Apple Drops Transit Directions From Mobile Devices
One thing that won't come standard with the new iPhone: transit directions.
Yesterday Apple announced details for iOS 6, the new operating system for iPad and iPhone, and it looks like transit directions will be casualties of the company's decision to drop Google Maps as its default map application. The new, Apple-developed map application will include driving directions and walking directions, but no transit information, at least not standard. Instead, if you want to figure out how to get somewhere without driving, users will have to download a third-party application.
In response, WalkScore today launched a campaign to have the transit feature restored, asking supporters to tweet Apple directly. "We believe that having built-in transit directions on your phone helps public transit work better for everyone," the company says on its petition site.
Apparently the change stems from competition between Apple and Google, which, until recently, was gaining on Apple's share of the mobile OS market. The iPhone maker is in the process of weeding out Google apps from its devices, according to David Herron, reporting for the Examiner:
Even so this is a big step backwards for pedestrians and transit users, because it forces those people to first know they have to acquire a third party application, then find and install the best one, and finally perhaps pay for this support. By contrast today's iOS users have excellent pedestrian and public transit support in the Google Maps application.
Apple has sold more than 180 million iPhones since the product debuted in 2007.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Wednesday’s Headlines Ask How Much a Life Is Worth
There isn't much of a financial penalty for drivers who kill pedestrians — especially if those drivers are cops.
‘I’m Not Grieving Alone’: New Play Explores a Father’s Journey After Losing Two Children to Traffic Violence
Collin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. A new play explores why he
How Transit Saved Lives — And Became a Lifeline — During and After the Maui Fires
A Hawaii bus agency helped transport 42,000 people off the island in the wake of the most devastating fires in the state's history — and highlighted the critical role that shared modes can play not just in preventing climate-related disasters, but saving lives when they happen.
Tuesday’s Headlines Triple the Fun
Amtrak is staffing up and ready to spend the $66 billion it received from the bipartisan federal infrastructure law.
Pols: Congress Must Bolster Sustainable Commutes to Reduce Carbon and Congestion
The feds should bolster sustainable commuting modes and transportation demand management strategies.
