A 45-degree aerial view in Lyon, France. Image: Google Maps
In a move akin to rubbing salt in Apple’s wounds, Google has made some more improvements to its well-established mapping service.
The search giant on Friday announced it has updated high-resolution satellite images and added more 45-degree aerial views.
Dozens of cities get the update. Fifty-one urban areas now have the 45-degree aerial views, including 37 stateside locations and 14 international cities. (On the list is Pisa, Italy, where you can see a detailed view of the famous leaning tower.) High-resolution aerial shots have been added for 17 cities and 112 countries and regions. The update drastically improves high-res imagery of Latin America, Africa, and central and southeast Asia. For a full list of locations, see the post on Google’s Lat-Long blog.
The news comes with impeccable timing, on the same day Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the state of its iOS 6 Maps app. Many of Apple’s mobile users have complained about the new smartphone and tablet app, which ditched the Google Maps service in favor of an inferior Apple-built system. Apple’s Maps has no public transit directions and many people have found (often humorous) factual location errors in the service, amongst other faults.
Cook said in his apology statement that the Cupertino company is “extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.” In the meantime, Cook recommended Apple customers use third-party mapping apps and options, including Google Maps.
Google’s update, though relatively minor, only adds to Google Maps’ appeal. Reports also suggest that Google is currently developing an iOS Maps app that it plans to finish and release by the end of the year.
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