Apple Hints at Future Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions With Traffic for iPhone

[MacRumors]

As part of its Q&A regarding location tracking posted earlier today, Apple discloses that it is currently collecting "anonymous traffic data" from users' devices with the aim of providing an "improved traffic experience in the next couple of years".

What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?

Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.

That traffic experience would presumably be built on top of a turn-by-turn navigation system separate from the Maps application included in iOS and driven by Google.

In November 2009, an Apple job posting described an iPhone engineering position that would help take Maps "to the next level". The company followed that up last December, with a set of four job listings seeking iOS engineers with experience in developing navigation software, further fueling speculation that Apple is working on its own navigation system.

On a broader scale, Apple has increasingly looked to beef up its own mapping and geolocation services in an attempt to distance itself from Google, which has provided the core Maps application for the iPhone since the device's 2007 debut. Apple acquired mapping company Placebase in July 2009 and followed that up by purchasing small Canadian mapping firm Poly9 one year later. Apple also moved its location services for iOS in-house with the release of iOS 3.2 on the iPad in April 2010, separating itself from Google and Skyhook Wireless for such services.

Google has offered free turn-by-turn navigation on Android since late 2009 and had hinted at that time that it could bring the service to iOS, although the company later backpedaled from those claims.

Article Link: Apple Hints at Future Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions With Traffic for iPhone

[Dr McKay]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Hopefully with iOS 5, I can't wait to see if they'll revamp it.

[stevenshizzle]

I took this to mean traffic as in network traffic. iOS devices, and all new smartphones, utilize a lot of network traffic. It wouldn't surprise me if they were looking at more robust ways of utilizing traffic, compression, etc. I'm not sure how they would collect traffic data. I suppose if they see a cell signal sitting in the same place for 20 minutes, it would reflect a traffic jam. But then again, they could have parallel parked and went to go grab a Starbucks.

[ChazUK]

Garmin/Tomtom and co should be scared.

[ECUpirate44]

That would be great if it was part of iOS5. June can't come soon enough.

[Erwin-Br]

It will be only useful to me if it doesn't require a constant Internet connection (as is the case with Google's solution).

Roaming costs are ludicrous, and I need navigation most often when I'm abroad.

[FriarNurgle]

Navigon already has my money.

[ciTiger]

This would be nice! A very nice feature indeed... Now if only we could have the maps available offline...

[dethmaShine]

Good. Apple can make a better software than Google. No doubts; here we go.

[Northgrove]

So the deal about their location storage was what I expected then, other than my gov't requirement theory... An app/feature that hasn't come to fruition yet, hence also why Apple was sneaky about it (they are as we know very reluctant about discussing upcoming features and only if they really must). I have a feeling there's a similar explanation to why Google is storing user locations on the local device too.

[thelonelylimo]

Originally Posted by dethmaShine

Good. Apple can make a better software than Google. No doubts; here we go.

can't wait.

[tablo13]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8H7)

THANK YOU. The directions right now are confusing, because the big map is rendered north top, no matter what.

[illw!l]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)

I took it to mean network traffic as well

[TurnerMan]

Finally! I hate the current application on my iPhone - my Droid had Google maps and it was AWESOME.

[dagamer34]

Unless they've bought map data from Navateq or TeleAtlas, I strongly doubt Apple has enough time to map the entire world. If anything, because of the huge number of people using iPhones, it's perfect for creating an aggregate map of traffic data which no other company could do (besides Google i suppose).

And the deal could probably be like this: "You want highly accurate traffic data? You gotta send your anonymous location too." And it shouldn't be hidden in some legalese which no one ever freaking reads.

Although turn-by-turn directions is a no-no if they are using Google's map tiles. And I'd find it too visually jarring to switch to someone else just so they can play their own rules. Also, that'd piss off a LOT of navigation developers, and Apple rarely tends to do that.

[Full of Win]

I wonder what over profit generating uses Apple intends to use location data, collected with location services off, in the future ?

[ChazUK]

Originally Posted by dethmaShine

Good. Apple can make a better software than Google. No doubts; here we go.

If Apple top Google Maps on Android as it is today then hats off to them as Google Maps is fantastic. Im really looking forward to seeing what Apple can do.

[to1986]

LOL...really macrumors?! Are you guys that poor at comprehension?!?! I think a 5 year old could tell you they mean network traffic!

I sincerely hope this is just a ploy at generating news, otherwise someone seriously needs to return to primary school.

[World Citizen]

This could be very smart.

The accuracy of antenna-gps is not that good. So in a large city, you could be off 1 whole street. It just isn't accurate enough to position you where you are.

BUT if they make a database of signal strengths.. so they can calculate more precise where you are.... than it would be more useful.

The fact that there are no more than a hand full of different antennas in Apple iPhone line wil help this. Android could never do this, because the antenna of a samsung could work much better than from HTC.

Example:
10 people are logged on to the same antenna, but 5 of them have a weaker strength than the others... Now we know they are somewhere else. So if you record this for a long time.... you get a better map of antennas, signal strengths, and locations. It gets better by every call you make.
Its a lot of work, but a big selling point for not going cross platform.

[Stella]

Originally Posted by ChazUK

Garmin/Tomtom and co should be scared.

Na, these two have and will survive without iPhone.

These already have traffic capability anyway ( via subscription service).

[to1986]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless they've bought map data from Navateq or TeleAtlas, I strongly doubt Apple has enough time to map the entire world.

They bought poly9, which is a mapping firm. They will be using their mapping data. However this statement is clearly about network traffic and nothing else.

[silentnite]

Great news for iPhone owners. Bad news news for Garmin, I can see them filing bankruptcy soon.

[TheNewDude]

Apple is already behind when it comes to Maps with Google providing full turn-by-turn navigation on Andriod devices. They need to come up with something big and QUICK!

Hopefully whatever that's released in June will have it or at least some of it.

[diamond.g]

They could just do what Waze does, which I find works pretty well (once the map is accurate).

Maybe buy Waze...

[baryon]

Wow... wouldn't that be awesome!? And hopefully free! I need a GPS like once a year in my car, so I would not want to buy a separate device or an app. A cheap or free solution would rock!

And since you take your phone with you when you leave your car, you don't have to worry about anyone breaking into your car to steal your GPS...