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Apple Now Has Indoor Maps For Dozens Of Airports And Shopping Centres

Apple Now Has Indoor Maps For Dozens Of Airports And Shopping Centres

The 3D maps offer information on shops, bathrooms, bars and security check points, and give detailed directions

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

When a shopping centre has half a dozen floors, three sections, two car parks and hundreds of shops, it can be a pretty daunting place to find what you're looking for. Sure, if you're a regular you'll know exactly where to go, but if you're just visiting then it could take so much longer than it needs to.

Some places have dedicated computers to help you find your way, but you either have to remember the detailed directions or run from booth to booth to update your bearings.

Thankfully, Apple is aiming to make this stress an issue of the past.

The company has been slowly rolling out their indoor maps function, which has detailed layouts of dozens of airports and shopping centres around the world.

Apple Maps
Apple Maps

It's always a frustrating experience when you're wandering through the many wings of an airport, trying to find a bar and coming up with nothing. This will hopefully end that nightmare for good.

At the moment, the feature applies to airports in Amsterdam, Berlin, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Vancouver, Toronto and across the US. You can see a 3D view of the space, displaying all the restaurants, shops, bathrooms, waiting areas and security check points. It's incredibly handy if you have no clue where you're going while on a trip.

Your device draws on the WiFi available to triangulate your location down to just a few metres - meaning you should never get lost again. Well, in theory.

Don't get me wrong, Google has had this feature on its maps app for a while now. However, according to Mashable, Apple works directly with the vendors inside these facilities to get the most information possible.

And Google's indoor maps creator is actually pretty fucking cool.

IMG_20140808_161934-MOTION
IMG_20140808_161934-MOTION

It's a massive backpack that is kitted out with a camera and a computer processor which generates the floor plan. Once the design is created, the user then has to individually input specific details like the shop name, opening and closing time and phone number.

According to Google, the Cartographer can create a map of a 39-storey building in just a few hours. They've also got what's called a Map Maker, which gives the power to ordinary users to help keep their systems updated with changing roads, businesses or conditions.

While they might not have as much information as Apple on the inside - yet - there's no doubt that they'll step up their game because competition is always fierce between those two.

Sources: Mashable, Google

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, Google, Phones and Gadgets, World News, News, Interesting, technology news, Technology, Apple, iPhone