Justin O'Beirne

Google Maps' Moat

Over the past year, we’ve been comparing Google Maps and Apple Maps in New York, San Francisco, and London—but some of the biggest differences are outside of large cities.

Apple's New Map

Four years in the making, it covers just 3% of the U.S.’s area and 4.9% of its population:

What Happened to Google Maps?

A Year of Google and Apple Maps

Shortly after I published my Cartography Comparison last year, I noticed Google updating some of the areas we had focused on:

Cartography Comparison: Google Maps and Apple Maps

Google Maps and Apple Maps . At first glance, the columns below look very similar...

Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

One of the biggest surprises at WWDC last year was Apple’s announcement that its new map would cover “ the entire U.S. by the end of 2019 ”:

Apple's New Map: Midwest and Western U.S.

On November 18, 2019, Apple’s new map expanded to parts of the Midwest and much of the Western U.S.:

Google Maps Testing New Apple Maps-Inspired Map Style

Back in August 2020 , Google began testing a seemingly Apple Maps-inspired map style that added darker and deeper landcover colors throughout the world:

Apple’s New Map, Expansion #7: Final Parts of the Continental U.S.

On January 30th, 2020, Apple’s new map expanded to the remaining parts of the Continental U.S. , including Alaska and the Central and Southeastern U.S.: