iOS 13 hands-on
See the world around you by
looking at your screen
3D mapping imagery
A
pple calls the new 3D imagery in
Maps ‘Look Around’. There is a
small binoculars icon in the Maps
app that you can tap to enable the mode
and when you first use it the end result is
quite amazing. We are all used to Street
View from Google and the juddering as
you move around busy areas, but to be fair
it is a very good solution that has proved
useful to millions of people over the past few
years. Apple, as we have become used to,
has waited until it is possible to produce an
alternative option that looks and feels better
than what the competition can offer.
In iOS 13 Maps we have just that to the
point that you can simply move your finger
around to explore photo-realistic imagery
that perfectly represents the world around
you. Points of interest are directly overlaid
onto the imagery and in a way that actually
fits within the local area until tapped. At this
point a detail card will appear giving you
all of the information you need to see if it
is worth a visit. Interestingly, the jumpingto new places is filled with new images
so the experience is smooth rather than
juddering and as such it produces one of
those ‘wow’ moments we see in technology
from time to time. However, currently Apple
does not match the range of data on offer
from Google and there are points that are
still missing. This will of course change,
but as it stands it’s a case of mostly form
over function. However, it still serves as a
tantalising glimpse of a future that is coming
very soon to iOS devices.A better Siri
Siri continues to improve in
subtle and useful waysS
ome new improvements have been
added to Siri, as always happens
with a new version of iOS, but here
we have a more natural voice that makes
Siri seem a lot more human. Also, and more
importantly, Siri Shortcuts is now able to
suggest automations for you that will enhance
your lifestyle and hopefully work during the
things you do every single day.
This has the added benefit of introducing
users to the benefits of Shortcuts as well
as making Siri more useful, and the more it
is used the better it becomes. It’s a smart
move by Apple as the company continues to
carefully improve the core areas of iOS with
each passing year.