Apple is a company that holds plenty of patents, and this we know for sure. In fact, Cupertino has recently applied for a patent which will make use of various layers of information that have been obtained from the Internet, where users will be presented with what could very well be a “layered” map. Depending on your needs, the different layers could be made up of one for commuting, another one for the weather, while yet another points to tourist hangouts. The map itself can show off the user’s existing location, and to show off just how useful this could be in actual action, Apple did mention a scenario in its filing, citing a person viewing the weather-centric map, while noticing that a storm is brewing. With this “invention”, he will then make the switch over to a different layer, checking out a nearby shopping mall to obtain shelter from the incoming storm.
Not exactly a no-brainer of a move which you obviously do not need to have an app to help you out in the first place, but the usefulness would come in handy if you happen to be in an unfamiliar area, or are going through a Walking Dead class zombie apocalypse. Not only that, Apple also intends to make keyword searches smarter by taking context into consideration. For instance, typing “food” when you are in hiking mode will see results pointing you to camping supply stores. Pretty neat, eh?