One area that Apple has been heavily investing in over the past few years has been in mapping technology and resources. We'd heard a few years ago that Apple was actively recruiting mapping specialists, and the public signs have been considerable since then.
In 2009 and 2010, Apple acquired two mapping companies Placebase and Poly 9. Apple has also been actively recruiting for their "Geo Team" to take their Maps app "to the next level". We've even found evidence that iOS 5 might already have some of the underpinnings to Apple's own mapping solution.
Last week, we saw the first patent application filed by Placebase founder's Jaron Waldman after he began work at Apple. This week, we have found another that's even more interesting.
Jaron Waldman is credited as the inventor for this Apple-assigned patent application which details the use of augmented reality in assisting with directions and finding points of interest.
This concept isn't new, of course, and we've seen a number of Augmented Reality applications appear in the App Store. The basic concept revolves around taking live video using your iPhone and then overlaying relevant information, such as points of interest.
Apple's implementation focuses on searching for a landmark and then getting directions. Here's an example of an existing iPhone app the tries to do similar:
Early Augmented Reality applications have been somewhat clumsy, but seem to show a lot of promise.
Apple files many patent applications each week which means that most never make it into products. Apple's mapping interest, however, has been particularly well known, and we feel there may be a lot coming from Apple in this realm in the near future.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e.
The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location.
Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017.
Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Augmented Reality, since the Rockefeller Center subway station is nowhere near the scene in that screenshot (Times Square). :-)
:cool:
The app is suggesting to walk one block east to Sixth Avenue and another five to eight blocks north to the Rockefeller Center subway station. With this app to guide your steps.
I'd prefer pre-loaded maps (not having to rely on google and your data connection) with features such as Augmented Reality & turn by turn Nav available as add-ons/in-app purchases and work a deal with garmin etc so you're not stepping on their toes (not all of them anyway).
If every hyperlinked address/location opens the native maps app by default, then it would make more sense & be more fluid and streamlined to continue my Nav or points of interest experience in that app instead of C&P to open up Navigon/Garmin or any other.
This is really the only feature of iOS IMO where the "keep it simple Apple experience" is more like a Windows headache.
I would love to see a native maps app with augmented reality features built into iOS, particularly if those maps aren't just limited to North America. Google maps are OK, but I don't feel they cover Japan all that well.
