By
Chris Velazco
Google’s map data has been baked into the iOS Maps app since the days
of the first, thick, aluminum-backed iPhone, but that may no longer be
the case once iOS 6 hits the streets. Unnamed sources told 9to5Mac
that the Cupertino company would instead take that opportunity to
reveal their own Maps application, and those early reports paint a
pretty impressive picture.
Astute readers may recall that Apple has been on something of a
mapping company shopping spree these past few years — what began with
the purchase of Placebase in 2009, continued with Poly9 in 2010, and culminated with Apple snapping up C3 Technologies late last year.
As far as the app itself goes, the biggest addition to the mix is a
robust new 3D mode that is said to be a straight implementation of the
what C3 was already working on when they were acquired. Considering how
damned good some of their 3D maps
looked, this should be a real treat (assuming the report isn’t just hot
air). Also on deck is an updated street view mode also courtesy of C3,
and what would a major revamp be without a new app icon?
While C3′s (and possibly Poly9′s) tech seems to have been used in
building (or replacing) features, the purchase of white-label mapping
service Placebase presumably allowed Apple to build up their store of
map data to the point where they apparently feel comfortable giving
Google the boot. Apple has forecast their shift away from reliance on
Google in other ways, too — about two months ago, Apple switched from
using Google’s map data to data provided by the OpenStreetMaps project
(even if it did take them a while to own up to it).
While
Apple isn’t expected to fully unveil iOS 6 and all the changes
they’ve made until this year’s WWDC in June, if you’re champing at the
bit for nifty 3D mapping functionality on your iDevice, apps like UpNext
Maps may be able to hold you over until Apple delivers their next big
iOS update.