Move over, Google Maps. Apple Maps now has its own website. On Wednesday, Apple announced that its Maps service is now accessible on the web. Yes, that means you no longer need to fire up the app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to find places to visit and figure out how to reach them.
With the new beta version, you can browse to the Apple Maps website to get driving and walking directions and check out popular destinations. As with the Apple Maps app, you can view photos, hours, ratings, and reviews for restaurants and other businesses.
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There’s also the handy Guides feature to discover places to eat, shop, and explore. The only feature missing is Look Around, which displays 360-degree panoramic views of specific locales, but that will arrive in the coming months, Apple said.
Just like with Google Maps, developers can even link to Apple Maps on their websites using MapKit JS. As a result, you may find more sites offering directions and other details via Apple Maps in the future.
The main hiccup so far is that the Apple Maps website supports only certain languages, browsers, and platforms. Currently accessible in English, the site is compatible with Safari and Chrome on a Mac and iPad, as well as Chrome and Edge on Windows computers. When I tried visiting the site using Firefox, I received an error telling me the browser wasn’t supported.
Further, the site doesn’t work on Android devices and browsers. Fortunately, Apple has said that more languages, browsers, and platforms will be added over time.
Okay, but why use Apple Maps on a computer when you can more easily use it on a mobile device? Well, maybe you don’t have a phone or don’t have one handy. Maybe you want to research specific destinations ahead of time. The website also lets you print directions to serve as a hard copy backup in case the GPS on your phone stops working while you’re driving.
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To take Apple Maps for the web for a spin, launch one of the supported browsers and head to the site. The left pane should present three options: Search, Guides, and Directions.
Click Search and you can seek out businesses and other places across various categories, including gas stations, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and parking garages. In the Search field, you can also enter a different category or the name of a specific spot. Apple Maps should show you the results that match your query.
Select Guides, and you’ll find guides from a range of publishers highlighting cool things to do and places to visit in major cities around the world. For example, the guides for New York City include “Everything to Eat in NYC this Summer,” “The Most Fun Dinner Spots in NYC,” and “10 Best Shows to See in NYC.”
Finally, it’s time to figure out how to get where you want to go. Click Directions. Enter your starting address (or My Location) and your end destination. You can switch between driving and walking directions and tell Apple Maps to avoid highways or tolls. In response, the site should display one or more sets of directions to your destination. Click the Info icon for any one set of directions, and you’ll see the turn by turn steps for getting there.
Other map and direction services have long been available on the web, including Google Maps, Bing Maps, MapQuest, and even Waze. Of these sites, Apple will likely face the stiffest competition from Google. That said, iPhone users who prefer to use Apple Maps on the road may like having their favorite resource available on any computer.
