Google Maps adds new 45-degree satellite imagery to take on Apple's Flyover

As Apple apologized on Friday for subpar performance of its new iOS 6 Maps application, Google introduced a new feature that competes with Apple's Flyover: 45-degree satellite images.

The new angled satellite images are now available in 37 U.S. and 14 international locations. Unlike Apple's Flyover in iOS 6 Maps, the images cannot be rendered in three dimensions, but they do allow a better look at satellite imagery from a new angle.

In one example posted to the company's official blog, Google showed a picture of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa captured from the new 45-degree angle and in higher resolution.

Apple has pushed its own 3D recreations of major cities, a feature called Flyover as one of the hallmark features of its new iOS 6 Maps. Apple's new mapping solution for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch replaced the previous version of the software which relied on Google's data.

Google's new 45-degree satellite imagery in select cities arrives the same day that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook publicly apologized for the Maps application in iOS 6. The CEO not only acknowledged "the frustration this has caused our customers," but also recommended a slew of competing applications customers can use as Apple continues to improve its Maps application. Among those recommended by Cook was the Web version of Google Maps.

The full list of U.S. cities with Google's new 45-degree satellite imagery are:

• Ames, Iowa
• Anderson, Ind.
• Billings, Mont.
• Bloomington, Ill.
• Carmel Valley, Calif.
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
• Corvallis, Oreg.
• Danville, Ill.
• Dayton, Ohio
• Detroit, Mich.
• Dubuque, Iowa
• Elizabethtown, Ken.
• Enid, Okla.
• Florence, S.C.
• Grand Forks, N.D.
• Great Falls, Mont
• Gulfport, Miss
• Hartford, Conn.
• Kankakee, Ill
• Kenosha, Wis.
• Lafayette, Ind.
• Lancaster, Calif.
• Lansing, Mich
• Lewiston, Ind.
• Los Banos, Calif.
• Madison, Wis.
• Medford, Oreg.
• Michigan City, Ind.
• Olympia, Wash.
• Pocatello, Idaho
• Sheboygan, Wis.
• Sioux City, Iowa
• Sioux Falls, S.D.
• South Bend, Ind.
• Terre Haute, IN; Utica, N.Y.

The following international cities also have the 45-degree imagery:

• Angers, France
• Clermont-Ferrand, France
• Coimbra, Portugal
• Dijon, France
• Grenoble, France
• Livorno, Italy
• Lyon, France
• Newcastle, United Kingdom
• Oberhausen, Germany
• Palermo, Italy
• Pisa, Italy
• Toulouse, France
• Troyes, France
• Winnipeg, Canada

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Google has also updated some locations with new high-resolution aerial imagery. The following cities have the new enhanced pictures:

• Florence, Ore.
• Kellogg, Ind.
• Casper, Wyo.
• North Platte, Neb.
• Concordia, Kans.
• Alva, Okla.
• Austin, Tex.
• Nevada, Missou.
• Chilicothe, Missou.
• Toulouse, France
• Clermont-Ferrand, France
• Angers, France
• Nantes, France
• Troyes, France
• Lille, France
• Thun, Switzerland
• Lucca, Italy

And finally, the following areas have also been updated with new high-resolution satellite imagery: Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.