Apple has announced the opening of a new $25 million development office in India, which will be dedicated to improving Apple Maps.
Evidently not content with finally raising Apple Maps to the grand level of ‘usable,’ Apple has just announced the completion of a new $25 million office in Hyderabad, India. Its purpose: to develop and improve Apple Maps.
“This investment will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs,” says Apple.
“The talent here in the local area is incredible and we are looking forward to expanding our relationships and introducing more universities and partners to our platforms as we scale our operations,” adds Apple CEO Tim Cook.
It’s fair to say that Apple Maps didn’t get off to the best of starts. Launching back in 2012 with a whole heap of bugs and glitches, Apple CEO Tim Cook was forced to issue an apology and (even worse) a recommendation that his customers switch back to Google Maps.
We have to hand it to Apple though, it appears to have turned things around. It’s actually pretty decent these days, and has surpassed Google Maps for navigation queries on iOS – though being the default map app will tend to do that.
Related: iOS 10 release date
Still, the addition of such features as 3D views, Flyover, and Transit directions have helped restore its reputation with many.
It still lags some way behind Google Maps overall, though – which is evidently where this new India development office comes in.
Next, take a look at our iPhone SE review video:
What would you like to see next in Apple Maps?
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.