The new map in Apple Maps puts the company back in competition with the most popular mapping services.
In a new interview with CNN, two Apple Maps leaders sat down to talk about Apple’s new map and how it changed the game for the company in its competition against Google. David Dorn, a product lead for Apple Maps, and Meg Frost, a design lead for the service, both talked about how bringing 3D to Apple Maps was a key feature for its new map.
Frost talked about how the company saw an opportunity to bring 3D to the new map.
“Before the new map, we had a two-dimensional product and we really had a flat representation of the world. So we took the opportunity to create a realistic globe that accurately represents the sizes of countries in 3D,” said Frost.
She also talked about how the new map is more enjoyable and safer to use than the previous version.
“At a glance, drivers can understand a complex intersection more quickly than ever before,” said Frost. “And that detail helps with that split-second decision of which turn they’re going to make. So we want it to be both safer and visually satisfying to navigate.”
“We pick the amount of detail we find appropriate and create a 3D mesh of the building landmark itself. And we apply it to the base map,” explained Frost.
The new map for Apple Maps has been a huge improvement over the old one. The navigation has been more detailed and reliable and the extra features like 3D cities and biking directions in select locations are a nice touch.
