3D imagery now available on iPad and iPhone
Today, we're happy to announce the availability of 3D imagery for Google Earth on the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. — A map must be comprehensive and accurate no matter where you are or what device you use. We also believe maps can be useful in ways you might not have imagined.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google Earth arrived on iPhone in 2008 and later added ocean exploration to its iPhone and iPad apps. The 2012 release extends that mobile Earth experience with 3D imagery on specified Apple devices.
The move makes Google’s stated goal of a comprehensive map across devices more concrete: the same mapping product is being enhanced on iPad and iPhone rather than treated as a reduced mobile companion.
First-order effects
- Google Earth users on the new iPad, iPad 2, and iPhone 4S gain 3D imagery, expanding the visual detail available in the mobile app.
- Google adds a higher-fidelity feature to its Apple-device mapping presence, building on its earlier iPhone launch for Google Earth.
Second-order effects
- Google’s mobile mapping experience becomes more dependent on device capability, concentrating the new 3D experience on the named iPad and iPhone models rather than every handset.
- Richer imagery raises the value of Google’s Earth app as a distinct destination for visual exploration, alongside its broader aim of making maps useful across devices.
Third-order effects
- If Google continues bringing Earth features from desktop-style mapping to mobile hardware, mapping competition will increasingly hinge on the depth and presentation of geographic data, not only basic location lookup.
- The release points toward mobile devices serving as full visual-map clients, with platform reach and capable hardware determining which users receive advanced cartography first.
The trend: Google Earth is moving toward feature parity across screens by bringing increasingly immersive geographic imagery to mobile devices.