I think it’s fair to say that iPhone users everywhere had high hopes for Apple’s new proprietary Maps app. The new vector design, simplistic look and Siri-guided Navigation made it a fantastic proposition. Then, reality hit. In some areas, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And, although it has been great for me personally, I’m not naive enough to think that it doesn’t need improving. Even with its fancy new FlyOver feature, it was still lacking one of the biggest advantages of the Google app it replaced: Street View.

Thankfully (as rumored this week) Google has updated its web-based service to enable Street View on iOS devices. So far, the service is pretty much confirmed to be working everywhere the service was initially available, with very little news on any potential black spots. One concern using the online service is its speed. We heard yesterday that Apple’s new Maps app loads data 80% faster than Google’s Maps did. So, I can’t imagine how slow it’s going to be running it through Safari. That said, it’s a free service, and certainly worth a shot.

To get it working, type in your desired location then tap the little man icon in the bottom right hand corner. It’ll open a new tab in your browser and take you straight to the Street View.

Initial thoughts: I typed in a relatively small town in North Wales to see what it was like to use, and transitions were speedy enough. I didn’t notice any serious lag. Have you used it yet? What are your thoughts?

Via: AppleInsider