It does look great but I have to agree with you on priorities. Try going to Paris with your iPhone and then search for "Hotel" around you. That is what I miss about the original Google Maps. You could easily find what you wanted (and North was hard locked in position.)
Not being able to find anything on Apple Maps and not being able to lock the map with North up both make me miss the original built-in Google Maps...
Here is a list of cities in the United States by Population and a notation if the city doesn't have 3D Flyover.
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. Chicago, IL
4. Houston, TX
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Phoenix, AZ
7. San Antonio, TX - No Flyover
8. San Diego, CA
9. Dallas, TX
10. San Jose, CA
11. Jacksonville, FL - No Flyover
12. Indianapolis, IN
13. Austin, TX
14. San Francisco, CA
15. Columbus, OH - No Flyover
16. Ft. Worth, TX
17. Charlotte, NC - No Flyover
18. Detroit, MI - No Flyover
19. El Paso, TX - No Flyover
20. Memphis, TN
21. Boston, MA
22. Seattle, WA
23. Denver, CO
24. Baltimore, MD
25. Washington, D.C. - No Flyover
26. Nashville, TN
27. Louisville, KY - No Flyover
28. Milwaukee, WI - No Flyover
29. Portland, OR
30. Oklahoma City, OK - No Flyover
31. Las Vegas, NV
32. Albuquerque, NM - No Flyover
33. Tucson, AZ - No Flyover
34. Fresno, CA - No Flyover
35. Sacramento, CA
36. Long Beach, CA
37. Kansas City, MO - No Flyover
38. Mesa, AZ - No Flyover
39. Virginia Beach, VA - No Flyover
40. Atlanta, GA
41. Colorado Springs, CO - No Flyover
42. Raleigh, NC - No Flyover
43. Omaha, NE - No Flyover
44. Miami, FL
45. Tulsa, OK - No Flyover
46. Oakland, CA
47. Cleveland, OH
48. Minneapolis, MN - No Flyover
49. Wichita, KS - No Flyover
50. Arlington, TX
51. New Orleans, LA
52. Bakersfield, CA - No Flyover
53. Tampa, FL - No Flyover
54. Anaheim, CA - No Flyover
55. Honolulu, HI
56. Aurora, CO
57. Santa Ana, CA - No Flyover
58. St. Louis, MO - No Flyover
59. Riverside, CA - No Flyover
60. Corpus Christi, TX - No Flyover
Admittedly, this is quick and dirty... but 3D Flyover has lots of possibilities... Interactive tour planning; movie scenes; the only way to visit Greece, nowadays...
Edit: Sorry about the video, Youtube is acting crazy on me... likely, they are trying to insert a Samsung commercial...
I am uploading to Vimeo & will repost!
Absolutely gorgeous! What a way for cities to promote tourism!
I admit flyover looks nice. I don't use it because gmaps works better for me, and because I need streetview (I usually need to see buildings and streets because of my work, and streetview saves me from going to the real site until really needed, which is really helpful). Also, the number of supported cities in flyover is a joke.
Flyover looks nice, but it's not a work tool, just candy.
I have been playing around with Apple Maps 3D Flyover in Paris on my iPad 4. I also have Google Maps on my iPad 4 for the occasional time I need Street View.
Just for fun I thought to make a video comparing the two.
I selected the Westin Hotel on the Rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries Gardens...
I stayed there years ago, and was reliving the trip.
Anyway, I discovered (and remembered) some things good and bad about both Apple 3D Flyover and Google Street View:
First the good:
Google Street View has better images (when available)
Apple 3D Flyover is more flexible (when available)
Then the bad:
Google Street View is slow and tedious to navigate more than a few feet -- tap, tap tap... (and Google Earth is not refined enough to be useful) -- Apple 3D Flyover is fast and easy to navigate -- just press and drag.
Google Street View is limited to Street Level upwards
Apple 3D Flyover is limited to overhead downwards
Google Maps is written for the iPhone -- Apple Maps exploits the iPhone and iPad displays
There are places where Google Street View cannot go (no drivable streets) -- while Apple 3D Flyover can go anywhere
[VIDEO]
It starts with Apple 3D Flyover showing the corner of the hotel -- then I drag the view to show the gardens (and back).
Then, with Google Street View, it shows the same corner -- but when I try to navigate to the gardens, I can see them, but cannot enter as there is no drivable street.
Finally, Apple 3D Flyover can display inner courtyards of buildings -- which are not accessible to Google Street View.
This last point is quite important for some of the older cities -- many (most) private and public buildings have an exterior that covers the entire lot -- with interior courtyards that are only accessible by foot (or private roads). You only need to pan a satellite view of any non-US city to see the many "little boxes" with all the goodies inside.
In many places in the US they have "gated communities" with private roads that are not accessible to Google Street View.
So, I must challenge your: "Flyover looks nice, but it's not a work tool, just candy".
Flyover is not candy -- rather Flyover is a different tool that is unmatched for some needs!
Odd, that we have Paris... but not Washington, DC...
I want Moscow, Dubrovnik, Granada, Pisa, Lima, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca (that's a dirty), The Interlachen area, Nice, Heidelberg, Ronda...
Considering that a large section of Washington D.C. is designated as a no fly zone, they may not be able to capture the necessary data in the areas that would be most valuable; e.g. Lincoln Monument, National Mall, Smithsonian National Museum, United States Capitol, Washington Monument.
With maps now, I tend to search with Google, bag the exact address, or even co-ordinates, then bung them into Apple Maps for directions.
I find the Maps app much better than Googles. I only managed to get Google Maps to give me directions once, and I can't work out how I did it. The Apple app is clean, easy to use etc. It just has dreadful search capabilities.
I hope the search chap they hired from Amazon fixes that.
Interesting! I just centered my Maps on Paris then searched for Starbucks. I found nearly one dozen Starbucks in Paris, France.
Admittedly, this is quick and dirty... but 3D Flyover has lots of possibilities... Interactive tour planning; movie scenes; the only way to visit Greece, nowadays...
Edit: Sorry about the video, Youtube is acting crazy on me... likely, they are trying to insert a Samsung commercial...
I am uploading to Vimeo & will repost!
Absolutely gorgeous! What a way for cities to promote tourism!
Exactly!
If I were a tourist destination -- I would rush to be first in line to pay Apple to build 3D Flyovers... Then all the travel agents will fall all over one another...
Just think of creating special "geography" effects for movies -- without ever leaving at your desk, and with no need to contract and wait for results from a videographer.
Not at all, it was just an observation that it doesn't seem to handle things that have free space under them very well.
I think that is a fair observation as well as a reasonable limitation. Google Earth appears to have the same limitation which is almost certainly a result of limiting the oblique scanning angle and range.
If I were a tourist destination -- I would rush to be first in line to pay Apple to build 3D Flyovers... Then all the travel agents will fall all over one another...
Just think of creating special "geography" effects for movies -- without ever leaving at your desk, and with no need to contract and wait for results from a videographer.
What really makes me drool even more is the (presumed) work Apple is performing to improve Maps:
Yes! A while back, I contacted a filmmaker friend who lives there -- asking why no fly-over in Paris. He said:
"I think Lyon is the only city available in Apple's 3D maps right now. I guess Paris will be available one day but it is true it is very rare and very difficult to get a Paris flyover permit. I once shot a few minutes from an helicopter over Paris and it was very strict (exact fly path, special bi motor heli etc"
Yes! A while back, I contacted a filmmaker friend who lives there -- asking why no fly-over in Paris. He said:
"I think Lyon is the only city available in Apple's 3D maps right now. I guess Paris will be available one day but it is true it is very rare and very difficult to get a Paris flyover permit. I once shot a few minutes from an helicopter over Paris and it was very strict (exact fly path, special bi motor heli etc"
I think we can agree that the issue is likely the restriction though. I can understand how the United States government might be slightly more concerned, however. I do hope we see a 3D Flyover of Washington, D.C. eventually (sooner rather than later).
Yes, except for health emergency helicopters landing on hospitals. Others land at Issy-les-Moulineaux (south border of Paris) where Henry Farman had first take off and return flight. Of course for exceptional events like this, authorization can be obtained. In front of Notre-Dame you can see work in progress for 850th anniversary of the cathedral last april. Flights occurred maybe in march.
As for tourism incentive, Apple could provide flyovers of places for future events. Next "Tour de France" would be a perfect illustration with so many gorgeous places and landscapes to promote...
With maps now, I tend to search with Google, bag the exact address, or even co-ordinates, then bung them into Apple Maps for directions.
I find the Maps app much better than Googles. I only managed to get Google Maps to give me directions once, and I can't work out how I did it. The Apple app is clean, easy to use etc. It just has dreadful search capabilities.
I hope the search chap they hired from Amazon fixes that.
Hopefully! It's compulsory, they must be aware of that.
Please tell me you didn't enter "Starbucks Paris" and are confused that it brought back hits from Paris TX.
Last time I checked Paris in France is a little larger and more famous than Paris in Texas, so I assume that the app could also take that into account when I'm doing a search from France, with the map centered on Paris...you know, like all other map services do. I don't think that's too much to ask. And I just entered 'starbucks'.
Again, have you tried searching for googleplex? Good luck.
Yes! A while back, I contacted a filmmaker friend who lives there -- asking why no fly-over in Paris. He said:
"I think Lyon is the only city available in Apple's 3D maps right now. I guess Paris will be available one day but it is true it is very rare and very difficult to get a Paris flyover permit. I once shot a few minutes from an helicopter over Paris and it was very strict (exact fly path, special bi motor heli etc"
I always said, even here, that was the reason for the wait. These images seem to have been taken about six months ago.
For another experience, you should check out the palace at Versailles. 3D flyover allows you to go where you want to go and see what you want to see in amazing 3D detail.
Google Maps Street view leaves you at the gate about a football field away from the palace.
Google Earth allows you to go where you want to go -- but you see squished 3D views in rough detail -- unacceptable, at best.
Neither can compare with Apple Maps 3D Flyover with its amazing ability to explore an historic landmark...
...you had to be there -- and with 3D Flyover, it seemed like you were...
I forgot to check Versailles! Sure, flyover is great. I think that the quality of terrain 3D mapping made by google and the quality of their satellite images is very good. Checking the Himalaya and most remote places is a lot better in google maps still. They can't possibly use flyover for the whole world, can they? I still think it's too bad that Apple and Google couldn't settle to share some data. Maybe if Apple could use streetview.
The problem with flyover and streetview is that they remove some of the surprise.
I recently went to Morocco without searching how the place I was going would look, I bought a guide without pictures... and it was great.
Comments
It does look great but I have to agree with you on priorities. Try going to Paris with your iPhone and then search for "Hotel" around you. That is what I miss about the original Google Maps. You could easily find what you wanted (and North was hard locked in position.)
Not being able to find anything on Apple Maps and not being able to lock the map with North up both make me miss the original built-in Google Maps...
As a matter of fact, two months ago Apple had a fairly good start on 3D Flyover for major cities in the United States.
Here is a list of cities in the United States by Population and a notation if the city doesn't have 3D Flyover.
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. Chicago, IL
4. Houston, TX
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Phoenix, AZ
7. San Antonio, TX - No Flyover
8. San Diego, CA
9. Dallas, TX
10. San Jose, CA
11. Jacksonville, FL - No Flyover
12. Indianapolis, IN
13. Austin, TX
14. San Francisco, CA
15. Columbus, OH - No Flyover
16. Ft. Worth, TX
17. Charlotte, NC - No Flyover
18. Detroit, MI - No Flyover
19. El Paso, TX - No Flyover
20. Memphis, TN
21. Boston, MA
22. Seattle, WA
23. Denver, CO
24. Baltimore, MD
25. Washington, D.C. - No Flyover
26. Nashville, TN
27. Louisville, KY - No Flyover
28. Milwaukee, WI - No Flyover
29. Portland, OR
30. Oklahoma City, OK - No Flyover
31. Las Vegas, NV
32. Albuquerque, NM - No Flyover
33. Tucson, AZ - No Flyover
34. Fresno, CA - No Flyover
35. Sacramento, CA
36. Long Beach, CA
37. Kansas City, MO - No Flyover
38. Mesa, AZ - No Flyover
39. Virginia Beach, VA - No Flyover
40. Atlanta, GA
41. Colorado Springs, CO - No Flyover
42. Raleigh, NC - No Flyover
43. Omaha, NE - No Flyover
44. Miami, FL
45. Tulsa, OK - No Flyover
46. Oakland, CA
47. Cleveland, OH
48. Minneapolis, MN - No Flyover
49. Wichita, KS - No Flyover
50. Arlington, TX
51. New Orleans, LA
52. Bakersfield, CA - No Flyover
53. Tampa, FL - No Flyover
54. Anaheim, CA - No Flyover
55. Honolulu, HI
56. Aurora, CO
57. Santa Ana, CA - No Flyover
58. St. Louis, MO - No Flyover
59. Riverside, CA - No Flyover
60. Corpus Christi, TX - No Flyover
Absolutely gorgeous! What a way for cities to promote tourism!
I have been playing around with Apple Maps 3D Flyover in Paris on my iPad 4. I also have Google Maps on my iPad 4 for the occasional time I need Street View.
Just for fun I thought to make a video comparing the two.
I selected the Westin Hotel on the Rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries Gardens...
I stayed there years ago, and was reliving the trip.
Anyway, I discovered (and remembered) some things good and bad about both Apple 3D Flyover and Google Street View:
First the good:
Then the bad:
[VIDEO]
This last point is quite important for some of the older cities -- many (most) private and public buildings have an exterior that covers the entire lot -- with interior courtyards that are only accessible by foot (or private roads). You only need to pan a satellite view of any non-US city to see the many "little boxes" with all the goodies inside.
In many places in the US they have "gated communities" with private roads that are not accessible to Google Street View.
So, I must challenge your: "Flyover looks nice, but it's not a work tool, just candy".
Flyover is not candy -- rather Flyover is a different tool that is unmatched for some needs!
All of Paris is a no-fly zone!
Interesting! I just centered my Maps on Paris then searched for Starbucks. I found nearly one dozen Starbucks in Paris, France.
Exactly!
If I were a tourist destination -- I would rush to be first in line to pay Apple to build 3D Flyovers... Then all the travel agents will fall all over one another...
Just think of creating special "geography" effects for movies -- without ever leaving at your desk, and with no need to contract and wait for results from a videographer.
I think that is a fair observation as well as a reasonable limitation. Google Earth appears to have the same limitation which is almost certainly a result of limiting the oblique scanning angle and range.
Seriously?
What really makes me drool even more is the (presumed) work Apple is performing to improve Maps:
Considering how economical Apple Maps is, I can only imagine the performance with 802.11ac and LTE Advanced.
Yes! A while back, I contacted a filmmaker friend who lives there -- asking why no fly-over in Paris. He said:
"I think Lyon is the only city available in Apple's 3D maps right now. I guess Paris will be available one day but it is true it is very rare and very difficult to get a Paris flyover permit. I once shot a few minutes from an helicopter over Paris and it was very strict (exact fly path, special bi motor heli etc"
I think we can agree that the issue is likely the restriction though. I can understand how the United States government might be slightly more concerned, however. I do hope we see a 3D Flyover of Washington, D.C. eventually (sooner rather than later).
Yes, except for health emergency helicopters landing on hospitals. Others land at Issy-les-Moulineaux (south border of Paris) where Henry Farman had first take off and return flight. Of course for exceptional events like this, authorization can be obtained. In front of Notre-Dame you can see work in progress for 850th anniversary of the cathedral last april. Flights occurred maybe in march.
As for tourism incentive, Apple could provide flyovers of places for future events. Next "Tour de France" would be a perfect illustration with so many gorgeous places and landscapes to promote...
Hopefully! It's compulsory, they must be aware of that.
Last time I checked Paris in France is a little larger and more famous than Paris in Texas, so I assume that the app could also take that into account when I'm doing a search from France, with the map centered on Paris...you know, like all other map services do. I don't think that's too much to ask. And I just entered 'starbucks'.
Again, have you tried searching for googleplex? Good luck.
I always said, even here, that was the reason for the wait. These images seem to have been taken about six months ago.
For another experience, you should check out the palace at Versailles. 3D flyover allows you to go where you want to go and see what you want to see in amazing 3D detail.
Google Maps Street view leaves you at the gate about a football field away from the palace.
Google Earth allows you to go where you want to go -- but you see squished 3D views in rough detail -- unacceptable, at best.
Neither can compare with Apple Maps 3D Flyover with its amazing ability to explore an historic landmark...
...you had to be there -- and with 3D Flyover, it seemed like you were...
I forgot to check Versailles! Sure, flyover is great. I think that the quality of terrain 3D mapping made by google and the quality of their satellite images is very good. Checking the Himalaya and most remote places is a lot better in google maps still. They can't possibly use flyover for the whole world, can they? I still think it's too bad that Apple and Google couldn't settle to share some data. Maybe if Apple could use streetview.
The problem with flyover and streetview is that they remove some of the surprise.
I recently went to Morocco without searching how the place I was going would look, I bought a guide without pictures... and it was great.