iOS 9 Rumors Heat Up with Apple Maps Transit Directions

One feature that has been absent in Apple Maps has been the ability to look up transit directions, which is something that Google Maps has had for several years now. However, new iOS 9 rumors suggest that Apple Maps could finally include transit directions.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple plans to officially introduce transit maps and directions in Apple Maps with the release of iOS 9, and will unveil the new version of iOS at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

Essentially, Apple Maps transit directions would work similarly to Google Maps, where users can get directions to a specific location using public transit. There are also said to be features like trip planning for transit, and a new “Transit” view, which will be tied alongside the existing Standard, Hybrid, and Satellite/Flyover view options.

Apple Maps initially launched as quite the mess, which was enough for Apple CEO Tim Cook to offer an apology to those experiencing problems with the company’s own maps service. However, the company has made big performance changes to Apple Maps, and the service has since improved greatly over the past couple of years.

With that said, it’s not surprising that Apple is planning to take the next step with its maps app by adding transit directions, as it’s one big feature that Google Maps has that Apple Maps doesn’t.

iOS 9 will most likely be unveiled next month at WWDC, where Apple will show off the new version, but probably won’t officially release iOS 9 until September when the iPhone 6s is expected to launch.

However, over the summer we’ll probably see a couple of iOS 9 beta versions release to developers, which will give the public a slightly deeper look at what to expect when iOS 9 officially lands. Plus, there could be a public beta released, similar to what Apple started doing with iOS 8 updates earlier this year.

As for what new iOS 9 features that we’ll see, rumors suggest that Siri will see improvements, both to the design, as well as the functionality. Furthermore, the new version will most definitely introduce new security features and improvements, making iOS even more robust when it comes to jailbreaking and general hacks.

Plus, bug fixes and other performance improvements will also be in store for iOS 9, making the new version (hopefully) easier to use with less headaches.

iOS 9 is expected to be released alongside the launch of the iPhone 6s, which has already begun swirling inside a rumor storm. In fact, the iPhone 6s could be one of the largest incremental upgrades that the iPhone has ever had upgrading to an “s” version.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has made a list of the upgrades that he thinks will make their way to the iPhone 6s, including a faster processor, more memory, a better camera, and even an all-new display technology.

First off, perhaps the biggest upgrade that the iPhone 6s could see is a Force Touch display. This has been rumored in the past and it’s being rumored yet again, so it appears that this could be a pretty solid bet.

Furthermore, Kuo says that the iPhone 6s will get a camera boost to 12 megapixels, the A9 processor, 2GB of memory, and a new rose gold color option. It’s not said if the rose gold version will be actually gold-plated, but it’s likely that it will be produced the same way that the current gold iPhone is being produced. In other words, it won’t be real gold, but the aluminum shell will be colored in a way that looks like rose gold.

Also, it’s said that the bending issue that many people have come across with the iPhone 6 will apparently be fixed when the iPhone 6s comes out, which goes along with past rumors that we’ve reported on. It’s not said exactly how Apple manages to do this, but we’re guessing the company will use some sort of reinforcement to make sure the phone can’t bend that easily.

Other new features that are rumored to come with the iPhone 6s are improved Touch ID functionality and gesture control, although specifics on the gesture controls are rather scarce at this point.