Google LLC might be feeling the heat today after Apple Inc. announced that Apple Maps is now available as a public beta on the web.

Right now, it’s available only in English, though Apple said it will support other languages soon. The service is compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, and Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs, while Apple has said that it will also be coming to other devices and browsers sometime in the future.

You can get directions through the app, see the opening hours of establishments, read reviews while being directed around new cities, and possibly order food. It doesn’t include a “Street View” option yet, but Apple says it’s currently working on introducing “Look Around” that’s essentially the same thing.

It has been 12 long years since Apple first introduced the maps feature for the iPhone. Why it has taken the company that long to mount any significant challenge against the omnipresent and entirely dominant Google product is anyone’s guess. Google Maps has been available on the web since 2005.

Still, in numerous reviews online comparing the two products, Apple has often come out the winner. The fact that it was restricted to Apple’s own platforms was a problem that has now been addressed.

It’s not just Apple where Google has to look to see where its dominance might be overhauled. Amazon.com Inc., working in a joint initiative with the Linux Foundation, Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp. and TomTom NV, is currently strategizing a takeover of the digital map business with its Overture Maps Foundation.

The collaboration will leverage high-quality data from various sources, and with so many datasets, it presumably will be able to create much more reliable maps. “With the collective insights of our expanding community, it’s not just about amassing datasets,” explained Marc Prioleau, executive director of the foundation. “Instead, it’s a conscious effort to lay the groundwork for a future where map data remains current and interoperable, serving a wide range of applications.”

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