With Apple and Google competing for supremacy on so many different levels, it’s been known for a while that the fruit company wishes to eradicate the current stock Google Maps offering in place of its own version. Sources of 9to5mac have offered confirmation, while also going into some detail about the upcoming improvements.
It will be one of the clinching features of the upcoming iOS 6, according to the report on the matter, and having included Google’s iteration since the release of the first iPhone back in 2007, the new version will step things up quite a few notches – offering a stunning 3D mode. Having purchased Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9, the technologies and softwares of each company will be utilized to bring what’s billed to be a unique and captivating experience.
In the months leading up to iOS 5, Tim Cook’s company extended its agreement to continue Maps development on iOS, but with these latest revelations, it seems that deal is set to cease later this year, when the next iPhone – along with a possible scaled-down iPad – is revealed to the world.
Although the app will look and feel different throughout – right down to a new design for the icon – the centerpiece will be the 3D mode. By tapping a 3D button located in an easy-to-find location, users will be able to view streets and buildings and landscapes in a full-on Maps experience.
Having acquired C3 Technologies back in October, it’s been public record for a while that there would be 3D mapping in a future release. C3 is one of the most advanced providers of 3D mapping solutions, offering unmatched precision of 3D models which integrate seamlessly with 2D maps, satellite images, street-level photography as well as user-generated images
We fully expect iOS 6 to be revealed at WWDC ’12, although as already mentioned, it won’t be released until an accompanying device has been readied. Aside from the new Maps, there’s little else to report on at the moment, and although the home screen hasn’t really changed a great deal since the beginning of iOS, it isn’t thought Apple will go grandiose with Android-esque widgets this time around.
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