Mikey Campbell
In an update to its Jobs at Apple webpage on Monday, Apple posted at least ten advertisements for positions within the iOS Maps team, suggesting the company is looking to make major enhancements to its proprietary mapping service.
According to multiple job listings posted on Feb. 4, Apple is seeking ten software engineers to contribute to iOS Maps, nine of whom will handle various programming duties, while one will be assigned to tackle navigation. The listings, discovered by AppleBitch, are for jobs located in Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
A closer look at the listings reveal that the company is looking to make upgrades on a number of fronts, including the iOS Maps app's user interface, integration with other iOS services like Siri, how maps are displayed in real time, points of interest labeling and 3D flyover visuals, among others.
Most of the ads start out with the following paragraph:
The iOS Maps team is looking for a proactive and hardworking software engineer to join our team. The Maps application is used by millions of customers and it's the best mapping program on any mobile platform. Our team is also responsible for MapKit, the iOS framework that displays maps which is used by countless applications on the App Store.
When Apple's mapping service was released to the public in September 2012 as part of iOS 6, the app drew complaints from users around the world who found multiple inaccuracies, poor implementation of the 3D flyover feature and other problems inconsistent with the polish normally seen from an Apple product.
The Maps debacle prompted CEO Tim Cook to issue an apology letter and resulted in the firing of the executive in charge of the first-party mapping solution. Former iOS chief Scott Forstall's ouster was also said to be based at least partially on the fiasco.
In an effort to bolster the iOS Maps team, Apple most recently sought new hires in September, with many of the advertised positions being identical to Monday's listings.
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51 Comments
uhh...the best mapping program on any mobile platform??
[quote name="NIZZARD" url="/t/155826/new-apple-job-listings-point-to-ios-maps-improvements#post_2271848"]uhh...the best mapping program on any mobile platform??[/quote] Do you have evidence that it's not? The fact that it can be improved does not prove that it's not already the best. And before you start pointing to the whining about inaccuracies in Apple's Maps program, you need to learn what 'evidence' is. For starters, 'evidence' is not the plural of 'anecdote'. So far, no one has yet shown any evidence that the number of errors in Apple's program is significantly greater than the number in Google's Maps or anyone else's.
1) Dick Applebaum post a picture very recently of the correction in FlyOver for the Hoover Damn. 2) I'd love for Apple to announce a maps.apple.com site that anyone with a modern browser can use. I understand not building for the rest of the world when HW is your product but with mapping I think we all are better off if we can use it from Macs (or whatever other OS with a modern browser). [quote name="NIZZARD" url="/t/155826/new-apple-job-listings-point-to-ios-maps-improvements#post_2271848"]uhh...the best mapping program on any mobile platform??[/quote] 1) It's an opinion which makes it perfectly valid for one to have. 2) I love the new Maps app compared to the previous one which had no TbT, vector graphics, and just looks and feels clunky by comparison. I also really like the UI they built for the app. It's much cleaner and smoother than what I've seen on other platforms which is why I'd say it's the best mapping [I]program[/I] on any mobile platform. Now how complete and accurate there back-end repository of data points is another story, which I don't feel comfortable saying is the best despite not having any issues with it in actual use.
uhh...the best mapping program on any mobile platform??
Vector, highest-quality textures and modeling, and with all the amenities of any other platform, plus OS-level integration with just about anything you can imagine.
If you think Apple Maps is bad, try Bing for a while.
…'evidence' is not the plural of 'anecdote'.
I like that. I'm going to have to use that…
Requirements. Effectively present ones self as a genius, producing genius level product, making millions for a mega tech company. Must have short hair, take baths regularly, eat energy bars, give presentations in suggested clothing, smile all the time and never present ones self as a loser at any time.