Today, Nokia released its ‘Here’ Maps app for iPad and iPhone as Apple counts the cost of its failed maps experiment two months back.
The location-based and mapping service permits users to save maps to view offline and can even get public transport routes, a feature which has not been provided by Apple in its iOS Maps app, and also offers voice-guided navigation feature.
Nokia announced few months back that they will be launching its app very soon, but few consumers had anticipated Apple to approve Nokia’s ‘Here’ apps so swiftly.
In a blog post, a Nokia spokesman said that mapping products were “integral” to the Finnish telecoms giant’s future and “a key way that we stand out from the crowd.”
Standing out from the crowd may be a difficult reference to Apple’s terrible attempt into mapping in iOS6, which left central London fuzzy to mjority of iPhone users, reestablishing underground railway stations closed more than a decade ago and misrepresentation of bridges.
‘Here’ Maps app will offer the facility to save locations and groups of locations onto an iPhone or iPad and into a Nokia account, and will provide step-by-step navigation of driving directions & pedestrian routes.
The spokesman added: “Today’s digital mapping has amazing potential to grow into what we call computational cartography, the ability to produce maps on-demand and tailored to their actual use cases.
“We also believe that this game-changing evolution in mapmaking should be available to more businesses and more people around the world – it should expand beyond cars and beyond Nokia devices.”
The new Nokia app will confront Google’s new iOS Maps app, at present it is in final testing stage before submission for approval from Apple and once approved, it is going to be distributed through Apple iTunes.
The decision made by Apple to compel its new maps app and to remove Google’s maps app for iPad and iPhone in September proved greatly embarrassing for the company, for which they had apologize to the public.
