iPhoto for iOS links weather, location info to photos but doesn't use Google maps [u]

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014


Apple's new iPhoto app for iPhone and iPad (models with a camera) offers new location and weather information for photos, and uses a new style of maps different from Google's conventional mapping service.



Apple has supported geotagging the location of photos taken by iOS devices for some time, but the new interface appears to indicate that photo apps will now be able to associate current weather conditions with a photo when it is taken.



The new iPhoto app works like a souped up version of the bundled Photos app, which already allows users to locate where a photo was taken, placing it on the map using maps from Google.



iPhoto presents a fancier, animated interface with stronger editing features, including the ability to copy adjustments made to one image and paste them to another.



iPhoto now offers to turn off including photo location on images when saving or sharing, and also allows users to turn off location lookup, which it notes is "for photo info, maps and weather." When initially accessing photos, the app asks permission to use the location-based information tagged on them.











Also of note is the fact that Apple's new iPhoto doesn't use Google Maps to pinpoint the location of photos anymore. Instead, it uses a different style of map that isn't credited to anyone, suggesting that Apple is releasing the first of its own internal mapping services. The new maps also provide less zoom control and detail.











The company has acquired a number of mapping services, and has long been expected to move to its own mapping system to avoid its dependance upon Google, a move that appeared to intensify after Google began competing with Apple using Android software.



Last fall, Google said it would begin charging major partners who serve up more than 25,000 uses per day of the Google Maps application programming interface service, starting this year. Apple's scaled down maps may be intended to use a cheaper or alternative version of the maps Google serves.



John Gruber stated that Apple representatives told him that the company was still using Google data for mapping in the new iOS iPhoto app.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    In other news, The Estate of Gene Roddenberry and all Trekkers are the latest to sue Apple. Documents filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas reveal the dispute is over the use of the term Wireless Beaming on a portable communications device.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    walshbjwalshbj Posts: 864member
    So does this library live by itself on an iOS device or can the photos be merged into a Mac iPhoto library or what?



    Anyone know if it supports keyword tagging? I always thought there were great opportunities for tagging on a tablet.
  • Reply 3 of 12
    The quality of that map looks pretty bad
  • Reply 4 of 12
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by walshbj View Post


    So does this library live by itself on an iOS device or can the photos be merged into a Mac iPhoto library or what?



    Anyone know if it supports keyword tagging? I always thought there were great opportunities for tagging on a tablet.



    Great questions to ask @ WWDC 2012.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    mbarriaultmbarriault Posts: 237member
    Apple rolling their own mapping solution to reduce dependence on third-parties? Very awesome.



    Using highly compressed JPEGs instead of vector formats? Very very very not awesome.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by realitycheck69 View Post


    The quality of that map looks pretty bad



    Ditto.



    If that's their stab at mapping, I hope the underlying version number is 0.000003a, 'cause that doesn't look ready for prime-time.



    Good thing it doesn't need to be more than it is for its current application.



    UPDATE: I'll eat crow. Supposedly it is indeed Google Maps. Just a view I've never seen before that still doesn't look very good/any better than previous.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    relax... remember what appears to be poor JPG on regular monitor is actually not that bad on Retina Display because the artifacts would be so tiny and you won't see that much.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post


    UPDATE: I'll eat crow. Supposedly it is indeed Google Maps. Just a view I've never seen before that still doesn't look very good/any better than previous.



    There is no Google logo or copyright string so I strongly doubt this is Google maps. Am Apple rep did say it was Google maps, but people looking at this have found numerous examples where the map data (place names, land/water borders) are very different from Google's as well as Bing's and OpenStreetMap's data. Best guess is this is indeed an Apple map and the Apple rep was mistaken when he said it was Google.



    http://512pixels.net/iphoto-for-ios-...g-google-maps/

    http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/03/...roduct-coming/



    It does look pretty poor quality and the data is not up-to-date (I've read plenty of complaints of missing roads) so I doubt Apple is yet ready to replace Google in the main map app especially if they want to supply directions. But for a photo app this is less important.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    John Gruber stated that Apple representatives told him that the company was still using Google data for mapping in the new iOS iPhoto app.



    John Gruber has posted a further update:
    UPDATE 2: OK, what I?m hearing now is that Places still uses Google Maps, but the maps in Journals and slideshows are not using Google Maps, and are Apple?s own stuff.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Orlando View Post


    John Gruber has posted a further update:
    UPDATE 2: OK, what I?m hearing now is that Places still uses Google Maps, but the maps in Journals and slideshows are not using Google Maps, and are Apple?s own stuff.



    It's because no one really wants a shitty Google logo watermarked on their journal content.



    That and they may be testing the waters for a broader roll out. I was half expecting something to come out of that highly detailed mapping tech we heard about a few months back.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    gregalexandergregalexander Posts: 1,400member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by walshbj View Post


    So does this library live by itself on an iOS device or can the photos be merged into a Mac iPhoto library or what?.



    good question. I won't take many photos on the iPad, it needs to integrate with my computer iPhoto library.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    atomacatomac Posts: 13member
    This is somewhere in the Netherlands:



    http://gsp2.apple.com/tile?api=1&sty...180&y=2725&v=8
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