The current state of the GPS landscape is really boring. It's mainly dominated by three apps. You either use Google Maps, Waze, or maybe Apple Maps if you have an iPhone. But most likely you're using Google Maps.
Of course, other alternative apps exist. There's Sygic if you're weird, OSMAnd if you're hippie, or if you're a professional truck driver, you probably just have a physical Garmin sitting around.
Because of the limited choice, there aren't many quirky features anymore. If you want a quirky GPS, you use Waze. But because of this, I feel like there hasn't been any stupid innovations to the GPS sphere in quite some time. What do I mean by stupid innovation?
Junction View.
Problem. You need to be in a specific lane, but you don't know what one. The map is too zoomed out and isn't detailed enough to effectively convey this information. Solution. Junction view.
I would like to say that this isn't a bad feature. This is actually a really good feature. It is helpful. So, why do I call it a stupid feature? Because of the evolution it went through.
In order to appear more and more futuristic, junction view started becoming... more detailed. First it started with maybe showing trees near parks, water near ponds, or buildings in the city.
Whatever. But the problem is that these started to become realistic to an excessive amount. Enter PhotoReal Junction View.
This amount of detail is obsessive. Maybe in some locations it's helpful, but it just feels like wasted processing power to me. But that's why I love it so much. It's over the top, to the point where it becomes art.
Sadly, these features don't really exist anymore. They have been replaced by lane guidance, which is equally as helpful.
With that being said, having an unnecessary amount of detail isn't dead. Apple seems to be carrying this on with their detailed city experience.
I can see how this would be helpful, but it's still unnecessary. That's not all. If you're in China, the old junction view lives on.
I just wish I had to feed a virtual pet when using maps. More distractions, please!