Apple made a surprising announcement on Wednesday that it would be bringing one of its biggest applications to the web after 12 years of being exclusive to the company's own hardware through MacBook, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple Watch devices.
We're talking about Apple Maps, of course. Launched in 2012, Maps is a mapping service and navigation app developed and maintained by Apple, traditionally available across devices running iOS, macOS, iPadOS, or watchOS. That's finally changing, as almost anyone with access to a web browser can now use Apple's Maps app for free.
The key word here is "almost," as there is a glaring omission in which browsers Apple Maps functions on. On Mac or iPad, supported browsers include Safari, Edge, and Chrome. On Windows, only Edge and Chrome support it. Android users have been completely left in the dust, which isn't surprising considering it's Apple's primary competitor in the phone space.
It's also important to note that the current version of Apple Maps for the web is in beta. Thankfully, it doesn't require sign-up and is public to anyone who can access the link.
Certain features are temporarily unavailable due to its early development, like transit, biking, and cab booking. Look Around is also not present, but Apple claims it will be available "In the coming months."
While Wednesday's announcement was a surprise, the fact that it took Apple 12 years to do this to begin with is the real shocker.
Apple should have done this years ago
Let's be honest: Most people aren't using Apple Maps. While there's no definitive answer for how wide the gap in popularity is, according to Comscore's ranking of the top 25 smartphone applications, Google Maps hit 163,024,000 unique visitors in comparison to Apple Maps' 63,933,000 during May of this year.
Google Maps pulls in more than double the total unique visitors, and that's only on smartphones, as it has a strong presence on the web and who knows how much greater that number gets when considering browser users.
Even on the App Store itself, Google Maps is placed at #1 in popularity for the Navigation section. Apple Maps isn't technically competing for that spot, as it's downloaded by default on these devices, but it's currently scored at 2.6 out of 5 stars with 27,000 ratings versus Google Maps' 4.7 out of 5 stars with 6.1 million ratings. Apple can't even secure a victory on its own platform.
One of the obvious answers to why Google Maps is so much more popular is that Android has a 70.7% world market share in 2024 versus iPhone's 28.6% according to Backlinko.
The other issue is Apple's obsession with its walled approach to its services and ecosystems. Google Maps launched in 2005 and was always available on desktops, allowing users to easily access its features no matter where they were.
It's one thing to be picky with exclusivity when dealing with more focused applications, but navigation is something that will suffer when weighed down by such limitations. Google Maps is so convenient because I can easily plan trips, vacations, outings, and what have you through my computer so I'm prepared when I eventually go out while using my phone.
It's mindblowing that it took Apple this long to finally bring Maps to the web, but it can only benefit them. Not only will it help users, but it will improve the service itself, as all navigation apps rely on information provided by users to keep things up-to-date and factually accurate.
However, you still can't use it on Android. What gives, Apple?
Android isn't invited to the Apple Maps party
When using Apple Maps on the web through Google Chrome on my Windows 11 PC, I saw a topographic view of where I live. However, attempting the same task using Google Chrome on my Google Pixel 6, I received an error stating that my "Current browser isn't supported."
Considering Apple's tendency to limit the use of its applications to its own hardware, alongside its longstanding battle with Android, most will think this was done on purpose. However, as the beta only just launched on Wednesday, there's a strong possibility that there's another reason for it.
This is potentially backed by Apple's claim in the announcement post that "Support for additional languages, browsers, and platforms will be expanded over time." Barring Android support would seem like an intentional competitive move, but the company might eventually expand its horizons.
After all, getting Apple Maps on as many devices as possible could improve the service and grow its user base. You might think Apple wouldn't do this for the sake of exclusivity, but that's absurd.
App exclusivity is important when dealing with features that can sell hardware. I've heard people say they'd be willing to purchase an iPhone solely for access to FaceTime. I doubt many people are saying "I want to buy an iPhone for Apple Maps."
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