Supposedly, the transit data is going to include bus, subway and train schedule and routing information, and will be either announced or introduced during Apple’s developer conference in San Francisco next month. Even though they could have introduced this feature a while ago, Apple has understandably decided to wait and make sure they get the data right before release to avoid any mistakes and embarrassment. Apple doesn’t want to damage Apple Maps’ reputation with users and more than it already has.
Apple just bought a company called Coherent Navigation recently for more accurate location that will inform Maps on the Watch and iPhone. With this purchase, along with the added wait time, Apple needs to get upgrades or new features right when it comes to Apple Maps.
Here’s a snippet from the 9to5 story about indoor mapping:
Apple intends to update iOS Maps to help users navigate major buildings, offices, and landmarks. While the feature may not go live this year, sources tell us that Apple is already mapping out its own offices in Cupertino. The company has let loose autonomous robots with iBeacon sensors, similar in size to iRobot’s Roomba vacuum cleaners, to collect data for its indoor mapping project.
Because indoor location/mapping has been pretty “meh” in the recent years, Apple could possibly motivate a range of other companies in the ecosystem to move forward more aggressively.