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Google to Show Off 'Next Dimension' of Maps on June 6

Friday June 1, 2012 10:20 am PDT by Eric Slivka

With Apple reportedly abandoning Google in favor of its own mapping solution for iOS 6, 9to5Google reports that Google will be holding an event on June 6 to show off "The Next Dimension of Google Maps". The event comes just five days before Apple is expected to show off details of iOS 6 at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote.

At this invitation-only press gathering, Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps and share our vision. We’ll also demo some of the newest technology and provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually. We hope to see you there.

Apple has relied on Google to provide the mapping functionality in iOS since the iPhone's initial launch back in 2007. But as competition between the two companies has ramped up, Apple has been working to strengthen its expertise in mapping with the acquisition of several small companies and has been gradually moving certain location and mapping services in-house. That transition is expected to culminate in iOS 6 with the core mapping application shifting from Google to Apple.

The timing of Google's event naturally leads to speculation that it has been specifically planned to upstage any Apple announcement about mapping in iOS 6 and to show what users will be missing out on with the transition by Apple.

Top Rated Comments

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Mortalias

28 months ago

Only 30 minutes to eat breakfast?

Those pigs.

Rating: 88 Votes

mbarriault

28 months ago

The timing is way too suspicious for this to have been independently scheduled.

And the likely, most hilarious thing is, Google will be having their collective asses handed to them just days later.

Rating: 61 Votes

newyorksole

28 months ago

I hope Apple's Maps is better....

Rating: 53 Votes

bazaarsoft

28 months ago

It's pathetic to see Google resort to these well-known Microsoft strategies - preview technology that someone else is about to release for real. I have very little doubt that they'll show "in the lab" concepts with no real ship dates/timelines, etc. Attempt to create the impression of being the leader while in reality just following the leader.

Google truly is the next Microsoft.

Rating: 49 Votes

nfl46

28 months ago

Damn, I guess we can confirmed that Apple really did drop Google Maps from their new iOS.

I can see it now, "Apple copied Google Maps comments."

Rating: 47 Votes

B.A.T

28 months ago

Can't wait to see both versions of maps. Competition is a good thing.

Rating: 41 Votes

gotluck

28 months ago

The shame is that Google is known to have one of the better mapping solutions; they just need to relentlessly make it better.

By scheduling a 'demo of things to come soon' on the coat tail of a Apple's presentation it makes them look like a bunch of followers with a 'me too' solution...they shouldn't need to do that, they are (were?) already in the lead.

um? Apple is the 'me too' when it comes to maps.

Rating: 41 Votes

milbournosphere

28 months ago

And the likely, most hilarious thing is, Google will be having their collective asses handed to them just days later.

I'm sorry but Apple's map offerings are pathetic. I still find it hilarious that they can't (won't?) match Google's basic (and included out of the box) navigation app, despite having put out multiple versions of iOS and hardware revisions since Android's release. In my opinion, lack of turn-by-turn navigation is the iPhone's biggest failure.

Rating: 31 Votes