Off the back of the excitement of the Vision Pro being announced, along with the curiosity of the Maps app being missing, I couldn't help but explore what the future of Maps could be on the Vision Pro.

I started by rewatching WWDC and the subsequent VisionOS videos after WWDC - I took down notes on the development philosophy Apple wanted VisionOS apps to be built with.

My main take away was the picture apps mimicking their iPad apps in structure, hierarchy and components, however, they want 3D spatial elements added on top to enhance the app and create something that could only be experienced in mixed reality.

This philosophy became the foundation of how I went about building Apple Maps for VisionOS.

Starting with the view hierarchy, I essentially made the iPad app components but with the VisionOS UI style, utilising the side bar, the new search bar and new ornament components for accessory buttons.

Just this component gave Maps the functionality already loved from the iPhone and iPad app, like searching for places, viewing them on the map and seeing more information about them.

Then I went about ideating features already in Maps that could be enhanced by the unique features of VisionOS. I settled on 3 main areas: Navigation, Immersion and Collaboration.

The first, navigation, was centered around the map and turning the map from a 2D map we're familiar with, into a giant 3D globe that can be placed anywhere in space. Turning the Immersive View on would gradually immerse you in an expansive space backdrop throughout your vision.

Immersion is where things got super fun! Integrating Apple's new Spatial Photos and Videos into the places sidebar, then on top of that, open up panoramas to fill your entire field of view. Meaning you can explore the world and truly feel like you've travelled there, right from the comfort of your sofa.

I then set my sights on Look Around and Flyover and turning them immersive. With Immersive Look Around filling your entire field of view, allowing you to stand on a street and look around as if you were really there. And Immersive Flyover, allowing you to put entire cities on your floor or a table, and fly over them like an eagle!

And finally, collaboration - Something that is historically quite tricky to do in virtual and mixed reality. Despite this, I felt like Apple was in the unique situation to leveraged technologies like SharePlay to allow your friends and family in a FaceTime call to see your map in the call. Creating a far more immersive and collaborative way to plan a road trip or holiday.

In addition, I felt like AirPlay could be utilised to stream the view from your VisionPro to an Apple TV or AirPlay 2 enabled TV, allowing people in the room with you to be able to see what you see and join in the exploration.

I was super super happy with the results of this exercise. The features created and the visuals supporting them made it feel like a real product Apple could (and arguably should) make for the Vision Pro.

I also posted the project on Twitter and got a good reception from users.