exploring various ideas to improve Apple Maps, and one way to do this is by expanding the app into Waze territory.
Not a long time ago, Apple equipped Apple Maps with incident reporting capabilities. Just like in Waze, the new feature makes it possible for users to send reports on what they come across on the road. But on the other hand, while the Google-owned app comes with support for a wide range of reports, Apple Maps only supports crashes, hazards, and speed cameras.
A recently discovered patent, however, reveals that Apple is already exploring ways to improve this side of the application with a new interface for reporting incidents.
As it turns out, Apple wants the experience overall to be less intrusive in a way that doesn’t affect the overall navigation you see on the screen. At this point, whenever you are trying to report an incident in Apple Maps, the application launches a dedicated menu that covers close to half of the screen and, more importantly, part of the map as well.
In Apple’s proposed redesign, the incident reporting capabilities (along with the warnings shown to drivers) are packed into a special banner that shows up at the bottom of the screen. There are dedicated buttons for accidents, hazards, and police, while the rest of the screen is used for real-time navigation guidance. Users, therefore, continue to see relevant information on the screen, without any interruption whatsoever.
Worth knowing, however, is that this is just a patent for the time being, though it goes without saying such a redesign makes perfect sense, and it’s probably just a matter of time until it goes live for users out there.
Not a long time ago, Apple equipped Apple Maps with incident reporting capabilities. Just like in Waze, the new feature makes it possible for users to send reports on what they come across on the road. But on the other hand, while the Google-owned app comes with support for a wide range of reports, Apple Maps only supports crashes, hazards, and speed cameras.
A recently discovered patent, however, reveals that Apple is already exploring ways to improve this side of the application with a new interface for reporting incidents.
As it turns out, Apple wants the experience overall to be less intrusive in a way that doesn’t affect the overall navigation you see on the screen. At this point, whenever you are trying to report an incident in Apple Maps, the application launches a dedicated menu that covers close to half of the screen and, more importantly, part of the map as well.
In Apple’s proposed redesign, the incident reporting capabilities (along with the warnings shown to drivers) are packed into a special banner that shows up at the bottom of the screen. There are dedicated buttons for accidents, hazards, and police, while the rest of the screen is used for real-time navigation guidance. Users, therefore, continue to see relevant information on the screen, without any interruption whatsoever.
Worth knowing, however, is that this is just a patent for the time being, though it goes without saying such a redesign makes perfect sense, and it’s probably just a matter of time until it goes live for users out there.
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