Maps in macOS Monterey: Interactive Globe, Detailed Terrain, 3D Landmarks, Updated Driving Features and More

[ThisBougieLife]

I’m glad Maps is improving but I really wish it would show and label hiking trails the way Google Maps does. That’s one reason I can’t switch entirely to Maps. Still, since I live in the Bay Area I know I’ll be able to use these features.

 

[entropys]

they go back to the current state you see in ios 14

iOS14! Around here I suspect it is iOS10!
It seems the Apple Map software engineers and design team do great work, but Apple seems genetically incapable of employing enough field staff to do the actual mapping with the result people don’t give anything to do with Maps any respect. Most of the world is multiple Map features behind, and it isn’t getting any better.

 

[KennyJr]

It's as if Apple is still working on the same proof of concept that it started a few years ago. Apple has been developing, then enhancing, then improving upon the same areas over and over again. It's time to transfer that concept to the real world - now. It would be great to see some of these new features in cities like mine in areas like the Mountain and Central time zones. For that matter, if you can believe it, just maybe those of us who don't live in that little pocket of California are getting just a little tired of seeing San Francisco, Cupertino, and other areas of interest that are exclusively in the region around Apple's headquarters.

 

[JippaLippa]

While still not nearly at the google maps level, to be fair Apple Maps is completely usable nowadays.
I made the switch a while ago.

 

[Tyfighter01]

I'll be interested to see the APIs and how much this globe could compete with Google Earth. Will it take kml files? Any support for plotting lines in 3D (i.e. giving objects an altitude component)? What about animations and tours?

 

[GamerGuy25_]

Looks cleaner than Google maps

 

[Apple_Robert]

It looks great and all, but what do maps of regions that Apple haven't finished surveying yet look like?

The line and dot below show what it looks like.
You are here ---------->. You need to be .<------------

 

[farkingdom]

And that is why everyone still stuck with Google Maps and Waze over at my country because Apple has always been focusing on flashy things like this in developed cities in the West instead of improving the overall usefulness of the map around the world.

The road on Apple Map in my city is still garbage and non-navigatable. If they would give us a map editor, I’d gladly edit the heck out of the messy roads here as it says I’m living in a green patch in middle of nowhere while Google Maps is pretty much accurate.

 

[Fancler]

One thing I like about Google is that they have actual outlines of the buildiings. So often the businesses and other places of interest can be identified by their pinned icon, for example, a location that is one shop within a complex of shops. Whereas Apple is just pinned icons without any building and most of the time not even correct. Some are pinned to the middle of the intersection.

Stupid me, a few months ago I was submitting all these edits to Apple Maps and correcting all the errors for my immediate location. After all that work, the changes were wiped. I guess they did a scrape of Yelp and all the busted businesses turned up again.

 

[andrew12]

Man, you have some crazy roads in the US.😲

Wait till you see (some of) the people 😜

 

[hagar]

Sure but does it still completely ignore your current location when searching for addresses, and displays 10 billion partial matches from China to Russia through planets within the observable universe? Because that's the reason I still refuse to give Apple Maps a chance.

I think that before spending any effort adding fancy new features, they should first fix the biggest issue: it cannot freaking resolve addresses and it can't find a damn thing, all of which Google Maps can do without fail every time, and could do it 12 years ago just as well.

Very true. Apple Maps Search is still horrible after all these years. If you don’t enter an exact address, Maps can’t help you. It rather sends you to the other side of the world. And searching with Siri is even worse. I don’t understand why Apple is incapable of adding Fuzzy Search to its products. And take account the current location in some more clever way so I don’t end up 2000km away when I want to go to a supermarket.

 

[baconsandwich]

Honestly, does anyone outside the US (yes, those people exist), actually use Apple Maps instead of Google Maps? I'd love to know. In Canada, Apple Maps is *****. Half the businesses I've tried to search for, don't even show up in the listing. Half the features don't work. What's the point? I mean, if you're just trying to please the US consumers, knock yourself out. The satellite and street views in Canada are at least 5 years old and the resolution is woeful.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

Maps looks beautiful. Not worth downloading the beta just to have it, but looking forward to eventually using it.

 

[hagar]

Honestly, does anyone outside the US (yes, those people exist), actually use Apple Maps instead of Google Maps? I'd love to know. In Canada, Apple Maps is *****. Half the businesses I've tried to search for, don't even show up in the listing. Half the features don't work. What's the point? I mean, if you're just trying to please the US consumers, knock yourself out. The satellite and street views in Canada are at least 5 years old and the resolution is woeful.

I do use it (Belgium) as driving directions are fine. It does miss some local roadworks though.

But the biggest issue after all these years is indeed businesses. Outdated places, businesses that never existed in the first place, wrong locations, missing listings, double listings, private homes listed as businesses, …The list of problems is endless.

when I report issues they get fixed within a few days. But it’s pointless: they need a lot of manpower to fix everything.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Map Team deserves BIG kudos this year!

Yes they absolutely killed it! Always knew Maps would live up to its promise - to ween us off GMaps. Just needed refinement better execution and a dedicated team to get it done.

this year though I’m happy, actually giddy that a woman with mobility challenge has the insight to direct maps evolution that benefits everyone in all modes of transportation. This is profound yet in sure Apple execution it’s seamless. Up to the AR for step by step direction. It’s silly. But I think it’s prepping for learning how AR glasses by Apple would work for this specific function.

 

[Thoir]

At least Apple Maps knows exactly where my house is. Google maps is displaying it in the middle of a roundabout on the wrong street.
Created a gmail account to request for a change and did so every month for the last 12 months. Still it is wrong. Dhl uses Google Maps and never been able to find my apartment.

I do wish that Apple is acknowledging that they sell their products in other places than Cupertino too. So much services or changes each year just for the US market. Like these things in maps.

Well I saw an Apple Maps Car driving in my town in the Netherlands. Although the roof sensors were covered.

 

[cmaier]

At least Apple Maps knows exactly where my house is. Google maps is displaying it in the middle of a roundabout on the wrong street.
Created a gmail account to request for a change and did so every month for the last 12 months. Still it is wrong. Dhl uses Google Maps and never been able to find my apartment.

I do wish that Apple is acknowledging that they sell their products in other places than Cupertino too. So much services or changes each year just for the US market. Like these things in maps.

Well I saw an Apple Maps Car driving in my town in the Netherlands. Although the roof sensors were covered.

World is a big place. They need to start somewhere, so why not in a place which has a tremendous market share of ios devices?

 

[Thoir]

World is a big place. They need to start somewhere, so why not in a place which has a tremendous market share of ios devices?

Understand. But Apple maps isn’t just new in iOS 15. New things are added and the previous announced features were never really expended.

for driving in my area it is great. And I always use Apple maps. And they do pick up issues way faster than Google.

searching places I keep going to google maps for more results.

 

[atomic.flip]

Of course this ONLY works on the M1 Macs... none of the others get these features. Which frankly is a total joke.

 

[d4cloo]

Maps must be great when you live in San Francisco. Not so much in the Netherlands, where it’s a terrible, terrible product compared to Google Maps. Nobody uses it here.

 

[cmaier]

Of course this ONLY works on the M1 Macs... none of the others get these features. Which frankly is a total joke.

Honestly, how often do people use maps on their macs instead of a mobile device?

 

[hagar]

Apple Maps does reflect how Apple treats its international customers: second or third class. We’re lucky to get the iOS 10 treatment.

You can say all you want about Google (and I do want to avoid them), but in terms of localisation they beat Apple. For instance, Google Assistant has integrations with local companies here in Belgium. They made sure they have a local presence, made deals with the important companies and promoted it. Apple would never do something like that over here.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Honestly, does anyone outside the US (yes, those people exist), actually use Apple Maps instead of Google Maps? I'd love to know. In Canada, Apple Maps is *****. Half the businesses I've tried to search for, don't even show up in the listing. Half the features don't work. What's the point? I mean, if you're just trying to please the US consumers, knock yourself out. The satellite and street views in Canada are at least 5 years old and the resolution is woeful.

I use it in France, works fine for directions, have travelled across most of Europe with it. I would rather Google knows as little as possible about me. I do now want a bacon sarnie though.

Does anyone know where I’ll find a complete list of the cities where the features exist so far?

 

[1madman1]

If you go to Satellite mode with 3D activated and zoom out, you get a globe in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur (I think this is also available in earlier versions).

I can confirm this works at least as far back as High Sierra on my ancient Mac Mini Server. Wouldn't be shocked if this worked all the way back to the beginning, it seems like a pretty rudimentary thing to implement.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Apple Maps does reflect how Apple treats its international customers: second or third class. We’re lucky to get the iOS 10 treatment.

You can say all you want about Google (and I do want to avoid them), but in terms of localisation they beat Apple. For instance, Google Assistant has integrations with local companies here in Belgium. They made sure they have a local presence, made deals with the important companies and promoted it. Apple would never do something like that over here.

^^^This. I also try to avoid Google as much as possible. But Google Maps is the only reliable service in Germany. Apple maps has way to less information.

Edit: It is a doom loop. Apple‘s market share here is somewhere between 10 or 20%, Germany runs on Android. It is understandable that Apple thinks, hey, we invest in markets where we are stronger. Alas, that won‘t help to increase market share...

Edit no. 2: Tim Cook has hailed EU data protection, recently. Maybe Apple could start an EU marketing initiative. First step would be to compete with Google Maps. Second one, to compete with Spotify. (This is a dream, they won‘t do.)