DNo one expected it so soon: this week is Apple Updated its Maps application for iPhone, iPad and Mac, and what used to work only in a few major cities now works almost everywhere. “Look around” is the name of the expansion of the card, which is represented by binoculars. If you tap on the symbol, you see a photographic view of the area just like in Google’s Street View.
The photos are better, however, mostly shot in bright sunlight – and they show almost all home fronts in Germany with no pixels. This puts Google’s Street View far behind. The service was introduced to major cities in 2010 and was not updated after privacy protests.
Faces and license plates are also hidden in Apple maps. The technology, called “image blurring,” works autonomously, and images are taken outside of peak times in city centers, for example, to limit the number of people photographed from the beginning. If you want to pixelate your home view later, you will need to contact Apple, for example via this e-mail address. However, the 3D representation of the asset appears as usual. Privacy advocates don’t mind Apple’s implementation. In Germany, the Bavarian State Data Protection Authority is responsible, it has an online information site placed.
Shots were taken with 360-degree cameras, you can walk the streets with a tap of your finger like in an augmented reality display and discover tons of details. This way you can get an idea of what it might look like there even before you travel to a foreign city. The shots were taken not only by camera cars, but also by photographers with camera backpacks in pedestrian areas. Where and when did Apple take photos in which areas you can find out here, Most of the footage is slightly out of date, as can be seen from the prices of petrol and diesel at the gas station, among other things.
After the first test drive through the new map material, the quality of the photos and the range of coverage is astonishing. Even in small villages, every street is shown. Apple cameras weren’t the only cul-de-sacs used by cars, and where the building ends, photography ends as well.
Freelance twitter maven. Infuriatingly humble coffee aficionado. Amateur gamer. Typical beer fan. Avid music scholar. Alcohol nerd.