While Apple Maps has long been available on the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and the Mac, it hasn’t been available on the web. Google Maps has had that edge, but Apple seems to want to compete there now that it is on the web as a public beta.
By visiting the freshly launched site, you can now get directions – walking or driving – to locations around the world, swap between three map styles, learn more about business, and even explore guides that the team behind Apple Maps puts together.
Notably, this public beta launched as Apple expanded its guides for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the MLS Leagues Cup, which will stream on MLS Season Pass. While the core functions of Apple Maps are here, some of the more unique elements, like 3D buildings and flyovers, are not.
In an accompanying release, Apple noted that “Look Around” and other additional features will be rolled out in the coming months. During this Public Beta for Apple Maps on the web, it’s only available in English, and browser support varies by operating system. On a Mac or an iPad, it’s compatible with Safari and Chrome, while Windows PCs can use it in Edge or Chrome. Apple is expecting to add more languages and compatibility for the web experience in the coming months as well.
Much of the core Apple Maps experience is here, though, and many of the company's investments in its mapping offerings are visible. For instance, under a location, you can easily see hours, make a call, or even visit a site. With a restaurant, you can also easily order food from Maps, as it will give you the option to open in a new tab.
Guides might be the most fun experience on the web as they are curated quite well around locations, like venues or districts within a city, but also set up around significant events. It’ll be interesting to see what specific experiences that currently exist on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or watchOS eventually arrive on the web.
It’s certainly been a long time coming, though – Apple Maps initially launched in 2012. The company has invested quite a bit in recent years to improve the experience and expand to a richer feature set. One of the more unique features is 3D-modeled digital recreations of iconic buildings from the Eiffel Tower to the White House, with Apple Stores, iconic music venues, and even little touches of city landmarks, all beautifully recreated.
If you want to check out the Apple Maps on the web experience, you can access it here or by typing “beta.maps.apple.com” into your browser. It’s also worth noting that this new experience integrates with MapKit JS so that you can link out to this new experience and the app experiences.
Ultimately, Apple Maps on the web versus just as an application on Apple Devices instantly opens it up to more people, and that may take some customers away from Google Maps.
It'll be interesting to see if Apple rolls out entirely new experiences for the web version to better compete with Google Maps or sticks with the route of porting over the mainstays that folks who use Apple Maps already know. Time will tell.
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