Apple has launched a fleet of camera-equipped cars in an attempt to improve its Apple Maps app, but you won’t see them on Canadian roads yet.
Apple announced this week that its vehicles will be collecting data in Ireland, England, and 13 U.S. states.
Apple Maps launched in 2012, replacing Google Maps as the default navigation app on iPhones and iPads. The app was panned by consumers, who complained that Apple Maps was riddled with bugs and gave bad directions. Apple CEO Tim Cook soon issued a rare apology for the misstep, saying Apple was “doing everything we can to make Maps better” and that the app would get better with time.
At its Worldwide Developer Conference this week, Apple said the upcoming version of its Maps app will feature real-time public transit information in major cities, including Toronto. That update is expected in the iOS 9 software update in September.
The rise of street mapping
With camera-equipped cars, Apple appears to be taking a page directly from Google’s playbook. In 2007, Google launched its Street View cars, equipped with GPS devices, cameras, and lasers. The imagery and data collected by those cars allows Google Maps users to virtually navigate through 3D reconstructions of streets around the world.
An employee drives a Google vehicle around Palo Alto, California. Internet giant Google’s Street View project has raised privacy concerns in several countries. (Paul Sakuma/The Associated Press)
Google’s Street View has led to some privacy concerns, though. Although Google only collects data from public roads and blurs individual faces and license plates, the all-seeing Street View cars have captured some unusual images. In 2014, a Montreal woman was awarded $2,250 in damages after a Google Street View camera captured a picture of her exposed breast, along with her home address and car license plate.
Like Google, Apple says it will blur faces and license plates before publishing any images captured by its vehicles.
