It’s the hiring that shows where a company’s going.
A recent Apple job listing shows that the company is looking for a software engineer to help bring public transit information to Apple Maps.
The listing reads as follows:
“As a member of the Routing team, you will work on one of the most anticipated features of Apple Maps,”
In the job requirements, the company directly asks for someone with “in-depth knowledge about public transit,” both as a rider and on a technical level.
Until the iOS 6 version of Maps, transit directions were a popular integrated feature. That update stripped out Google content in favor of Apple’s own, but in so doing eliminated not just transit options but other mainstay functions, such as Street View. Despite Apple’s attempts at improving iOS, the independent version of Google Maps remains one of the most popular downloads at the App Store.
The resurgence of public transit data in Apple Maps has been rumored, but has yet to materialize. The delay has been blamed on bad planning, office politics, and developers leaving Apple entirely.
The company could announce Maps upgrades at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins on June 8th. Any changes would presumably be linked to iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, preview versions of which are expected to be the focal points of Apple’s keynote presentation.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and jobs.apple.com