They are mapping the whole of the UK and not just a few cities? UK being England, Scotland, Wales and NI. Apple maps have been a disaster so why they are bothering I really don't know. Google have a huge lead on Apple in this sector of mobile maps.
And that's an excellent reason to let them keep that lead. Not.
Look, Google is doing it longer, but Google has its embarrassing moments just like Apple. And any lead is temporary, because maps change. Todays maps will be useless in five years time. I used Google's streetview to look at the location of a restaurant that I might want to visit, and it had a different name on the windows, plus the front door locked up. Turns up the restaurant opened under a new name a few months ago. Google has to do the same thing as Apple, continuously update their maps.
Is it me or the UK has suddenly become the second priority for Apple instead of Canada?
Check the population and the size of the countries. In the UK, they can improve maps for more people with less driving.
You do realise that google do not sell your identity to the highest bidder right? You also realise that the data they do sell is anonymised?
Absolutely; they don't sell to the highest bidder. Instead they rent out their services to anyone, in order to maximise the monetization of my data. As far as the anonymisation goes, how come the advertisers put ads on _my_ computer if it is all anonymous? I don't care if the advertiser knows my name; they know how to reach me, and that's enough. The advertisers are not told "these 100,000 people looked at a website related to your product", but "let use put an advert on the websites of these 100,000 people who looked at a website related to your product".
A lot of people may now think Apple abandoned the self driving car but mapping streets with cameras give a very accurate picture of where a self driving whatever has to operate. It's not just about sensors or near field radar.
I'd say this whole mapping thing is one step in the direction of a upcoming self driving car business in the future. Electric cars are not that complex as some people think. Just Get rid of the combustion engine already.
While maps are useful for a self driving car, a self driving car can never rely on maps, because roads change, making maps wrong. A self driving car must be able to see the road, other cars, and traffic signs, and be able to drive safely without any map data.
On the other hand, maps are obviously useful to find the best way. Huge numbers of videos taken could be used to test and optimise driving algorithms, you don't need self driving cars on the road for that. Noticeable items on the video could be used to improve GPS accuracy. I would think that Apple is doing this with the immediate idea of improving maps for everyone, and helping with a self driving car is somewhere back in their mind.