Apple Maps to Expand "Look Around" Feature
Apple Maps is poised to significantly extend its immersive street-level "Look Around" feature, trailing Google Maps' Street View. The expansion, disclosed through code in the new Apple Maps web app, will encompass major highways, smaller cities, and rural areas in the U.S. and expand to new countries such as Morocco, Egypt, and China. This strategic move aims to fortify Apple Maps' competitive stance against Google Maps, which offers comprehensive Street View coverage globally.
The enlargement to new countries will encompass areas with underdeveloped Google Street View coverage. Apple Maps has been enhancing its core features, such as step-by-step navigation, and will introduce additional enhancements with the upcoming iOS 18 update, including improved search capabilities across the entire map.
Google Maps maintains an advantage with its global Street View and detailed business information. However, Apple's ongoing improvements suggest a more intense competition in the mapping app market. Moreover, Google is preparing to unveil new hardware, including the Pixel 9 phones and Pixel Watch 3, which could further integrate and enhance their mapping services.
Experts generally view Apple Maps' planned expansion of its "Look Around" feature as a significant step forward, but it still trails behind Google Maps' more established Street View. While Apple Maps has made substantial improvements, including enhanced navigation features and cleaner design, Google Maps remains dominant due to its comprehensive global coverage and richer features like detailed business information and historical Street View imagery.
The upcoming expansion of "Look Around" to include more highways, smaller cities, rural areas, and new countries like Morocco, Egypt, and China could help Apple close the gap, especially in regions with less Google Street View coverage. However, Google’s established presence, particularly with features that have been refined over years, such as more accurate traffic predictions and broader public transit directions, keeps it ahead for now.
The competition between the two mapping services is expected to intensify, particularly as Apple continues to improve its core offerings and expand "Look Around" into new areas. Despite these advances, many experts believe that Google Maps will maintain its edge in the short term, particularly with its integration into new hardware like the Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3.
Key Takeaways
- Apple Maps expands "Look Around" to major highways, smaller cities, and rural areas in the U.S.
- Launch of "Look Around" in new countries including Morocco, Egypt, and China, among others.
- Apple Maps web app leak hints at future "Look Around" coverage.
- Apple continues to enhance core mapping features, with upcoming improvements in iOS 18.
- Google Maps maintains an advantage with broader Street View coverage and richer business details.
Analysis
Apple's expansion of its "Look Around" feature is a direct challenge to Google Maps' dominance, particularly in regions with limited Street View coverage. This move is positioned to strengthen Apple's market position, especially in emerging markets such as Morocco, Egypt, and China. Short-term impacts include heightened competition and potential shifts in user preferences, while long-term implications include the potential erosion of Google's lead and the influence on future tech integrations and user data strategies. Google's upcoming hardware releases may counterbalance these effects, maintaining a competitive edge in the mapping sector.
Did You Know?
- Immersive Street-Level "Look Around" Feature: The "Look Around" feature in Apple Maps provides a high-resolution, 3D street-level imagery tool similar to Google Maps' Street View. It enables users to explore cities through a virtual tour, offering a detailed and interactive view of streets, landmarks, and surroundings. This feature enhances the user experience by providing a more immersive way to navigate and explore locations.
- iOS 18 Update: iOS 18 is the forthcoming major software update for Apple's iPhone and other compatible devices. It is anticipated to encompass various enhancements and new features, including improvements to Apple Maps. These updates are aimed at refining user experience, introducing new functionalities, and potentially narrowing the gap with competitors such as Google Maps.
- Pixel 9 Phones and Pixel Watch 3: The Pixel 9 phones and Pixel Watch 3 are the upcoming hardware releases from Google, expected to feature advanced technologies and improved integration with Google's services, including their mapping services. This integration could enhance the functionality and user experience of Google Maps on these devices, potentially giving Google an advantage in the mapping app market.