Mossberg: Google to announce Street View for Google Maps web app on Thursday

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
In a report on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg revealed that Google plans to announce Street View integration to the web version of Google Maps, effectively bringing support for the feature to iOS 6 devices.

Google Street View
Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters as seen in Google's Street View. | Source: Google


Following the introduction of the iOS 6 Maps app, a flood of complaints regarding "missing" features and incorrect data prompted many users to seek other mapping solutions, including calls for the return of a standalone Google Maps app.

One of the main gripes with iOS Maps is the lack of Street View, the Google Maps-exclusive that offers users 360-degree street-level photographic views of thousands of locations around the world.

While iPhone 5 or iDevice users who upgraded to Apple's newest mobile operating system still have access to the internet-based version of Google's mapping service, the web app does not yet support Street View. The internet search giant spent years, along with millions of dollars, in building the feature that was included in all versions of the Google Maps-powered iOS app up until the release of iOS 6.

According to Mossberg, however, Google is planning to add Street View to the mobile web version of Google Maps on Thursday, possibly as a stopgap while the company works on a true standalone iOS app.

Mossberg writes:
In fact, Google plans to announce on Thursday that it is adding its popular Street View feature, missing from Apple's maps, to the Web version of Google Maps accessed from the iPhone and iPad. I tested this addition, which displays 360-degree photographic street views of selected locations, and interior photographic views of certain businesses, using sample links Google sent me. These links worked well, allowing me to see the locations and pan around with a finger.
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said in September that no standalone mapping app has been submitted to Apple's App Store, and declined to elaborate on the company's future plans regarding and iOS version of Google Maps. Such an app is believed to be in the works, however, as Google wants to keep a strong presence on Apple's mobile platform, evidenced in the recent introduction of a standalone YouTube app.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Apple. Freeing the Internet from Flash, one market at a time.

  • Reply 2 of 21
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Google's desperate attempt to take back our private data one band-aide at a time.
  • Reply 3 of 21
    snovasnova Posts: 1,281member


    who will use this?

  • Reply 4 of 21
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    And transit already works that way. Guess I won%u2019t be giving up anything with iOS 6 after all!
  • Reply 5 of 21
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    [QUOTE]In fact, Google plans to announce on Thursday that it is adding its popular Street View feature, missing from Apple's maps, to the Web version of Google Maps accessed from the iPhone and iPad. I tested this addition, which displays 360-degree photographic street views of selected locations, and interior photographic views of certain businesses, [B]using sample links Google sent me[/B]. These links worked well, allowing me to see the locations and pan around with a finger.[/QUOTE]

    Can they be rolling out Street View on Thursday when they had to spoon-feed Mossberg "sample links" on Wednesday?
  • Reply 6 of 21
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member


    Can't be bothered with Google anymore. It never finds any local businesses (simple things like fast food restaurants, hair salons, etc). I always have to go the business website. Of all things, my parents address can't be found by Google, but Apple got it right (they live way out in the boonies in a private community). Guessing Google wasn't allowed in to map inside the gates?


     


    Street view is useless to me, other than a curiosity. I've never used it on my phone or pad, and the new turn by turn and vector maps are a huge improvement. I couldn't stand how the street names on the native google maps app were always to small. Zoom in, and they immediately shrink. Beyond frustrating.

  • Reply 7 of 21
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    YES!
    We can all go back to living our lives again.
  • Reply 8 of 21
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    snova wrote: »
    who will use this?

    Everybody and anybody because....
    Apple Maps =
    Epic Fail
  • Reply 9 of 21
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    freerange wrote: »
    Google's desperate attempt to take back our private data one band-aide at a time.

    What do people that help bands have anything to do with it?
  • Reply 10 of 21
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member


    And Google Maps web app will *still* suck hard on mobile. 


     


    Hell, that web app makes iOS Maps look awesome. 

  • Reply 11 of 21
    stourquestourque Posts: 364member
    isheldon wrote: »
    Everybody and anybody because....
    Apple Maps =
    Epic Fail

    Streetview = yawn
  • Reply 12 of 21
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    iSheldon

    =Epic Fail


     


    No, that's not an error in quoting.

  • Reply 13 of 21
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    snova wrote: »
    who will use this?
    Lots of people. I've used it dozens of times since i got my first iPhone to verify suspicious addresses (thank you very much Google for your own flawed data that makes me need to do this), or to quickly locate an address once I'm in an area visually. Often, businesses, and residential buildings are not clearly marked. If you know what the general area looks like, or what the building you are looking for looks like, you can quickly locate it and avoid guessing the wrong one, especially in congested areas where parking is at a premium. Often it can familiarize you with an area and help you better navigate once you are there, for things like one-way streets, alleys, confusing intersections, and the parking situation.

    This is a valuable service that should not simply be dismissed because it's Google. Honestly if it were nothing more than a curiosity, do you really think Google would invest the resources necessary to visually map the entire world at street level? People are not that curious, they actually have a need for this.

    It was a convenience that it was incorporated into Maps, but I don't use it often enough that a separate app will be no big deal.
  • Reply 14 of 21
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member


    The real upside to this IMO is that the people who have been complaining they lost Street View in iOS 6 can now have it as a web app in Safari, and that means it's just that much less likely that Apple will cave and revert back to Google Maps.

  • Reply 15 of 21
    dbhdbh Posts: 41member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by iSheldon View Post





    Everybody and anybody because....

    Apple Maps =

    Epic Fail


     


    sorry to burst your bubble.. but i am not part of your "everybody and anybody"... so yeah..


    your post = Epic Fail...

  • Reply 16 of 21
    Apple Maps is pretty good so far and will improve. No love lost to Google Maps!
  • Reply 17 of 21


    Options are always nice. 

  • Reply 18 of 21
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by iSheldon View Post





    Everybody and anybody because....

    Apple Maps =

    Epic Fail


     


    I won't, I use my iPhone for real work, so don't need this toy.

  • Reply 19 of 21
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    Almost never used Street View on iOS but I do like the high res aerial imagery in Google maps as opposed to Apple Maps which has remarkably inferior low res image data.

  • Reply 20 of 21
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member


    Big deal.


     


    Facebook is releasing X-Ray View in the next couple of weeks...


     


     


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