Discussion
RE: https://attractive.space/@Setok/117554916391984520
Not trying to defend Apple or anyone else here but some due diligence on this claim seems in order:
Do we know Apple Maps actually did serve the more current images at some point and that this was indeed rolled back to an earlier version?
I mean, showing outdated images, especially of Gaza, when newer ones are available is still bad, but it's a different kind of bad than deliberately rolling them back.
I know this *feels* like something a company like Apple would do, and I wouldn't be surprised, if they actually did this. But that shouldn't stop us from taking a second look and checking whether the information presented really supports that assumption.
@aesthr we, or at least I don't know. It is indeed possible Apple has simply not updated the images for some years, as they can be quite slow in updating satellite imagery.
Edited the post to reflect that very valid point, but kept the image as a shocking reminder of 'before' and 'after'. Particularly if you go to both Maps applications and scroll around. A vast area has been laid to waste.
@Setok thanks for the edit. I think this is a great example of how something that feels like it could be true impacts how critical we examine information presented to us.
and yes, the destruction is unimaginable
@aesthr I'd also not be surprised if that's the kind of situation that would trip the QA steps on a processing pipeline. 99% of the pixels in this location are different to before? that's probably an error, or clouds that slipped through the cloud filter, reject it and move on.
I tried looking into this a bit but all I can find is people comparing Google Maps to Apple Maps (some also lying about which one is which while clearly identifiable UI elements are in the screenshot, like this one here)
What matters is the comparison between Apple Maps today and Apple Map at an earlier date.