Apple has unveiled its latest mobile operating system, iOS6, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
The operating system, which runs on its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, will no longer include Google Maps software. Apple will instead run its own mapping app, which has a high-quality 3D mode, on the platform.
Google announced its own 3D mapping software last week on its competing mobile platform, Android. Both companies have used fleets of planes to capture the imagery, drawing concerns from some privacy campaigners.
Apple’s updated iOS software is being released in beta on Tuesday, and will be available for general consumers by the autumn, chief executive Tim Cook said.
It will be a free update for owners of either an iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS – as well as users of the latest iPad, the iPad 2 and fourth generation iPod touch.
Features of Apple’s Maps App:
Apple will finally have a new maps app to take on Google Maps. (More than 90% of iPhone owners use Google’s service.) It will include a “flyover” 3-D feature, turn-by-turn navigation service employing Siri, and a traffic service with incident reports.
- Apple’s new iOS Maps service features turn-by-turn navigation.
The new Maps also features Siri integration to deliver voice-enabled location-based information for drivers, turn-by-turn navigation to direct drivers to their location and a real-time traffic service that provides like incident reports using anonymous location data from iOS users to keep information up to date.
- Search location: Just type “coffee” in the search field or ask Siri.
Maps also shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, yellow, and red highlights.
- Switch between map view, satellite view, hybrid view or street view.
The most impressive-looking Maps feature debuted by Apple on Monday at WWDC was Flyover, which displays highly-detailed 3D models of famous cities around the world that can be accessed on the application.
- Apple’s maps in iOS will be getting photo-realistic 3D flyovers for major urban areas across the world.
The new version of Maps will be featured in iOS 6, the operating system that will power the next-generation iPhone and iPad.
