Apple Maps Vehicles Begin Surveying Connecticut, Imagery Could Aid Apple's Autonomous Driving Efforts

[Chupa Chupa]

They haven't gotten to all 50 states and more than 5 countries? That seems very slow progress, to me.

Article says 30 states since 2015. And that is just the known ones. Apple doesn't regularly publish where it's mapping. Seems decent pace to me. It's a big country and lots of roads, not all of which are super fast, either because they are congested or two lane country roads with a tractor in front of you and no way to legally pass.

 

[TimWillz]

I really hope we see some of this in WWDC, Apple Maps is catching up quick but any more big announcements are very welcome.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Quite the utopian vision, and I admit that it sounds pretty amazing. However, we'll see how well this integrates over the next 100 years or so as one of the biggest challenges in the U.S. at least, as many states have fallen behind with serious road, bridge and highway infrastructure repairs and updates that are needed. Not to mention taxes are already high and public works funding is low. Would imagine that a fully autonomous system of the future will only work as well as local roadside conditions allow. I can see this evolving in some major cities perhaps, but not everywhere. So while it's certainly future-thinking, I don't think it will be a 100% reality for a very long time, if ever.

100 years!

You won't be able to buy a car with a wheel in 20.

 

[jimthing]

I saw an Apple Maps vehicle on Baker Street in London last week:

So maybe they're street scanning the whole planet, lol!

 

[xalea]

Welcome to Google Maps 10 years ago, Apple. Amazing.

 

[gnasher729]

About this article: I don't think that mapping roads and self-driving cars are related, and here is why:

GPS is not accurate. It's only accurate within about 5 meters, and in a city with tall buildings it's much less accurate. You can't rely on GPS with enough precision for driving. Mapping streets may be a little bit more precise because the cars doing the mapping will have a much more expensive GPS system on board, but the mapping is still not absolutely precise, and it will be outdated, sometimes very quickly, sometimes temporarily.

So GPS and mapping cannot be used to control a self driving car. GPS can be used by a self driving car just as it is used by a driver; to tell you the direction to your destination, and to suggest which roads to use. And I mean "suggest", because a self driving car will run into the same problems as a driver, with GPS suggesting a road that is too narrow, that ends up in a lake, or that suddenly is a one way road. And a self driving car has to handle that just as well as a human driver.

So a self driving car might be told by its GPS "there is a junction 240 metres away, and you should turn left at that junction". There is no guarantee that the junction is there, and that you can turn left at the junction; the self driving car must be able to handle what is on the way. It must observe it's surroundings, see the road layout and road conditions, see fixed obstacles, see other cars and pedestrians, and take them into account. It has some advantages compared to a human driver: It has sensors in all directions (or at least it should), it doesn't get tired, and it may be able to communicate with other self driving cars and coordinate actions.

Summary: Better mapping cannot be a precondition for self-driving cars, and it wouldn't really help much. A self-driving car must be a able to drive safely without any maps.

(I think what would make sense would be mapping cities with bad GPS and collect recognisable landmarks, so a self driving car could match these landmarks and know exactly where it is).

 

[Rychiar]

I just got a new Honda Civic and was so excited to have carplay and from day one all it does is crash the entire cars computer. I would def not trust an Apple self driving car software

 

[shareef777]

Besides some Millennials and corporations who stand to potentially make billions of dollars on a potential reshaping of the automotive industry, who else is really that interested in self-driving cars, anyway? Seems like Apple and many others are doing what they can to force this change to grab a slice of the pie, to reap financial benefits.

People that drive to work and/or for vacation!? I've got a family of 5 and airfare to the east coast would run me about $1500 round trip (and that doesn't include the cost of a rental at the destination) and take about 6 hours between getting to the airport, through security, boarding, and the actual flight. I can hop in our van and drive to the east coast for under $300 in gas (also round trip).

The only issue is that I don't like driving 10hours. In an autonomous vehicle it'd be like a flight except I can stop whenever I want to stretch out, I have more cabin/leg room, and obviously it's much cheaper.

 

[solipsism]

Hmm, well as it's humans that are building these autonomous cars, the very same who don't like driving as you described, and they are doing it for money and not safety or convenience, I don't buy you point number 3 for a second.
Your almost implying the human brain is actually incapable of performing all those calculations and handling those situations, and yet their is not ONE computer more powerful then the average human brain. Not one.

So forgive me if I'd rather trust a human stilll then a robot at present and for quite some time yet.

1) If the human brain is better, and cars up until recently had to have a human driver, then why do they have any automation at all? You really should look up cruise control—watch a YouTube video—and then look up adaptive cruise control. These are automated system that have been around for a long time.

2) You really think the human brain so superior that man can tap and release the brakes better than anti-lock braking systems. You think that humans could control the power going to all four wheels at once better than on-board systems to determine traction thousands of time a second? You think that computers are just as likely to be distracted because they are built by humans and, as you stated, "their is not ONE computer more powerful then the average human brain. Not one." Brilliant thinking¡


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People that drive to work and/or for vacation!? I've got a family of 5 and airfare to the east coast would run me about $1500 round trip (and that doesn't include the cost of a rental at the destination) and take about 6 hours between getting to the airport, through security, boarding, and the actual flight. I can hop in our van and drive to the east coast for under $300 in gas (also round trip).

The only issue is that I don't like driving 10hours. In an autonomous vehicle it'd be like a flight except I can stop whenever I want to stretch out, I have more cabin/leg room, and obviously it's much cheaper.

It'll be awhile before there will be a pilot-less option. Right, not all the systems require someone ready to take control in case of system, just like in a jet liner when the autopilot is engaged. Eventually the old people who have seen too many movies, are afraid of technology, and can't see the writing on the wall will die out so that progress can march forward, but first we'll still have the pilot having to pay attention to the road, and possibly even seeing legislation that requires vehicles to monitor the pilot's awareness and made aware if they look away or slouch over for too long.
[doublepost=1494169315][/doublepost]

I just got a new Honda Civic and was so excited to have carplay and from day one all it does is crash the entire cars computer. I would def not trust an Apple self driving car software

CarPlay is just a secondary UI pushed from iOS to iPhone. There's nothing special about it. It's up to the car company to make their system compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto so that when a certain kind of data stream is detected it switches the display, but it's still the car's system in play. Think of it like Picture-in-Picture, but Picture-over-Picture, as it likely takes up the entire display.

 

[truthertech]

Joe, you should amend the article where it states as a fact that Apple has shifted

"But those rumors quieted down . . . because Apple has shifted towards autonomous driving software, rather than an entire vehicle, at least for now. "

It's always been speculation as to what Apple's plans are regarding a vehicle. For example, some tech analysts have speculated that Apple never intended to produce a vehicle for sale, but rather has always intended to produce a self-driving vehicle as a service. In any regards the article should be corrected to read "it's been rumored/specualted/etc., that Apple has shifted to autonomous driving software" rather than reporting it as a fact.

 

[sirozha]

Apple Maps is a gigantic failure. I've waited for Apple to get their act together ever since they released Apple Maps. Apple Maps will be turning five on September 19 of 2017. Being an Apple aficionado and having a 7-figure investment in AAPL, I wanted Apple Maps to succeed badly. I've tried to use Apple Maps - first on my iOS devices and later with Apple Car Play multiple times during the past five years. One thing that never changed (at least in the state where I live) is that Apple Maps is not very good at accuracy in navigation. It took my family members to parking lots near the destination and instructed them to "hike down the hill to your destination," whereas there was a perfectly good parking lot next to the building where they navigated. The path that Apple Maps wanted them to take was through the woods on foot. Apple Maps wanted to take me to Mecca when I asked it to navigate me to a local JCC (Jewish Community Center), and I am not joking here. Lately, Apple Maps became aware of traffic and on a recent trip (while running on Car Play) it diverted me off the interstate due to standstill traffic, which really impressed me as this feature used to be exclusive to Google Maps and Waze. However, in doing so, Apple Maps wanted me to take a route across a bridge under repair with the "road closed" sign. This was at midnight, and had it not being for Waze running on another iPhone at the same time, I could have driven across a closed bridge in the middle of the night.

This last episode was a stimulus for me to see what Android Auto has to offer. I purchased a cheap Android phone at Best Buy (Moto 4G Play), installed Android Auto, updated Google Play Services, and updated the Android OS. I had never used Android before, so it took me a few hours to figure out how to do this. Once I plugged this phone in my vehicle (which supports both Android Auto and Apple Car Play), I was blown away by Android Auto. Really, the only big difference between Android Auto and Car Play is the availability of Google Maps on Android Auto and its lack on Car Play. Everything else is pretty similar between the two platforms, with minor differences along the way that are not worth mentioning here. The power of Google Maps on the car display cannot be overstated. The experience blows your mind. You finally have a system "built-in" to your vehicle that provides a cohesive navigational experience. Google Voice on Android Auto is phenomenal. It understands what I tell it 100% of the time, unlike Siri on Car Play, whose success rate is in the 60-70% range. Cohesiveness is something that is lacking in both factory-installed navigation in most vehicles as well as (unfortunately) with Car Play. I am not aware of any vehicle on the market right now that runs Google Maps (or Waze) natively on their car's head units other than Tesla. Google Maps (and Waze, which is soon to come to Android Auto) are exactly that distinguishing factor that makes Android Auto to be the killer feature in the car navigation and infotainment experience, whereas Car Play is just as lame as the factory software provided by the car manufacturer due to Apple Maps being so inaccurate in navigation.

That Moto 4G Play now permanently lives in my vehicle and I am about to buy another Moto 4G Play for my wife's vehicle. I've waited for almost FIVE years for Apple to get their act together, and now I have an amazing system in my vehicle, which provides accurate navigation, keeps all my contacts, can navigate to calendar events, and can make and receive calls, all of which is driven by a $150 phone, and this is all thanks to Android Auto. Because of this, I've now been introduced to Android, which I never thought I would ever subject myself to. I am not yet abandoning iOS, and my personal phones are iPhones, I have iPads, Apple watches, Macs, Apple TV, etc. in my household, but I now have a foot in Android thanks to the ineptness of Apple and especially the neglect demonstrated by the Apple's leadership with Tim Cook at the helm.

If a person like me had to reach out to Android to solve my problem, I am afraid people with less affinity to Apple have been doing this for sometime now. I'm happy with my newly found and Android Auto inspired driving experience, which is delightful to say the least. However, I'm starting to seriously worry about my AAPL portfolio. Apple Car Play is just one area where Apple seems to have abandoned its customers. There are multiple other areas in which I have been waiting for a solution from Apple for years now, with the solution not forthcoming. Guess where I am going to turn to when my patience runs out? My patience is about to run out. I always despised Google, but I'm afraid Google has come through for me here with no hope from Apple. What does Apple have to change to have me toss my Android phone from my vehicles? This is so simple. Bring Google Maps and Waze to Car Play. And stop investing into the failure called Apple Maps. After five years of trying, it's time to discontinue this disaster.

Apple should have bought Waze when it was for sale. Not buying Waze is one of the biggest mistakes that Tim Cook made as a CEO.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Joe, you should amend the article where it states as a fact that Apple has shifted

"But those rumors quieted down . . . because Apple has shifted towards autonomous driving software, rather than an entire vehicle, at least for now. "

It's always been speculation as to what Apple's plans are regarding a vehicle. For example, some tech analysts have speculated that Apple never intended to produce a vehicle for sale, but rather has always intended to produce a self-driving vehicle as a service. In any regards the article should be corrected to read "it's been rumored/specualted/etc., that Apple has shifted to autonomous driving software" rather than reporting it as a fact.

I pointed this out already, here and every other time it comes up. You will never embarrass MR into not reporting baseless speculations as if they are essentially facts. They ran articles about "the Apple Car" for months, supported by "evidence" such as noises emanating from buildings Apple was supposedly leasing, and these vans.

 

[sinsin07]

Apple Maps is a gigantic failure. I've waited for Apple to get their act together ever since they released Apple Maps. Apple Maps will be turning five on September 19 of 2017. Being an Apple aficionado and having a 7-figure investment in AAPL, I wanted Apple Maps to succeed badly. I've tried to use Apple Maps - first on my iOS devices and later with Apple Car Play multiple times during the past five years. One thing that never changed (at least in the state where I live) is that Apple Maps is not very good at accuracy in navigation. It took my family members to parking lots near the destination and instructed them "hike down the hill to your destination). It wanted to take me to Mecca when I asked it to navigate me to a local JCC (Jewish Community Center), and I am not joking here. Lately, Apple Maps became aware of traffic and on recent trip it (while running on Car Play), it diverted me off the interstate due to standstill traffic, which really impressed me as this feature used to be exclusive to Google Maps and Waze. However, in doing so, Apple Maps wanted me to take a route across a bridge under repair with the "road closed" sign. This was at midnight, and had it not being for Waze running on another iPhone at the same time, I could have driven across a closed bridge in the middle of the night.

This last episode was a stimulus for me to see what Android Auto has to offer. I purchased a cheap Android phone at Best Buy (Moto 4G Play), installed Android Auto, updated Google Play Services, and updated the Android OS. I had never used Android before, so it took me a few hours to figure out how to do this. Once I plugged this phone in my vehicle (which supports both Android Auto and Apple Car Play), I was blown away by Android Auto. Really, the only big difference between Android Auto and Car Play is the availability of Google Maps on Android Auto and its lack on Car Play. Everything else is pretty similar between the two platforms, with minor differences along the way that are not worth mentioning here. The power of Google Maps on the car display cannot be overstated. The experience blows your mind. You finally have a system "built-in" to your vehicle that provides a cohesive navigational experience. This is something that is lacking in both factory-installed navigation in most vehicles and in Apple Maps. I am not aware of any vehicle on the market right now that runs Google Maps (or Waze) natively on their car's head units other than Tesla. Google Maps (and Waze, which is soon to come to Android Auto) are that distinguishing factor that makes Android Auto to be the killer feature, whereas Car Play is just as lame as the factory software provided by the car manufacturer due to Apple Maps being so inaccurate in navigation.

That Moto 4G Play now permanently lives in my vehicle and I am about to buy another one for my wife. I've waited for almost FIVE years for Apple to get their act together, and now I have an amazing system in my vehicle, which provides accurate navigation, keeps all my contacts, can navigate to calendar events, and can make and receive calls, all of which is driven by a $150 phone. Because of this, I've now been introduced to Android, which I never thought I would do. I am not yet abandoning iOS as my personal phones are iPhones, I have iPads, Apple watches, Macs, Apple TV, etc. in my household, but I now have a foot in Android thanks to the ineptness of Apple and especially the neglect demonstrated by the Apple's leadership with Tim Cook at the helm. If a person like me had to reach out to Android to solve my problem, I am afraid people with less affinity to Apple are doing this on throughs now. I'm happy for my newly found Android Auto inspired driving experience, which is delightful. However, I'm starting to seriously worry about my AAPL portfolio. Apple Car Play is just one area where Apple seems to have abandoned its customers. There are multiple other areas in which I have been waiting for a solution from Apple for years now, and the solution is not forthcoming. Guess where I am going to turn to when my patience run out? My patience is about to run out.

Will wait for docudrama on Discovery.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

UnGoogled AppleMaps is the plan.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Apple Maps is a gigantic failure. I've waited for Apple to get their act together ever since they released Apple Maps. Apple Maps will be turning five on September 19 of 2017. Being an Apple aficionado and having a 7-figure investment in AAPL, I wanted Apple Maps to succeed badly. I've tried to use Apple Maps - first on my iOS devices and later with Apple Car Play multiple times during the past five years. One thing that never changed (at least in the state where I live) is that Apple Maps is not very good at accuracy in navigation. It took my family members to parking lots near the destination and instructed them to "hike down the hill to your destination," whereas there was a perfectly good parking lot next to the building where they navigated. The path that Apple Maps wanted them to take was through the woods on foot. Apple Maps wanted to take me to Mecca when I asked it to navigate me to a local JCC (Jewish Community Center), and I am not joking here. Lately, Apple Maps became aware of traffic and on a recent trip (while running on Car Play) it diverted me off the interstate due to standstill traffic, which really impressed me as this feature used to be exclusive to Google Maps and Waze. However, in doing so, Apple Maps wanted me to take a route across a bridge under repair with the "road closed" sign. This was at midnight, and had it not being for Waze running on another iPhone at the same time, I could have driven across a closed bridge in the middle of the night.]

I've been using CarPlay for navigation since December, and so far find it to be fine. It effectively guides me around traffic and for the most part correctly anticipates where I want to go. Surely a whole lot better than any OEM nav system I have seen. Both Apple and Google have to use the same public data for closures and traffic. Only Waze can generate its own through crowdsourcing (though maybe Google Maps poaches this information). Maybe this is a state-by-state thing, I don't know. All I know is Apple Maps in CarPlay is working well for me.

 

[garylapointe]

An Apple car run by Apple maps with dictation by Siri? No thank you. How about some updates to your computers? The Mac Mini hasn't been updated since October 2014. Let that sink in.

You do realize it's not likely the person driving the car isn't the lead MacMini engineer...?

 

[sirozha]

I've been using CarPlay for navigation since December, and so far find it to be fine. It effectively guides me around traffic and for the most part correctly anticipates where I want to go. Surely a whole lot better than any OEM nav system I have seen. Both Apple and Google have to use the same public data for closures and traffic. Only Waze can generate its own through crowdsourcing (though maybe Google Maps poaches this information). Maybe this is a state-by-state thing, I don't know. All I know is Apple Maps in CarPlay is working well for me.

I hear from folks in California that Apple Maps is good there. This is most likely a state by state thing. In my state and neighboring states, navigating by Apple Maps will get you lost more often than not. If you want to be on time when driving, the worst kept secret in my state is NEVER to use Apple Maps.

Google Maps definitely gets data from Waze. This is not a "maybe". This is a fact. By the way, Waze is currently in beta on Android Auto, and will eventually be officially released. Unfortunately, the beta was closed before I started using Android Auto. I've only used it for a week now.

Google Maps on the car head unit is an unbelievable experience. You can modify your route as you drive by tapping an alternate route on the car screen (as you would do on the smart phone with Google Maps). Besides this feature and much better accuracy, Google Map's lane guidance is a gift that keeps giving in a big city with highways often having 10 lanes in one direction, like the city where I live. Other features include being able to search for a gas station or a restaurant along the route as you drive, which I don't believe is possible with Apple Maps. When Google Maps gives you a list of gas stations (in your area or along the route), it also shows the gas price. When Google Maps on Android Auto presents a list of restaurants, it shows each restaurant's rating and allows you to call the restaurant directly from the car head unit.

I'm sad to say that Apple Maps is an inferior product compared to Google Maps both in accuracy and features. Saying this gives me no joy whatsoever. When Waze comes to Android Auto, one will have a choice of two best navigation systems to choose from on Android Auto and one inferior navigation system on Car Play. What will this mean? Nothing good for iOS as the platform as more and more new cars come out with Car Play and Android Auto.

In my opinion, it's time for Apple to allow Google Maps and Waze on Car Play and toss Apple Maps as a failed project.

 

[solipsism]

I hear from folks in California that Apple Maps is good there. This is most likely a state by state thing. In my state and neighboring states, navigating by Apple Maps will get you lost more often than not. If you want to be on time when driving, the worst kept secret in my state is NEVER to use Apple Maps.

Google Maps definitely gets data from Waze. This is not a "maybe". This is a fact. By the way, Waze is currently in beta on Android Auto, and will eventually be officially released. Unfortunately, the beta was closed before I started using Android Auto. I've only used it for a week now.

Google Maps on the car head unit is an unbelievable experience. You can modify your route as you drive by tapping an alternate route on the car screen (as you would do on the smart phone with Google Maps). Besides this feature and much better accuracy, Google Map's lane guidance is a gift that keeps giving in a big city with highways often having 10 lanes in one direction, like the city where I live. Other features include being able to search for a gas station or a restaurant along the route as you drive, which I don't believe is possible with Apple Maps. When Google Maps gives you a list of gas stations (in your area or along the route), it also shows the gas price. When Google Maps on Android Auto presents a list of restaurants, it shows each restaurant's rating and allows you to call the restaurant directly from the car head unit.

I'm sad to say that Apple Maps is an inferior product compared to Google Maps both in accuracy and the features. Saying this gives me no joy whatsoever. When Waze comes to Android Auto, one will have a choice of two best navigation systems to choose from on Android Auto and an inferior navigation system on Car Play. What will this mean? Nothing good for iOS as the platform.

Apple also gets data from Waze for Maps.

 

[Lepton]

Hey, do Long Island! NYC is of course well-mapped and in 3D Flyover, but L.I. not so much. Three million people here, US 4th largest demographic area..

Actually, I'm hoping these ground-level surveys allow Flyover to have a "Fly Down" feature where you can fly to ground level for a street view experience.

 

[sirozha]

Apple also gets data from Waze for Maps.

Perhaps. This is the first time I've heard of that.

This is where Google gets data for live traffic:

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/featur...kably-accurate-real-time-traffic-data-1665385

 

[Geewhizz]

Apple Maps has comprehensively been defeated by Google maps,
I took a comparison photo of the UK where i live and the more you zoom the worse it got.

It would take me an 30 mins to put this information in,
It's just absolutely unacceptable to have this level of incompetence in the map department for a company of this stature.

 

[bernuli]

This is such a waste. Why can't Apple just license Google maps. They keep trying to get better but Google is better right now.

An Apple car run by Apple maps with dictation by Siri? No thank you. How about some updates to your computers? The Mac Mini hasn't been updated since October 2014. Let that sink in.

 

[IGI2]

They haven't gotten to all 50 states and more than 5 countries? That seems very slow progress, to me.

Gently said

 

[mi7chy]

Unless Apple's implementation of self driving is dumb like Siri, street view isn't needed for self driving according to Tesla Elon Musk's recent video interview where he stated that within a year or two his cars will be able to self drive across any two opposite ends of a country with dynamic pathing.

Apple's street view is therefore just playing catch up to Google Maps street view and has zero to do with self driving since Apple has focused too much on 3D bird view which is useless unless drivers are in flying cars vs street view which is much more useful for drivers in ground based cars.

 

[ChrisA]

One more thing these vehicle COULD be doing (Maybe) is testing SENSORS. If I were an engineer working of self driving cars I would want tons and tons of real live sensor input on a car that was driven by a human. I'd also wan to capture the human inputs to the wheel and pedals. I'd call this "training data".

Then with this data I'd be frustrated that there is not enough computing power on Earth even to train a large deep learning network. But still this data are needed, that is sensors from the self driving car being driven by a human. This would be an ideal way to get this data "for free" because you are needing the map imagery anyway.