Why Is Apple Sending Out Minivans With Cameras?

Minivans operated by Apple and mounted with huge camera apparatuses have been spotted on the road since February. Just what is the iPhone maker up to?

The minivans are on a mission to improve Apple Maps, which took the place of Google Maps on the iPhone and iPad in a 2012 iOS 7 update. Apple has sent out the minivans to increase the accuracy of Apple Maps, reduce Apple’s dependence on Yelp’s business photos, and introduce 3D street viewing to further compete with Google, according to 9to5 Mac.

Apple Maps has been reliant on TomTom, a Dutch company that provides navigational equipment, like GPS devices, for cars. TomTom has been the primary source of mapping data for Apple Maps — but Apple is looking to alter that. With their fleet of camera-mounted minivans, the tech giant hopes to have completed their own mapping data by 2018, 9to5 Mac reports.

When viewing businesses in Apple Maps, more than their location can be made available. Apple Maps aggregates reviews from sources like TripAdvisor and Yelp to let you know if a business is worth a visit. The page on the business can also display images that are courtesy of Yelp.

It’s the source of the images that Apple wants to change. While the minivans make their rounds, they’ll be snapping photos of storefronts that’ll replace Yelp’s images on Apple Maps, according to 9to5 Mac.

Apple’s rivalry with Google looks to grow, as they reportedly plan to create an equivalent of Google Street View. You can already catch a 3D-modeled birds-eye view of a landscape with Apple Maps, which the company aims to enhance by adding a street view feature. 9to5 Mac’s sources claim Apple believes Google Street View is not as “intuitive” as the street view they envision for Apple Maps.

Apple Maps was initially met with reproach because it gave poor or wrong directions. This was largely in part due to the map data coming from multiple providers (like TomTom). The mapping issues resulted in Apple’s CEO Tim Cook having to issue an apology and fire the designer in charge of Apple Maps.

Today, Apple Maps has been largely accepted by mainstream iPhone users, even though it has a ways until it’ll catch up to Google Maps. A Mashable report in November, 2013 stated iPhone users were six times more likely to use Apple Maps over Google Maps.

We can’t be sure when the data and photos from the minivans will be put to use. It’s possible we’ll see the new Apple Maps in an iOS 8 update, but it’s likely the upcoming features will be packaged in iOS 9.

[Photo courtesy of Search Engine Land]