Google Maps Hides Image Of Android Robot Peeing On Apple Logo

Virtual sightseers were treated to quite the spectacle yesterday when an image of the Android robot mascot appeared in Google Maps urinating on the Apple logo. A report from the Telegraph says that the image appeared on a small patch of land just outside the city of Rawalpindi in Pakistani at coordinates 33°30’52.5?N 73°03’33.2?E.

However, don’t go looking for it now as the peeing Android effigy has already been removed.

“We’ve terminated the Android figure involved in this incident, and he’ll be disappearing from Google Maps shortly.”

It’s unclear where the Google Maps image came from, but rumors speculate that Google themselves may have hidden it there as an Easter egg and has only just been discovered. Others believe it was added in by a user.

While Google monitors any contributions made to Maps, it is entirely possible for some errors (or in this case, jokes) to slip through the net. Google Map Maker allows people to add additional features to Maps, such as streets, parks, and places of interest, all of which is moderated heavily.

But that’s not all. According to the Guardian, a second image was also spotted just a few miles east of the Android vs. Apple one. The second picture showed an area of the land with the words “Google review policy is crap” written in large font with a sad smiley face drawn to one side. Again, Google removed the image.

While the origins of both images remain ambiguous, it does point towards the on-going rivalry between Google and Apple. The Easter egg of the Android robot peeing on the Apple logo is most likely the result of continuing competition between the two companies (Google being the owner of Android).

The image itself is reminiscent of an earlier drawing depicting Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes fame urinating on an assortment of disliked brands and names.

Google Maps was also in the news earlier this month regarding a new kind of exploration tool that will allow people to explore the human body, right down to individual cells. The technology is being developed by engineers from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

“For the first time we have the ability to go from the whole body down to how the cells are getting their nutrition and how this is all connected. This could open the door to as yet unknown new therapies and preventions.”

Leave a comment below. We’d love to know your thoughts on the Android robot urinating on the Apple logo in Google Maps.