Google Maps Easter egg shows Android mascot urinating on Apple logo [updated]
An unknown person has inserted an Easter egg image into Google Maps, depicting the mascot for the Android operating system urinating on an Apple logo, and is now gaining attention across the Internet.
The image was discovered by Team Android and can be found near the Soan River south of Rawalpindi in Pakistan when using the standard Map view. It's not clear whether it was inserted by someone within the Google Maps team or an outsider who used a crowdsourced mapping tool. In any case, Google has yet to remove the content.
The graphic is a sendoff of a common bootleg Calvin & Hobbes image, showing Calvin urinating on whatever the bootleg's creator's doesn't like.
The rivalry between Apple and Google fans can sometimes be intense, particularly when it comes to smartphones. On April 17, two men stabbed each other with beer bottles is an argument over whether iPhones or Android devices were superior.
More attention has been drawn to the Apple versus Google battle in recent days because of Friday's launch of the Apple Watch. The product is dominating technology news, and in some cases Google itself has shot back, for instance by announcing more features for its Android Wear platform. Wear-based smartwatches could potentially be iPhone-compatible in the near future.
Update: The image has been removed. In a later statement to the Washington Post, Google said that the the content was added by an outside person. The company offers a tool called Map Maker which lets third parties keep Maps current -- normally reviews by other users and a moderation team prevent offensive graphics from going live, but the company has sometimes been accused of being lax.
The image was discovered by Team Android and can be found near the Soan River south of Rawalpindi in Pakistan when using the standard Map view. It's not clear whether it was inserted by someone within the Google Maps team or an outsider who used a crowdsourced mapping tool. In any case, Google has yet to remove the content.
The graphic is a sendoff of a common bootleg Calvin & Hobbes image, showing Calvin urinating on whatever the bootleg's creator's doesn't like.
The rivalry between Apple and Google fans can sometimes be intense, particularly when it comes to smartphones. On April 17, two men stabbed each other with beer bottles is an argument over whether iPhones or Android devices were superior.
More attention has been drawn to the Apple versus Google battle in recent days because of Friday's launch of the Apple Watch. The product is dominating technology news, and in some cases Google itself has shot back, for instance by announcing more features for its Android Wear platform. Wear-based smartwatches could potentially be iPhone-compatible in the near future.
Update: The image has been removed. In a later statement to the Washington Post, Google said that the the content was added by an outside person. The company offers a tool called Map Maker which lets third parties keep Maps current -- normally reviews by other users and a moderation team prevent offensive graphics from going live, but the company has sometimes been accused of being lax.
Comments
Already gone...
In other breaking news... I yawned a few seconds ago.
Yikes if what you say is true - that anyone can hack into the code for google maps and insert code like this - doesn't that speak volumes for their security at Google?
Anyway, did you (AI author) actually check to see if it was still there before saying it was? It was supposedly removed several hours ago.
As Marvin mentioned earlier, the change was a user submitted one done with Google Map Maker, not a Google Maps Team member. The Guardian had a better article to reference odd unknown blog commenter linked by AI
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/24/google-maps-hides-an-image-of-the-android-robot-pissing-on-apple
This second user edit, since removed, is even funnier.
Even fandroids can't come up with original ideas...
The words Android and Original shouldn't be used in the same sentence!
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58364/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
"Allow you to use two finger scroll on your Mac trackpad in Google Maps.
Install ScrollMaps and you can use two-finger scroll in Google Maps™. Now works in the redesigned Google Maps™ too.
It's designed for Mac trackpads but because of the simple mechanism, it should work on all trackpads, or even a mouse with 2D scroll balls. To zoom in the maps, use Cmd-scroll. Pinch gestures does not work because Chrome does not expose it to extensions. Inertial Scrolling works on the Mac, and other operating systems that supports it natively. There are additional options in the options page, together with a small embedded map to try out different configurations. "
More like Apple hardware is too good for Google crap. Look at Chrome-they can't be bothered to optimize it for OS X, so you get three hours less battery life on average.
Good of you to leap in to defend Google.
I have tried Scrollmaps, it doesn't work. I wouldn't put Chrome on a Mac (again).
If it is the mouse why can every other mapping system work fine. How come the same mouse used to work with Google map, at some point this started, I have the same mouse ... I don't have the same version of Google maps ... you do the math.
Sorry why am I replying! Sheesh ...
I tried Chrome once and Little Snitch went haywire with all the attempts to talk back not to mention all the crap-ware that got installed without asking.