Rumors have suggested that Apple has acquired 3D mapping firm C3 Technologies. While much of the early demos showed C3's ability to create realistic looking 3D maps, the company had also been working on both street view and interior views prior to their acquisition.
BrightSideOfTheNews reported in a January, 2011 article that the company was creating street level imagery as well using the same technology:
In addition to 3D maps, C3 also makes awesome street level imagery captured using "an advanced multiple camera system with overlapping viewing angles to capture the entire surroundings in stereo."
Beyond street level views, the company was also offering interior panoramas as shown in this early promotional photo:
SingularityHub noted how C3 created these interior shots:
As well as increasing its geographic range, C3 is expanding into interior settings. With a special camera rig, they can also create a 3D model of the interior of a building using the same photo stitching they use with their aerial or street level maps. Businesses have to request C3 to come in and create such an inside map of their facilities, so don’t expect these 3D indoor maps to become ubiquitous anytime soon. Still, the technology is ready and available, so we’re bound to see at least a few examples in the months ahead.
Obviously, both street-level work and interior shots are particularly resource intensive. In fact, the interior views are said to have required businesses to invite the company in to make create the images. It's not clear if Apple will use the technology to this degree when they release it. At a minimum, however, street view data would be required to make it match up feature for feature with Google's technology which presently powers iOS Maps.
Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more.
Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features.
Liquid Glass Toggle
iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.
In the Settings app, under Display...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by Juli Clover
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
...
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. iOS 26.1 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Monday November 3, 2025 1:07 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released tvOS 26.1, an update to the tvOS 26 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 26.1 is available on the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD models, but Liquid Glass is only available on the second-generation Apple TV 4K or later.
tvOS 26 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the Apple TV. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the ...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
Schmidt says it sees Apple's voice assistant Siri as a "significant development" that could threaten Google's business. I wonder what Schmidt will say about this?
This will not match Google, it will be far superior. The maps will be seamless since they are 3D models. You will be able to run street view as if you were driving down the road. It would be perspectively correct for the lane and direction of travel and it could show custom overlays for turn by turn directions.
Apple will have the single best turn by turn imagery out there.
Another great acquisition by Apple. I still remember when they acquired FingerWorks, i.e., rights to use their multi-touch technologies in their products.
No, if they are doing that imaging and data mining they won't be like the other cars with all the cameras, antennas, etc.
I've seen cars like that in London with no logos on them. We really can't make any assumptions about this stuff. I mean, how many people have seen a Google Streetview car for certain?
The data issue is also a non-issue because nothing is stopping Apple buying in this data from Google or from multiple sources. Big data is a big deal and Google are far from the only player here.
Let's be clear on this, Apple is spending big and they're planning to launch something in this space. We don't know what and we don't know when but if it looks as good as the C3 stuff then we're in for a treat when it hits.
