Apple Maps Product Lead David Dorn and Design Lead Meg Frost recently did an interview with CNN to explain the Apple Maps features that were introduced with the iOS 15 update and to explain why iPhone users should choose Apple Maps over other mapping apps like Google and Waze.
According to Dorn, there are three major reasons why Apple Maps is the best choice.
Apple is making serious investments into Maps to improve it.
Privacy is central and Apple isn't tracking your location for data purposes when you use Apple Maps.
Maps is part of the Apple ecosystem and integrates well with other Apple devices and services.
Apple's effort into improving the Maps app can be seen in iOS 15, an update that added new 3D city details in select areas like London, New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. There are also navigation updates that add more detail at complex interchanges. Frost said that Apple wanted to make maps "both safer and visually satisfying to navigate."
As for the 3D landmarks added in the update, each landmark is created by hand. "We pick the amount of detail we find appropriate and create a 3D mesh of the building landmark itself. And we apply it to the base map," Frost told CNN.
The full Apple Maps interview can be read over on CNN's website, and it provides more detail on features like Share ETA, CarPlay, real-time AR walking directions, and more.
Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand.
Current Development Status
Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week.
Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature.
According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:27 am PDT by Juli Clover
OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, OpenAI announced today. Ive has been working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on io for two years, and the duo expects to develop a family of AI devices.
In a video shared by OpenAI, Altman and Ive outlined their partnership and what they expect to create as a result of the merger. "I have a growing sense that everything ...
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design.
In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system.
macOS 16 Name?
Every year ...
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube.
During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
A roundabout was built down the road from me back in March of this year. Google Maps and Waze had their maps updated within 2 weeks. I submitted the change to Apple numerous times and as of today they still haven't updated the intersection. I want to like Apple Maps but they make it really hard.
Meanwhile in more remote and rural areas, Apple Maps mightily sucks.
For example, where I live it shows that there's a road where there's a bridge defunct for a couple decades. Moreover, it navigates over that "bridge" when I ask it for driving directions. Even in the days of its glory, that bridge was for pedestrians and cyclists only, so it's absurd for Apple to even suggest a car should go there even if it was using some outdated data sources that showed some outdated facts.
I reported it to Apple over two years ago. Nothing has been done about it.
This is why my map application of choice is OsmAnd+. Apple Maps can go pound sand.
