Apple has been working to expand its updated Apple Maps app to additional countries, and has started testing the revamped design in Israel, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, according to Maps expert Justin O'Beirne. It will be the sixteenth expansion of the updated Apple Maps design since the update first rolled out in September 2018. Apple in 2020 completed its U.S. rollout, and has since expanded to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Singapore, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and more.

Apple will test the update for several weeks before the Maps app sees an official update for all users. Apple's "new" Maps design includes more detailed views of roads and foliage, faster and more accurate navigation, three-dimensional landmarks, better views of parks, buildings, airports, and shopping centers, and the Look Around feature.

Article Link: Updated Apple Maps Design Expanding to Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia

This sure must cost Apple a lot. I often wonder about the practicality of two tech titans both performing the same mega-expensive and resource intensive operation... It's not as though it's driving the cost down for anybody, although I do agree that I'd rather Apple manage my location than Google from a privacy consideration. I wonder if iPhones cost more as a result - it stands to reason they would.

Given the absolute dominance of Waze/Google in Israel at least there this may help Apple a lot, they've been lagging (Waze is home grown though, so... maybe not all that much help)

I think I’ve seen Look Around in one place, ever. And I use Apple Maps on a daily basis. Where Look Around exists, it’s so much nicer than Street View, but it just doesn’t have the coverage.

somnolentsurfer said:

I think I’ve seen Look Around in one place, ever. And I use Apple Maps on a daily basis. Where Look Around exists, it’s so much nicer than Street View, but it just doesn’t have the coverage.

Yeah, like a lot of other things with Apple Maps, forget about it if you’re not in a major US metro.

This is probably the best jump in quality I've seen in any of the improved countries...

Gonna use it in Israel in a few months glad it’s updated

Close second: Denmark! Indeed when??

seek3r said:

absolute dominance of Waze/Google in Israel

A funny thing: there could be an opening for Apple Maps here because even though Waze is an Israeli company, Waze is not 100% reliable in Israel! The last time I was in Haifa (and not near anything military or sensitive, always a consideration throughout Israel) Waze got us wound up and misdirected several times.

Mick-Mac said:

This sure must cost Apple a lot. I often wonder about the practicality of two tech titans both performing the same mega-expensive and resource intensive operation... It's not as though it's driving the cost down for anybody, although I do agree that I'd rather Apple manage my location than Google from a privacy consideration. I wonder if iPhones cost more as a result - it stands to reason they would.

Just like having competing OSs, search engines, cloud computing and so on. Hopefully it will drive competition that will drive invocation and prices.

KaliYoni said:

A funny thing: there could be an opening for Apple Maps here because even though Waze is an Israeli company, Waze is not 100% reliable in Israel! The last time I was in Haifa (and not near anything military or sensitive, always a consideration throughout Israel) Waze got us wound up and misdirected several times.

yeah I had a scary story I was in tel aviv driving to Jerusalem and it routed me somewhere dangerous and police had to help me, but I think Waze isn't as good as it used to be when google took over it

Mick-Mac said:

This sure must cost Apple a lot. I often wonder about the practicality of two tech titans both performing the same mega-expensive and resource intensive operation... It's not as though it's driving the cost down for anybody, although I do agree that I'd rather Apple manage my location than Google from a privacy consideration. I wonder if iPhones cost more as a result - it stands to reason they would.

I wonder if the advancement of self-driving cars could be a reason.
Or the cost to license Google Maps.

The cost to Apple to license and use the 5G modems for iPhones has made them buy Intels modem business. But as with this and maps the idea is to make a better overall product.

KaliYoni said:

A funny thing: there could be an opening for Apple Maps here because even though Waze is an Israeli company, Waze is not 100% reliable in Israel! The last time I was in Haifa (and not near anything military or sensitive, always a consideration throughout Israel) Waze got us wound up and misdirected several times.

Waze was an Israeli company: Waze (/weɪz/; Hebrew: ווייז), formerly FreeMap Israel, is a subsidiary of Google that provides satellite navigation software. It works on smartphones and other computers that have Global Positioning System (GPS) support.

[...]

The software was originally developed by Waze Mobile, a company in Israel founded by Israeli entrepreneurs Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine; two Israeli venture capital firms, Magma and Vertex Ventures Israel, and an early-stage American venture capital firm, Bluerun Ventures, provided funding. In June 2013, Waze Mobile was acquired by Google.

stinkdieren said:

Number one bike country: Netherlands! When!?

Apple said that us dutchies will get the new maps with iOS 16.

I noticed a few months back that Siri would not respond with the time in Palestinian cities only Israeli ones — e.g. “What time is it in Bethlehem?” would respond with “I’m sorry but I don’t know that one.” However “What time is it in Jerusalem?” would give you the time. However Apple has apparently updated Siri and it will now respond with the time in both East Jerusalem and Jerusalem.

Unsupported said:

Waze was an Israeli company:

And still is, to a great extent. Yes, it is owned by GOOGL but it's still separate in significant ways (ha ha) from Mountain View.

---------- Head of Design, Waze
In-office: Tel Aviv-Yafo Israel Chief Product Officer, Waze
In-office: Tel Aviv Israel

DinkThifferent said:

Apple said that us dutchies will get the new maps with iOS 16.

But if we see you when we’re driving, carefully slow down and…

Pass the dutchie on the left hand side

?‍♂️

Unsupported said:

The software was originally developed by Waze Mobile, a company in Israel founded by Israeli entrepreneurs Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine; two Israeli venture capital firms, Magma and Vertex Ventures Israel, and an early-stage American venture capital firm, Bluerun Ventures, provided funding. In June 2013, Waze Mobile was acquired by Google.

Its development is still primarily in Israel, it's headquartered in Israel, and it's a subsidiary, still technically a different company, that's owned by GOOG. I was actually in Israel when the purchase was announced, it was a big deal that was pretty widely celebrated, the purchase didnt make folks think it wasnt Israeli anymore

T Coma said:

But if we see you when we’re driving, carefully slow down and…

Pass the dutchie on the left hand side

?‍♂️

You win the thread, everyone else can go home

I keep encountering more and more places where Apple Maps is better than Google Maps, and their public transport coverage is much better in most of the cities around me. Love seeing this!

Diamond Dog said:

Yeah, like a lot of other things with Apple Maps, forget about it if you’re not in a major US metro.

Pretty extensively available in Japan.

I was just in Israel and Apple Maps sucked big time so this will be a much welcome update. I hope it also has Transit directions as it's completely missing. Google Maps is way ahead and Waze is the best for driving.

stinkdieren said:

Number one bike country: Netherlands! When!?

Apple already announced that Benelux and Switzerland would be released later this year.

Mick-Mac said:

This sure must cost Apple a lot. I often wonder about the practicality of two tech titans both performing the same mega-expensive and resource intensive operation... It's not as though it's driving the cost down for anybody, although I do agree that I'd rather Apple manage my location than Google from a privacy consideration. I wonder if iPhones cost more as a result - it stands to reason they would.

That's the big difference. They are two entirely different products. Google tracks your location and sells access to that data, Apple doesn't. Apple Maps is more like a traditional map you buy and use, where Google Maps it is the user that is the product that is bought and sold. Apple Maps is a fairly friendly product too, if you follow an Apple Maps link on Android (which doesn't have Apple Maps), Apple will seamlessly redirect the same location to open in Google Maps rather than have it go no where or open in a gimped web version.