Apple Maps gets 9 new Flyover locations, Siri adds international movie times
Apple on Friday pushed out an update to two first party services, bringing Flyover to nine new locales including Avignon, France, while expanding international movie showtime support for Siri.
The latest Maps Flyover additions, as spotted by MacRumors, include a number of large international cities in France and Sweden, but also bring visual data for a number of natural monuments in the U.S. like Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
Apple's updated Flyover coverage includes the following cities and monuments:
As for Siri, the voice-recognizing virtual assistant received additional backend support for movie times in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain. Users in these countries, as well as the U.S., Canada and the UK.
The latest Maps Flyover additions, as spotted by MacRumors, include a number of large international cities in France and Sweden, but also bring visual data for a number of natural monuments in the U.S. like Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
Apple's updated Flyover coverage includes the following cities and monuments:
- Avignon, France
- Biarritz, France
- Perpignan, France
- Visby, Sweden
- Dunedin, New Zealand
- Devil's Tower, Wyoming
- Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Meteor Crater, Arizona
- Royal Gorge, Arkansas
As for Siri, the voice-recognizing virtual assistant received additional backend support for movie times in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain. Users in these countries, as well as the U.S., Canada and the UK.
Comments
Not ANOTHER Apple maps mistake!
Wasn't there an actual automatic "flyover" view before that gave you a circular overall view of the city? I'm not seeing that anymore.
In that Devil's Tower screenshot where's the giant spaceship?
Not ANOTHER Apple maps mistake!
It's hiding behind the tower.
[LIST][*] http://moqfefeq.blogspot.com/2010/12/climbing-devils-tower.html
[/LIST]
It's hiding behind the tower.
Or the Romulans just engaged cloaking.
Wasn't there an actual automatic "flyover" view before that gave you a circular overall view of the city? I'm not seeing that anymore.
Still there here. I just typed in London into the search bar, and the 3D tour comes up at the bottom of the screen. It’s a cool feature.
Assuming the same rate the flyovers are being added, our distant descendants may be able enjoy the Earth fully mapped.
It’s heartening to see such boundless optimism.
There's a movie about Siri?
News to me.
Cloaking device is on, sheesh don't you know anything.
Now you got a good reason to move to Avignon France.
Correction: Royal Gorge is in Colorado. It's on the Arkansas River, but it's nearly 1,000 miles away from Arkansas.
Flyover has been rolling out pathetically slowly. I am amazed at how few locations have been done in all this time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Maps#Flyover
Although I like Flyover, the dismal coverage makes it kind of s vanity feature.
Flyover is a feature that I've never found a practical use for. Interest attempt to differentiate Apple Maps initially but I would guess it doesn't see a lot of use.
You are supposed to see what you are flying over when you go to look at it before Maps sends you to the wrong destination. You won't be lost until you know what you looking for is not there. Then, while you are lost, you can relive what it WOULD have been like if you had actually found it with Apple Maps. Then you can go back to Google Maps, after slapping your forehead/face palm. Maybe also, you will think, well, the flyover was good enough, I don't need to go to the real place - this is my alternative reality program, which is as good as the same things, almost, sort of. And why waste time and gas going to the actual Devil's Tower? Heck, you've seen the movie about it.
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SERIOUSLY, with Apple as far behind Google each day (and further and further behind), you think this company would stop wasting its resources on pretty flyovers and actually spend it on finding where you need to go? When they post these jobs for like people to handle the maps transit, why did they wait so long?
I have a great idea for Apple (or any other non Streetview enabled map company: Take satellite data and use your computers to generate artificial street views, like angled (without actually driving a car around) and have our own "cheap" street view. Microsoft is almost there with "Bird's Eye" view.
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--> OKAY, THREE YEARS AGO, when I was searching for the Washington State Department of Licensing, at the DOL office, Apple Maps pointed me to another two offices, one not the DOL, 40 MILES AWAY. Google was SPOT ON.
--> Just now, three years later, I did the same search. SAME RESULTS. However, I must credit Google with actually IMPROVING the search experience. Apple blows at maps, overall. Sometimes they are better than Google in precision/accuracy, but overall, Google is better. And I've personally lost faith with Apple.
Also, I just did a search to Costco with Apple Maps. It couldn't find Costco, but did find "Costco Tire Center". Close enough. Well, we have an awesome walking and biking (Interurban) trail that goes almost from our house to Costco that is adjacent to a busy and not safe highway. Apple Maps was unaware of the trail. In fact, it told me, of all possible routes, to walk the dangerous highway. Google knows where this trail is and it recommends it. Also, it gave me options for the fast and longer way for the trail, in case you want to really take the scenic route and avoid car traffic.
Seriously, some people at Apple have their freaking heads in the sand on some of their software issues (only hardware issue I have with apple is their flimsy Lightning cables).
You would think that a company like Apple would be culling all of the customer complaints online and running some metrics on a dashboard on areas of improvement. However, they continue, with precision, to not address things they should, like Maps. Honestly, I'm not upset with Apple, just greatly disappointed, when we have to resort to other means for our information. Thankfully, Google and others have their act together.
My semi-rant is over. Have a nice day.
P
Google Maps is still a far better experience, at least on a MacBook using the Chrome browser. Just tried it out.
Apple has a pretty good trick there, but Google has them by a Cupertino mile.
The pin is labeled "Devils Tower" (town? park entrance?) Then there's another spot to the right labeled "Devils Tower" (park facility?) Meanwhile the geographic feature called "Devils Tower" has no label. BTW, as far as I can see, none of the highest mountains in the world are labeled or are even in the database either. In general important cultural sites and points of interest (not to mention lots of other more practical stuff) have been ignored. Apple doesn't seem to have gotten it's money's worth on the mapping companies they've purchased—or impractical aesthetic tastes have trumped actual practicality and usefulness in Apple Maps. Either way, it seems uncharacteristically lame to me.