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Transit Directions Icon for iOS Maps Briefly Shown in Apple WWDC Session Slides

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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While improvements such as transit directions had been part of the early rumors for iOS 8, a follow-up report from 9to5Mac on May 1 had indicated that the feature might not make the cut for initial versions of iOS 8 as Apple was pulling resources from the iOS team to work on what would be introduced as OS X Yosemite.

Indeed, Maps improvements went essentially unmentioned at the WWDC keynote last week, and sources speaking to TechCrunch outlined "internal politics" including the departure of several key members of the Maps team as one of the reasons for Maps improvements not being ready for a WWDC presentation or inclusion in the initial iOS 8 beta.

As highlighted by BGR, one developer spotted a slide in an Apple WWDC session video showing an iPad version of the Maps app with a "bus" icon in the center of the bottom toolbar. While it is unsurprising that Apple is indeed working on transit directions for Maps given previous rumors and Apple's several corporate acquisitions in the area over the past year or two, the inclusion of a slide showing the feature suggests that discussion of the transit features may indeed have been a fairly late cut from the keynote presentation.

ios_8_maps_transit_icon.jpg
The screenshot, which can be seen above, shows an icon of a train or a bus at the bottom center of the screen, which presumably indicates transit directions. It comes from the session titled "Power, Performance and Diagnostics: What's new in GCD and XPC," and BGR was pointed to it by Jesper.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, Apple has moved quickly to address the errant inclusion of the screenshot showing a transit-enabled Maps app and has already pulled the session video and slides from the developer website.

Apple's scheduling plans for transit directions in Maps are still not entirely clear, as there is still plenty of time of the feature to be added during the beta testing period prior to public launch, which is expected around September. Alternatively, the feature could be held back for a later update such as an iOS 8.1 to give Apple more time to polish it.

Article Link: Transit Directions Icon for iOS Maps Briefly Shown in Apple WWDC Session Slides
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/09/transit-icon-ios-maps-wwdc/
Sky Blue

Sky Blue

Guest
Jan 8, 2005
6,856
11
I could see an Apple event in early 2015 for Map improvements, split screen iPad features, Photos for OS X etc.
 
ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,559
6,059
The fact Apple would go through the effort of removing the slide would suggest that transit directions aren't coming with iOS 8. I think I'm okay with waiting - at this point in my life, I don't depend on public transportation much. Maybe in a few years I'll switch jobs and be working in the city again, where I'd probably rely on the subway system on a regular basis again.
 
D

drewyboy

macrumors 65816
Jan 27, 2005
1,385
1,467
You people are taking this way too seriously. How many times have we heard "reports" or "inside knowledge" of Apple whether it's products or politics and have just flat out ended up wrong.

I understand this is macRUMORS, but a lot of you people act like the girl who killed herself because some fear monger was talking about how CERN could possible make black holes that would destroy the earth. A lot of you seem to be throwing yourself on your swords just on a rumor or a debate or mismanagement in Apple. If you've EVER been in a corporation, you know it can happen.

And PLEASE stop saying "This wouldn't have happened under Steve Jobs", because it sure did!
 
G

Gregintosh

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2008
1,914
533
Chicago
A company with $120 billion in cash (errr... $117 billion after buying Beats?) can't afford to hire some additional programmers so they have to pull and reassign people from one project to another and suffer delays for features that should have been all done "yesterday"?

I mean I get that it takes time to find good people but given the resources available, they should be able to grow the team just a bit so they can tackle more ground.

$1 billion toward additional programmers would let them probably double their staff with equal or higher talent and then they can roll things out much faster across many products/services.
 
A

AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,297
3,047
They need to polish it. They should keep gathering up data on transit direction and polish it. Apple is the premium company. Or at least notify people that the directions are beta and give people/governments to supply apple with correct and current information.
 
A

AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,297
3,047
drewyboy said:
You people are taking this way too seriously. How many times have we heard "reports" or "inside knowledge" of Apple whether it's products or politics and have just flat out ended up wrong.

I understand this is macRUMORS, but a lot of you people act like the girl who killed herself because some fear monger was talking about how CERN could possible make black holes that would destroy the earth. A lot of you seem to be throwing yourself on your swords just on a rumor or a debate or mismanagement in Apple. If you've EVER been in a corporation, you know it can happen.

And PLEASE stop saying "This wouldn't have happened under Steve Jobs", because it sure did!
Click to expand...

Politics at a big company is not a big stretch. You could argue that politics was at play because the head of the original Apple Maps team ended up getting let go. So I mean it's not a big shock there are politics.
 
C

commander.data

macrumors 65816
Nov 10, 2006
1,057
183
Sky Blue said:
I could see an Apple event in early 2015 for Map improvements, split screen iPad features, Photos for OS X etc.
Click to expand...
I think the ability to hide the mail compose window to a tab at the bottom to do other things and bring it back up may be Apple's take on multitasking going forward. They'll make it easier to have multiple apps running at the same time and quickly switch between them, but it won't be split-screen.
 
GenesisST

GenesisST

macrumors 68000
Jan 23, 2006
1,802
1,055
Where I live
Gregintosh said:
A company with $120 billion in cash (errr... $117 billion after buying Beats?) can't afford to hire some additional programmers so they have to pull and reassign people from one project to another and suffer delays for features that should have been all done "yesterday"?

I mean I get that it takes time to find good people but given the resources available, they should be able to grow the team just a bit so they can tackle more ground.

$1 billion toward additional programmers would let them probably double their staff with equal or higher talent and then they can roll things out much faster across many products/services.
Click to expand...

News flash: not every developer wants to work at Apple either. I know I would if I were in the SF area, but can't for personal reasons.
 
S

slicecom

macrumors 68020
Aug 29, 2003
2,065
98
Toronto, Canada
I hope they add it. I'm tired of Notification Centre telling me how long it would take me to drive to work or drive home when I DON'T OWN A CAR OR DRIVE!
 
KdParker

KdParker

macrumors 601
Oct 1, 2010
4,793
998
Everywhere
wolfshades said:
It's just too bad Apple split from Google on this product - Apple is using resources trying to re-invent something that is already done quite well with Google Maps.
Click to expand...

I think Apple split because while Google had all these features, the weren't updating the maps app on iOS. Effectively giving a competitive edge to Android map app.
 
J

jkichline

macrumors 6502
Aug 25, 2010
362
190
Because...

wolfshades said:
It's just too bad Apple split from Google on this product - Apple is using resources trying to re-invent something that is already done quite well with Google Maps.
Click to expand...

Because Google was not giving them access to core features like voice navigation and other parts of the API that they needed to compete with Android. This meant they had to go about things on their own merit. Personally, I love Apple Maps, but I don't ned transit directions, so there is that.
 
pgiguere1

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,167
1,200
Montreal, Canada
JohnMantooth said:
Google Maps has transit directions. Just use Google Maps.
Click to expand...

There are many things Apple Maps does better than Google Maps. If Apple Maps is faster at fixing the stuff it does worse than Google Maps than Google Maps is, Apple Maps could eventually be a better overall service. Let's not act like Apple Maps isn't serious competition. Even if it never gets better overall than Google Maps, it will still put pressure on Google to improve Google Maps, which itself is pretty great.
 
R

RealKrS

macrumors regular
Sep 27, 2007
113
425
wolfshades said:
It's just too bad Apple split from Google on this product - Apple is using resources trying to re-invent something that is already done quite well with Google Maps.
Click to expand...

If Apple didn't split from Google, we'd still be using the same crappy Google Maps we were using back then and Google would have never offered a new version of Google Maps for IOS users.

So glad they split.
 
0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
wolfshades said:
It's just too bad Apple split from Google on this product - Apple is using resources trying to re-invent something that is already done quite well with Google Maps.
Click to expand...

To me the big difference between the two (since both now work in my area) are Streetview and that 3D mode.
At no point, other than flying low over a city is 3D mode going to be useful to me. Streetview on the other hand has been useful on a few occasions already. That's exactly it; seems that Apple is trying to reinvent maps when it's not necessary. Unless you're a helicopter pilot.
 
rorschach

rorschach

macrumors 68020
Jul 27, 2003
2,272
1,856
It will come. They're just not rushing it out like they did with the first Maps back in 2012, which is for the better.
 
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