The OpenStreetMap Foundation has confirmed that the new iPhoto for iOS app is using OpenStreetMap location data for its photos, and not Google Maps, as Apple has used in many other applications before. Apple has not yet confirmed the break from Google Maps, but appears to finally be transitioning away from the service.
512pixels.net discovered Wednesday night that the iPhoto for iOS location data seemed not to be pulled from Google Maps, as it is for iPhoto for Mac OS X; the OSM Foundation posted Thursday morning that it was "pleased to find" Apple is using its data. The author of OSM's blog post notes that the data Apple is using is nearly two years old, from April 2010, and appears to only be used for locations outside the US. You can see the tiles Apple is using from OpenStreetMap here. OpenStreetMap notes the app is "missing the necessary credit to OpenStreetMap’s contributors; we look forward to working with Apple to get that on there."
Daring Fireball claimed Wednesday night that iPhoto's location-feature maps are still created from Google Maps tiles. But The Verge reports that photos with attached maps in the new slideshow and journal sharing features, at least, have Apple-provided tiles pulled from a server at gsp2.apple.com.
The Apple-sourced tiles may be the culmination of all of Apple's mapping company acquisitions (C3, PlaceBase, and Poly9) in years past. Likewise, the new map sources suggest the company is further distancing itself from Google, with which it has developed a tenuous relationship over intellectual property issues.
Apple has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
reader comments
70