According to a CNBC report, Apple is on a hiring spree. The company is seeking to add scores of mapping experts and engineers. According to the report:
Apple Maps, which has quietly been improving over time, still suffers from a less-than-stellar reputation from its botched launch in 2012. However, the new hires will be supporting initiatives around augmented reality and “autonomous systems.”
Here’s what Apple CEO Tim Cook said about both topics during this week’s earnings call.
On augmented reality:
On autonomous systems:
Autonomous vehicles require a top-tier mapping and navigation capability — for obvious reasons. Getting directions or turns wrong could result in liability or tragedy. Augmented reality layers imagery or virtual objects on top of the physical world, as seen through a smartphone camera lens or other hardware device.
Pokémon Go (and Ingress), from former Google Maps Chief John Hanke’s Niantic, and Snapchat Lenses are early successful examples of augmented reality. For advanced augmented reality experiences in the physical world, the system needs to know with precision where the user is to add virtual objects. Ingress used Google Maps and user location to do this in a gaming context.
Facebook, Google and Microsoft have also announced augmented reality initiatives, with Google and Microsoft pushing out products already. Microsoft’s Hololens “mixed reality” googles is a powerful example of the potential for this technology. Google Lens visual search is another.
When iOS 11 is given a general release later this fall we’ll see whether Cook’s prediction comes true about the mainstreaming of augmented reality. Regardless, if Apple does hire all these mapping professionals to support augmented reality and “autonomous systems,” Apple Maps should be the better for it.
Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.
