New York City gets fresh new Apple Maps

What you need to know

• Apple is updating maps to compete with Google.
• New York City is the latest to come online.
• Others will follow in time.

The new maps are way, way better.

Google has long been the top dog when it comes to map data, but Apple is closing the gap. At least if you happen to live in the right place. New York City is the latest to join the list of areas with updated map data, and it's pretty spectacular.

The NYC map update started rolling out to Apple Maps today, although it's being done in phases. If you're lucky enough to live in NYC you can now take advantage of Apple's Look Around feature as part of this update. And it's stunning – even by the high standard set by Google Maps Street View.

General fidelity is improved, too. As the New York Post notes, you can even see specific areas within Central Park.

Users looking at Central Park, for example, can now see individual baseball diamonds and more detailed footpaths. Buildings also are more accurately rendered in 3D using flight technology to better depict elevations.

California was the first state to get the upgrade love, but Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have also had some Apple Maps attention. Apple hasn't said when everyone else can expect their home town to receive new maps, but we do know that the company plans to give everyone the same features and level of detail eventually.

That's going to take time, though. Google Maps didn't happen overnight, after all.

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