Google Street View in 2026

Apple Maps “Look Around” vs Google Street View

• Several comments praise Apple Maps’ Street View equivalent for its subtle parallax / depth effect and extremely smooth transitions, especially when “walking” between points.
• People note it’s available on the web and explain how to access it (zoom in, click binoculars), but gestures for 3D control confuse some users.
• Main complaint: Apple’s coverage is very patchy, especially in the US/UK and outside major cities, leading some to doubt it will ever reach smaller towns and villages.
• There’s speculation it reuses Apple’s depth / LiDAR tech from wallpapers and spatial photos.

Street View Stagnation and Missed Potential

• Multiple comments say Street View was revolutionary in 2007 but feels largely unchanged for a decade, despite huge advances in computer vision.
• Desired vision: seamless 3D reconstruction from space to front door, unifying satellite and street level with smooth free camera motion.
• Some note internal/VR demos and partial features (Google Earth, Immersive View, Android XR) but see them as fragmented, underinvested, or abandoned.

Is Advanced 3D/VR Navigation Actually Useful?

• Pro-side: richer spatial context for navigation, better directions in situ, rehearsal before visiting, possible uses for GPS-less localization, AVs, robotics, and city monitoring.
• Skeptical side: existing maps are “good enough”; VR-style exploration feels like a flashy demo with low everyday value; AR overlays may matter more than full 3D worlds.

Business Incentives, Culture, and Hiring

• Some argue Google now optimizes revenue from mature products instead of pursuing ambitious map experiences; others point to cost/ROI: richer 3D is expensive, harder to run on older devices, and doesn’t clearly increase revenue.
• There’s a side thread blaming leetcode-style hiring for reduced creativity; others respond that this interviewing style was already emerging around 2007.

Alternatives and Openness

• Desire for an “open Street View” akin to OpenStreetMap. Mapillary and Panoramax are mentioned, but Mapillary is now owned by Meta and licensing is not always fully open.
• Google Earth VR is described as impressive but incomplete and effectively abandoned; some newer 3D/immersive features exist but are hidden or limited.

Coverage Patterns and Gaps

• Discussion of dense Southern Ontario coverage (possibly road density and easy driving patterns).
• Notes on recent additions in Costa Rica and Paraguay, and unofficial El Salvador imagery excluded from some datasets.
• Observations about Switzerland’s currency of data, Germany’s past backlash and pixelation, and the absence of an Africa screenshot in the post.
• One question about Africa’s missing coverage (reasons like money, safety, or law are raised but not resolved).

Privacy, Blurring, and Long-Term Value

• Some call Street View “creepy,” citing visibility into private interiors; requests for permanent house blurring can significantly degrade utility.
• Others see Street View as a unique historiographical archive whose long-term continuity is crucial, imagining centuries of time history as invaluable.
• There’s tension between fear of “enshittification” and appreciation that stagnation at least preserves current usefulness.

Imagery Sources and Antarctica

• Clarifications that Street View imagery comes from ground vehicles, and most high-res “satellite” imagery in Maps/Earth is actually aerial photography.
• High-res coverage of Antarctica is seen as logistically difficult and low-value; actual satellite resolution is insufficient for reading license plates from space.

Meta: Hardware and Presentation

• Several readers view the author’s workstation description as unnecessary bragging given the tiny dataset; others note it’s part of a recurring blog format.