Move over, Google Maps. Apple Maps now has its own website. Yes, that means you no longer need to fire up the app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to find places to visit and figure out how to reach them.
With the new beta version, you can browse to the Apple Maps website to get driving and walking directions and check out popular destinations. As with the Apple Maps app, you can view photos, hours, ratings, and reviews for restaurants and other businesses.
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There’s also the handy Guides feature to discover places to eat, shop, and explore. The only feature missing is Look Around, which displays 360-degree panoramic views of specific locales, but that will arrive in the coming months, Apple said.
Just like with Google Maps, developers can even link to Apple Maps on their websites using MapKit JS. As a result, you may find more sites offering directions and other details via Apple Maps in the future.
The website works on a variety of platforms and browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on a Mac and iPad as well as Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on a Windows PC. The main hiccup so far is that its supports only English, but Apple has said that more languages will be added over time.
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Okay, but why use Apple Maps on a computer when you can use it on a mobile device? Well, here are three reasons why you might want to head to the website.
1. Research destinations ahead of time
Maybe you’re planning a trip and want to research your destination beforehand. You might find that easier to do on a computer or iPad than on a small mobile phone.
To take Apple Maps for the web for a spin, launch one of the supported browsers and head to the site. The left pane should present three options: Search, Guides, and Directions
Click Search and you can look for specific countries, cities, landmarks, and other locations. The page shows you the spot on a map and serves up key details about it.
Select Guides, and you’ll find guides from a range of publishers highlighting cool things to do and places to visit in several major cities around the world, including Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Paris, and Sydney.
For example, the guides for New York City include “Everything to Eat in NYC this Summer,” “The 10 Best Shows to See in NYC,” and “The Best Bakeries in Queens.”
2. Research hotels, restaurants, and other places
You might be looking for hotels, restaurants, gas stations, parking garages, grocery stores, or other nearby places for your trip. The Search pane at the Apple Maps website lists a variety of businesses and other spots for you to research ahead of time.
Click the category for the business you want to find, such as hotels. You can also enter your own category in the search field, such as landmarks or hospitals. Plus, you can add a specific city or other location, for example, landmarks in Paris. In response, the site lists corresponding businesses. Select one that interests you to get ratings, reviews, and other details.
3. Check directions beforehand
The GPS on your phone will lead you to your destination unless you hit a dead zone or other problem. For that reason, you may want to grab the directions ahead of time and even print them to serve as a hard copy backup.
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Click Directions. Enter your starting address (or My Location) and your end destination. You can switch between driving and walking directions and tell Apple Maps to avoid highways or tolls. In response, the site displays one or more sets of directions to your destination. Click the Info icon for any one set of directions, and you’ll see the turn-by-turn steps for getting there.
Access the Print feature in your browser and you can then print the directions to your destination.
