Snippet: Inside Apple’s New Vector-Based Maps in iOS 6 ☇

Daniel Eran Dilger from AppleInsider takes a look at why Apple’s new mapping system is going to lead to a better user experience, and possibly less data usage:

Even better, highly efficient vector maps allows Apple to load up a large area of maps you can continue to zoom into even after you’ve entered Airplane Mode. This means that if you load a map of San Francisco then turn off network access, you can still zoom in and out all over a very large surrounding area without getting Google’s zoomed in jaggies and blank grid spaces.

Apple’s iOS 6 Maps app still complains when there’s no data connection, but it will let you continue to zoom in and out of nearby areas you haven’t even previously visited, because it can continue to smoothly render the efficiently lean vector map data it has loaded.

After loading San Francisco and going offline, one can browse over 300 miles (480 km) south (nearly to Los Angeles), 335 miles (540 km) north to the Oregon border, and 300 miles east to the middle of Nevada, down to the primary city street level (in sharp detail but with few road labels).

This will be very handy for those who travel through EDGE or congested network areas.