On Wednesday July 24, 2024, Apple issued a press release. It announces the arrival of its GPS navigation service: Apple Maps, in web version. In fact, it is now possible tosearch for a location in Apple Maps on browser.
The Apple company launched Apple Plans in 2012, but it's only this year that you will be able to access it from Safari. This is not the only browser from which the service is accessible, however, since from the launch, Google Chrome was also entitled to it on Mac, PC and iPad. Microsoft Edge also had support from the start, but on PC only.
At the time of release, the Apple company announced that other browsers would be supported over time. It finally happened sooner than expected, as 9to5Mac tells us today.
Apple Maps comes to Firefox and Edge for PC
You can now access Apple Plans from Mozilla Firefox on Mac, PC and iPad. Apple's GPS navigation service has arrivedalso in Microsoft Edge for Mac and iPad.
“Slow expansion over several years to work toward what Google has already done... web-based maps, must-have apps (Waze too) and of course... ads... Apple will increase its monetization opportunities to offset spending on maintaining and benefiting from massive global map data.”
It's a hypothesis, and the monetization of Apple Plans is undoubtedly planned, but the reason for the arrival of the service in web version may lie elsewhere.
The measure may have more to do with new digital marketplace laws being implemented around the world, such as the DMA. More precisely, perhaps Apple is waiting for an opportunity with Apple Plans, thanks to future measures that the European Union would impose on Google. Given what happened to Apple with Safari in iOS 17.4, why wouldn't the EU do the same with Google?
As a reminder, from now on, during a new configuration on iPhone, Safari is no longer the default browser.Users can choose between Safari and its competitors. Perhaps in the future, we will be able to choose Apple Maps instead of automatically arriving in Google Maps, after a Google search. As a reminder, Google represents more than 90% of searches made on the internet.
