Apple mapping a future without Google in iOS 6?
Apple did quietly buy up a bunch of mapping technology companies several years ago: PlaceBase in July 2009, Poly 9 in 2010 and C3 late last year. It’s reasonable to think that this would follow a similar pattern to what Apple did with Siri: buy an outside company for its technology and a few years down the line incorporate it into iOS.
Apple always prefers not to be dependent on third-party technologies. It is at a place where it designs its own software and hardware, even down to the chips and battery and almost all of the key apps that come with iOS devices, with the exception of the Maps app and YouTube. In other words, moving from a third-party solution to an in-house one eventually would be very much in line with Apple’s philosophy and history.
In particular, Apple probably would like to have as little to do with Google as possible. This is the same company that Steve Jobs promised to go “thermonuclear” on and accusing it of “grand theft” in designing Android. It makes sense not to incorporate product from one of your chief rivals in mobile into your most important product.
The report also claims that iOS 6 will be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference scheduled for the second week of June. Be sure to head to 9to5Mac for videos and photos of what the 3D mapping product could look like.
Source: Gigaom.com
Apple now has third piece of mapping puzzle, but what's the full picture?
At the most basic level, Apple can replace the traditional top-down, two-dimensional abstract maps with photorealistic three-dimensional views overlaid with relevant, context sensitive location data such as street names, business locations, and more. Combined with the iPhone's GPS, compass, and camera technology, however, we think Apple can top Google's Street View with an augmented reality view for directions and navigation.
To give one illustration of how this might work, imagine combining Find My Friends with an augmented reality 3D map of your current location. Flags or other indicators would let you know where nearby friends are in the immediate vicinity, and you could simply point your iPhone in their general direction to home in on one another to meet up.
How and when Apple will put this technology into iOS users' hands is still a mystery. But it's clear that Apple intends to put the pieces of technology it has acquired so far together to do for mapping what it has done for voice control with Siri.
Source: arstechnica
Apple acquired mind-blowing 3D mapping company C3 Technologies, looking to take iOS Maps to the next level
We already know that Apple has its eyes set on reinventing their maps solution, and with Placebase being a part of the corporation, moving completely away from Google seems inevitable. Apple – with the speedy custom made chips (A4, A5) in the latest round of iOS devices – could make their mobile mapping solution the best in the world with C3 Technologies’ 3D mapping technology. C3′s solutions are so powerful and remarkble, and would truly transform Apple’s basic Google Maps application into something entirely new, fun, and powerful.
Based on Apple’s past moves in the maps arena, we have a fairly good idea of what to expect from Apple in the near future of iOS:
Rebranding: Although Apple and Google signed a deal to extend the use of Google Maps in iOS, Apple’s purchase of Placebase is a clear indicator that Apple is looking to split from Google’s backend control at some point in the near future. Placebase could potentially replace the entire Google backend, allowing Apple to completely market iOS Maps as an end-to-end solution from the Cupertino-based company.
- 3D: With Apple’s aquisitions of both C3 Technologies and Poly9, we think it is very likely that the future of iOS Maps will include a third-dimension.
- Traffic: Apple has gone on the record to say that they are working on an improved traffic service for end-users.
- Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.
The service is crowd-sourced and is another indicator of Apple moving away from Google in their iOS mapping services as Google currently supplies iOS Map’s traffic data. We’re not expecting anything big in the immediate future but we’d be surprised to see the same old Maps program in iOS 6. Expect something much much bigger.
Source: 9to5mac
Beware the spy in the sky: After those Street View snoopers, Google and Apple use planes that can film you sunbathing in your back garden
‘The next generation of maps is taking us over the garden fence,’ he warned. ‘You won’t be able to sunbathe in your garden without worrying about an Apple or Google plane buzzing overhead taking pictures.’ He said householders should be asked for their consent before images of their homes go online. Apple is expected to unveil its new mapping applications for its iPhone and other devices today – along with privacy safeguards. Its 3D maps will reportedly show for the first time the sides of tall buildings, such as the Big Ben clock tower.
Google expects by the end of the year to have 3D coverage of towns and cities with a combined population of 300million. It has not revealed any locations so far.
Amie Stepanovich, of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre in America, said she believed Apple and Google would be forced to blur out homes in the same way Street View pixellates faces. She said: ‘With satellite images, privacy is built in because you can’t zoom down into a garden. Homeowners need to be asked to opt in to show their property in high definition – otherwise it should be blurred out.’
Apple has previously used Google for its mapping services but last year it emerged it had bought C3 Technologies, a 3D mapping company that uses technology developed by Saab AB, the aerospace and defence company. At the time C3 had already mapped 20 cities and it is believed to have added more with Apple’s backing. Its photographs have been shot from 1,600ft and one C3 executive described it as ‘Google on steroids’.
There are already 3D maps available online for most big city centres, but the images are often low resolution, meaning they are of little use for navigation and users cannot zoom in on detail. Critics have argued that Apple and Google will face a backlash if they offer detailed 3D mapping of residential areas in suburbs and rural locations.
Source: dailymail