Know your way around iOS 6 Maps
The discussion on iOS 6 maps took a wrong turn - get to know what's in it for you!
If you've missed all the noise surrounding iOS 6 maps you've probably been offline the last couple of days. News coverage, blog articles and fake twitter accounts tell the tale of misspelled names, misplaced cities and how Apple has lost it post Steve Jobs.
So what is this all about? And more importantly, how can you take advantage of the new Maps app and the new map APIs? We'll sort things out for you.
Background
One of the core things about your smartphone is that it's constantly with you. It gets to see the world thanks to you and in turn it shows you the way around and adds a lot of useful data on top of our normal reality. But it also sends a lot of data about you back to the servers and Google used to run these servers.
Back when the first iPhone launched Apple made a deal with Google to bundle a Google Maps app with iOS. Since then, Google has launched their own smartphone OS (Android) and Apple and Google are now fierce competitors. Hence Apple developed their own solution and with iOS 6 Google Maps has been pushed out the back door (though word is it might make a comeback through the AppStore).
Obviously Google has had a long head start. Google Maps launched back in 2005 and judging from the public outcry, Apple's new Maps app isn't up to par. Does this mean Apple will go back to using Google Maps? No. This isn't the first time Apple heads into new territory. Just think of the original iPhone. Apple had never made a phone before and this one lacked both 3G and MMS functionality. No, Apple will stick with their new Maps technology and improve upon it. Since the service is cloud based, updates will probably be frequent and happen without the user knowing about it.
New possibilities
So, with that out of the way, let's have a look at some of the new stuff you can use in your own apps.
Use Maps to show turn-by-turn directions You can use Maps to show directions. Let's say your app lists all the favorite cafés within your city. In iOS 6 there is an easy way to display turn-by-turn directions to these cafés within the app.
Provide directions The new Maps app does not, for example, provide transit directions. With the new maps API however, you could build an app that adds transit directions to the Maps app. So whenever a user uses the Maps app to ask for transit directions, that request would be passed on to your app. Third party "Routing apps" on the AppStore will even be suggested by the Maps app when a user performs a specific request.
3D view The new Maps app comes with a brand new 3D view. Try it out by spinning around Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower. 3D support is limited to specific cities and more will be added going forward.
Hope we were able to provide you with some directions when it comes to the new Maps technology in iOS 6. Be sure to check your old apps for map compatibility issues and let us know if you need help building stuff or if you have built cool features using the new API.