News
Michael Grothaus
16:36, 17 Mar 2014
Mike takes a look at all the suspected features tipped to appear inside Apple's iOS 8 Maps software
iOS 8 will apparently play host to a vastly improved Maps application, and given the current perception of Apple’s mapping software this can only be a viewed as a good thing. So what are we likely to see inside the all-new Maps and, more importantly, what kind of features will give Apple some much needed edge in the Google-dominated mapping software arena.
We take a look at what the competition is up to, as well as sift through a ream of patent filings in order to gain a better picture of what iOS 8 Maps might have in store for us.
Feature: Public Transportation Directions
Likelihood: 99%
Want to get from point A to point B by bus in Apple Maps? Simply open the app, select your start and end destinations, tap the public transport button, then tap route and… you’ll be presented with a list of third-party apps that might be able to help you out.
This is the experience of getting public transport directions in Apple Maps. But according to rumours all this is set to change in iOS 8. The new OS, which will launch this Autumn, will finally add built-in public transport directions to Maps and bring the software up to a standard that was considered “basic” in 2008.
How likely is this to happen? I’m pegging it as a virtual certainty for many reasons – 1.) The rumours are too persistent. 2.) iOS 8 isn’t going to feature a complete visual redesign like iOS 7, so Apple is going to need to show progress in other ways...and having working public transportation directions is a good way to do that. 3.) Apple has been buying mapping companies like mad.
Two such acquisitions include HopStop, a company that aggregates data from hundreds of transit agencies to help mobile users commute via not only subway, bus, train, and taxi, but walking and biking as well. Apple also bought Embark Inc., a company that had ten apps in the App Store that helped users navigate public transportation.
Let’s put it this way: if Apple doesn’t include public transport directions in iOS 8’s Maps I’ll eat my crusty, 8-year old New Balance running shoes.
Improved Walking and Cycling Directions
Likelihood: 90%
Right now Apple’s Maps gives you very basic walking directions. As city users, who are much more likely to need walking and cycling directions, are generally bigger Maps users than suburbanites, who often only rely on road directions for driving, it’s unlikely Apple would add public transport directions without also adding improved walking and cycling directions. too.
Again, several of Apple’s mapping company acquisitions point to this as well, as does the inclusion of Apple’s M7 motion co-processor in the iPhone 5s. The M7 sends data to Apple about the types of movements performed by users. Apple could use this data to be build up a better and more accurate database of walking and cycling routes, which it could then incorporate into the next version of Maps.
Improved Iconography
Likelihood: 70%
The great thing about Google Maps is, when looking at a map of London, it’s easy to tell where the nearest tube stop is because Google uses the official tube icons of the London Underground. In Paris, Google uses the official icons of the Metro, as well as the official icons of other transport networks around the world. You get the idea.
Apple Maps, on the other hand, uses generic purple icons for almost all transport hubs no matter the city you’re in. These generic icons make it harder to distinguish between transportation hubs and other generic icons (like stores) in Apple Maps.
There’s no clear evidence Apple will institute improved iconography in iOS 8’s Maps, but given it’s a much-requested feature, here’s hoping they do. I mean, surely, if they can give every Apple Store its own special icon, then can figure out how to stick an official tube icon on a map?
Better Search and POI
Likelihood: 90%
The thing that made Apple Maps so bad wasn’t its design (although it needs a lot of improvement). The thing that made it so bad is that Apple Maps has horrible search and a pitiful point-of-interest (POI) database.
Right now you need to type in the specific name of a business to find it, instead of just typing in related keywords or a partial name to return results. As Google is king of search, it’s no wonder their maps excel at this. Still, the horrendous search functionality in Apple’s existing Maps is no excuse. Apple’s a big company with a ton of resources and all of its software, Maps included, should reflect this.
Another thing that Apple Maps is horrible at is POI. It just doesn’t know all the points-of-interest that exist. These POIs could be anything from Pret & Costa Coffee locations to parks to a branch of your local bank.
But the good news is that there are strong rumours that both search and POI will be much improved in iOS 8. Supporting these rumours are, once again, acquisitions Apple has made, including companies like Locationary, which specialises in crowdsourcing location data for local businesses.
3D Augmented Reality
Likelihood: 70%
Even for people who thought Apple Maps wasn’t a total disaster, one feature many missed was Google’s Street View. Apple tried to compensate for this by adding Flyover, which let users view pretty impressive 3D renderings of cities. Still, there’s just no substitute for street level views of areas when you are searching for a specific place.
Luckily Apple may have something almost as good up its sleeves for Maps in iOS 8. According to a patent filing from 2011, Apple is working on a system that would overlay augmented reality pop-ups on a 3D rendering of nearby streets.
“Walking” down these virtual streets in Apple Maps would allow you to get the latest information for businesses and other POIs in the area via augmented reality pop-ups that display based on the direction your iPhone is pointed (thanks to its built-in compass).
If implemented, it still wouldn’t be a total replacement for Street View, but it could arguably be more accurate as there’s no easy way to tell how out-dated Street View images are. Plus, it would be much quicker for Apple to update augmented reality info for its 3D rendered streets.
Floor-specific Indoor Maps
Likelihood: 60%
Indoor mapping is becoming the next great battleground for maps, and the reason behind this is simple: we spend a lot of times indoors, and it’s often hard to find specific stores in, say, large malls. Indoor mapping solves this.
But indoor mapping in its current form has its limitations. Right now there is no easy way for maps to know what level of a building you are on. How then would your mapping software know which floor’s maps to display to you?
A new sensor in the next iPhone could fix this. Altimeters measure the height of a device based on atmospheric pressure. They are now small enough to fit in smartphones and accurate enough to measure heights between floors in a shopping centre or airport.
If the next iPhone sports an altimeter it’s very likely Apple’s Maps will be able to pull up accurate indoor maps for the floor you’re on. This, needless to say, would be incredibly cool.
3D Indoor Mapping
Likelihood: 5%
Speaking of indoor mapping...earlier this year Google unveiled an experimental smartphone called Project Tango which allowed developers to capture 3D photorealistic renderings of the area around them. To see how amazing these 3D renderings look, check out this video over at TechCrunch.
As cool as the technology is, it’s still a bit young and too bulky to fit in a sleek iPhone 5s...or the probably even thinner iPhone 6 that will replace it. But if Apple could make the technology small enough to fit inside an iPhone the company could essentially bring Street View to every inch of the entire planet. Imagine what our maps would look like if every street, every alley, every cave, every elevator, and every room of every building were mapped in 3D.
Will this technology be in the next iPhone? Absolutely not… Will it be in iPhones and mapping software in, say, the next four years? You bet your ass it will.
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