Apple unveiled an overhauled version of Apple Maps on Wednesday. U.S. users will now have faster and more accurate navigation, along with fuller views of items like roads, buildings, parks, airports, malls.
New ‘Maps’ Features Arrive
There are a number of new features in the updated version of Maps. Users can now ‘Look Around’ in a number of major cities (shown above). It means people worldwide can stroll through New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston, and Oahu on their device. More cities will be added in the future.
If there are restaurants or other locations in a city you particularly like, they can now be compiled into ‘Collections’. These lists are shareable, so you can pass your recommendations on to friends.
There is also a new ‘Favorites’ feature. Save a location you visit often, and top and go via the home page.
Other new features include:
- Real-time Transit
- Share ETA
- Flight Status
- Indoor Maps for airports and malls
- Siri Natural Langauge Guidance
- Photo-realistic, immersive, 3D ‘Flyver’ view
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services said:
We set out to create the best and most private maps app on the planet that is reflective of how people explore the world today. It is an effort we are deeply invested in and required that we rebuild the map from the ground up to reimagine how Maps enhances people’s lives — from navigating to work or school or planning an important vacation — all with privacy at its core. The completion of the new map in the United States and delivering new features like Look Around and Collections are important steps in bringing that vision to life. We look forward to bringing this new map to the rest of the world starting with Europe later this year.