Apple Campus Missing From MSN Earth

webguru4god writes "The Register has an article detailing a significant omission from Microsoft's new Virtual Earth application. Apparently the satellite image view of 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA shows a large empty lot, whereas Google Maps shows the sprawling Apple campus. Hmmm, I wonder if the Google campus is missing too?"

It's just an old map

The Microsoft picture is from pre-1994 as County Highway 85 does not exist south of Steven Creek Blvd. This part of the highway was opened in 1994. If you look closely, you can see that most of the land for the highway has been cleared, but none of it is paved.

Before Apple, the campus was the HQ of the now-defunct Four Phase Systems. The buidling was sufficiently damaged in the earthquake on 17 Oct 1989, that it was abandoned and eventually razed.

So much for conspiracy theories.

Re:It's just an old map

Interesting / amusing, however, that M$ uses 11 year old pictures for its maps. At least if it's a conspiracy they're a full decade behind on their grand master plan.

Re:I think that's just MS way

The Terraserver stuff was around LONG before Google started offering satellit imagery. Microsoft most certainly did not copy that particular aspect from Google.

Re:I think that's just MS way

Google's is all over the place as far as high vs. low resolution images. Champaign-Urbana [google.com] is in low-res, whereas there are a few high-res areas with tiny towns nearby (e.g. Homer [google.com] or Downs [google.com] ). Bloomington-Normal [google.com], just north-west of Downs, is surrounded on both sides by high-res blocks. In Peoria [google.com], East Peoria is low-res, West Peoria is high-res. Dawson, Buffalo and this little unnamed bundle of houses [google.com] are the most interesting things in a mostly empty block of high-res, whereas Decatur [google.com] just to the east is low-res.

Most of Grand Junction [google.com] is low-res (including my brother's house), but Redlands just to the west is in a strip of high-res.

The center of Lake Tahoe [google.com] is mostly high-res, whereas most of the surrounding area is low-res.

Re:I think that's just MS way

I've also read in the Register that the Twin Towers from WTC are still there.

Yup, still visible in the picture [msn.com]

Re:It's just an old map

I live about 10 miles or so from the Apple campus and Microsoft's imagery of my neighborhood is suprisingly up-to-date. On Google, the strip mall next door still exists and my old garage is still standing, making those images 5 to 10 years old. In Microsoft's images the strip mall has been replaced by the current small commercial complex and condos and my new garage with solar panels is clearly visible.

I find it amusing that in the span of ten miles in a dense urban/suburban area they could both have such vastly different images. Google has current images for Apple's campus and Microsoft has old images. Google has old images for my neighborhood and Microsoft has current images. Makes me want to start searching for the seam between modern and 10 years old just to see if they try to blend them or just have a gross cut between them.

(and no, I'm not going to post my home address for people to compare images. I'm just too paranoid to do that :)

Re:It's just an old map

In Microsoft's images the strip mall has been replaced by the current small commercial complex and condos and my new garage with solar panels is clearly visible.
...
(and no, I'm not going to post my home address for people to compare images. I'm just too paranoid to do that :)

I guess the solar panels on your new garage arent a dead give away....

Re:It's just an old map

Don't we already know where he is thanks to the tracking device in his fillings?

Google uses blending, Terraserver used cuts

Google maps uses a blending/fade from one set of images to another. My area is full of these seams - they line up pretty good but some of them show views during the summer and others were taken in the winter or fall time.

Terraserver, when they went from simply demonstrating the capabilities of SQL7 to actually maintaining it, they added new images. When they did this, they basically just plopped them in - there's obvious cuts in the map where the two sets line up. I haven't used the MSN images thing yet but when I used Terraserver back in '99 it was all black and white. They may have improved it since then.

The images look great in color on Google maps though, especially the summertime sets.

TerraServer Data

TerraServer's web satellite imagery server came out in the late 90's, with all the early 90's imagery from the USGS. The interface was similar to both of these map sites. And then Microsoft bought and took over TerraServer a year or so later. So, that's probably what's here. Rather than spend time getting data sources updated, perhaps they spent time rewriting all the image server software in .NET.

Seriously, though, Microsoft did the usual overkill, attempting to put too much into the user interface. Hence odd mouse controls, unnecessary zomming animation when a simple quick redraw at the new zoom level is preferred, etc.. More time spent on glitz than substance.

Re:TerraServer Data

I don't understand this elitism or prejudice against features just because it's Microsoft. The zooming was a feature i'd like to see in Google Maps, since i don't have to reload the map every step of the way. And the mouse controls -- odd? How? They were nice touches to a typical user like me.

Re:TerraServer Data

Indeed. I'm aware of that, and it's much better than seeing a bunch of blank squares. At least I can take in low-res info while waiting for the high-res to load. And might I add that MSN Earth's pictures zoom in much better than Google's? Even so, I still prefer Google Earth's searching. Google isn't better because it's not Microsoft -- It's better because it's better.

Not always Malicious

Eastman Kodak Company is 'deleted' from Google Maps. If you look you'll see that the entire park region and all buildings associated with it are 'gone'. All the imagery shows is the 30 meter resolution which is enough to tell you 'something brown' is present.

Why? Your guess is as good as mine, but we do have loads of chemicals in the plant. And seeing as they used to partner with the company that did the imagery, I can see some reasons why.

You'll also notice that the syracuse airport and the Rochester airport are both missing as well. The buffalo airport is present, as well as JFK.

Conspiracy to protect our softer targets? You decide.

Re:It's just an old map

The Register article even later points out that MSN have photos still showing the WTC (pre-9/11) - obviously old photos. Still, it doesn't stop them (and /.) having a sensationalist headline.

Real story ....

I completely agree - the real headline should be something like "Microsoft Virtual Earth Horribly out of Date"

Re:It's just an old map

Just a nit:

Apple's "sprawling" campus is actually quite a bit smaller than it used to be. The buildings in the Santa Clara Valley are now clustered around the intersection of Mariani St. and De Anza Blvd.

Instead of maintaining satellite buildings like customer service in Campbell and the printer and imaging group located in Sunnyvale, Apple pulled everything within a three-block radius of 1 Infinite Loop between 1996 and 1998. Just that single move seemed to wonders for corporate communications, although it was well underway when Steve came home.

Compared to many other large tech companies in the valley, Apple's "campus" is relatively small, but tightly integrated. For example, not only is there an excellent restaraunt in place of the old "Cafe Macs", but there is a relatively decent brew pub with a cute name in the parking lot and another beer/TV joint across the street.

What's new?

Like anything else in the technology world, Microsoft is behind the times a bit eh? :-) Either that, or Apple is testing a new version of their Reality Distortion Field that possesses visual enhancements on an entirely new level. I always knew that Apple has some great technology.

Seriously though, Microsoft's effort is still in development and what mattered to them was not the data per se, but the codebase behind the data as Microsoft is not interested (historically) in providing people with data or resources as much as they are interested in making money. Once the infrastructure is in place, Microsoft will wrap their map technology into other bits of software to sell GIS functionality in their handheld OS and other applications. It is an entirely different way of business than Google's model which wants to deliver information to people and make their product easy to use and informative even during development. They are smart enough to realize this approach builds a customer base much more effectively than if they were to get access to free, or almost free (and therefore less useful) data with which to populate their databases. It is an investment that has paid off along with their easy to use and intuitive interfaces deliver.

I estimate: 1989

Apple opened 1 Infinite Loop in 1991 - I remember the building went up very quickly but I don't think it took less than 2 yrs. Highway 85 from 280 to down to 101 opened in 1994 - major sections of it were paved and complete for almost a year before it opened though. If you zoom in on the area around Rainbow Drive you can see some sport where they've barely begun excavation - I think it was around 1987 when they "eminent domained" the last few nearby properties out of there.

Scrolling around the map you can also see some condo complexes completely missing, which were build around that time.

Based on these landmarks (and more) you can tell that MSN's data for cupertino and its surrounding area is over 15 years old! Pitiful!

They're from October 30, 1991

The MSN Earth photos are the same as TerraServerUSA, which says that the dataset in question was captured on October 30, 1991 [terraserverusa.com].

Not the only change....

This is a really interesting map. It's also missing the houses of everyone who was mean to Bill Gates in high school. The FSF headquarters have been replaced with a pirate ship, OSDL is replaced with an image of a black hole, and there's real time tracking of Linus Torvalds' location with a bullseye symbol.

- G

It's Biblical, laugh!

I know that most of you don't run IE but for those of us that do, Apple's HQ didn't appear as an empty lot, instead it looked like a fiery inferno with Jobs sitting on a throne of iPods!

I tried to find Google's campus on the map but all I could find was a serpent and a tree holding the most succulent fruit. Strange, I didn't think that their campus looked anything like that...

Microsoft's HQ, OTOH, was the Garden of Eden with little rabbits and naked nymphs running around. Bill was sitting there laughing because another person bought a copy of Windows and the fire grew brighter where Apple's HQ was supposed to be.

I was thinking God, I really need to switch to another browser, these exploits are of Biblical proportions and then I watched as Bill reached out from MSN Maps, grabbed me by the throat and said, "THEY AREN'T EXPLOITS!"

Scary!

older pics?

Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.
How suiting...Anyway, aren't the MSN pics pretty old compared to google's anyway?

Microsoft outsourcing...

Dangit, I told Bill not to outsource this project to those workers from that alternate universe!

For the lazy...

MSN's map [msn.com]
Google's Map [google.com]

Quote from Bill G...

"Apple's campus missing? I had not scheduled phase 3 of the plant to begin until November. SMITHERS, you idiot, we have tipped our hand again!"

Ignorance before Malisciousness

My theory is that this wasn't done on purpose, but it demonstrates that Google's sources are more "up to date" than Microsoft's.

As least, I hope so. Either way, it only erodes any kind of trust I'd have in a Microsoft solution for encyclopedias, maps, and so on. If they did it on purpose, then why should I trust them for anything? And if done in ignorance - then that means that their competitor has more accurate information.

Either way, it doesn't make Microsoft look good. Which, in a weird way, I almost feel bad about. I'd love to see Google with a real competitor if only because I like seeing competition, because it usually benefits me (the customer (but not consumer)) - but if Microsoft is only going to make a half-assed shot at it, then they may as well stay out of the game.

Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Google is much more evil

Whenever I look at maps from Google Earth, I see they've laser-etched "Google" all over the Earth's surface from space. I mean, they even charred my roof with the upper part of the L ferchrissake!

Evil or funny?

If Microsoft deleted Apple, it's an evil conspiracy. If someone else deleted Microsoft (C'mon Google! DOOOOO EEEEEET!) it'd be funny. Just 'cause Billy is a Borg doesn't mean that everyone at Microsoft is humorless.

Google Campus == Former SGI Campus

Hmmm, I wonder if the Google campus is missing too?

Google now occupies the SGI Shoreline campus. Not sure when that was built though.....

1998 or so

Google now occupies the SGI Shoreline campus. Not sure when that was built though.....
Google indeed occupies the four funky looking fromer Silicon Graphics Inc buildings on Shoreline Drive. These were built in the late 1990s. Right across the street to the south is the former home of Adobe (and occupied by Sun at one time too). SGI's first funky looking building is right off of 101 and was built in 1995, it's now home of the Computer History Museum. At one time SGI had almost 20 buildings in that area, some built in the early 1980s. SGI now lives in three newer buildings a few blocks away on Crittenden Drive built in about 2002. The whole shoreline area is a mix of buildings ranging from 1 to 25 years old.

Google is there

"I wonder if the Google campus is missing too?"

As kevcol [slashdot.org] pointed out, you can clearly see their campus [catatonic.org] - in fact, arguably it's more clear that Google's own version [catatonic.org] of the same spot.

After 3 Seconds of playing with MSN Virtual Earth

I found that MSN Virtual Earth fails to register your mouse button release. If you leave the map area with your mouse button clicked

ex:
Moving your cursor to the Tool bar in Mozilla/Firefox
Or to a different monitor if you are using IE...

When you return your cursor to the map, it will move without having to click your mouse...

Sweet.

Black Laser Technology

Steve Jobs's penchant for high absorptivity wardrobe combined with his obsession for personal privacy probably explains why MS sees nothing.

Really cool!

Wow, I just tried out the MSN maps thing for the first time, and I gotta say, it kicks ass! The way you can click-and-drag the map around is spectacular. And the way you can switch between the satellite view and the regular map is sweeeeeet!! Holy cow, you can even search for local businesses right on the map! WOW! Try it out -- just type in anything, like "hotels near lax" or "pizza" and prepare to be amazed!

See people, you guys badmouth Microsoft all the time, but these guys obviously know how to innovate! All you slashdot trolls just got PWNED by Microsoft, baby. WOOT!!1

</sarcasm>

Slashdot needs a new "Sensationalism" category

to hold stories of this nature, which wildly jump to erroneous conclusions.

Microsoft was apparently too cheap to purchase more recent satellite imagery so they got old, crappy data. Google's is more recent.

Nothing here to see folks except a few people with short attention spans that don't do adequate research.

The mods are to be blamed for this. Just today I had a story rejected that had more information than the one published, but it wasn't as pointed in its title.

On Microsoft TerraServer

The data of the same picture states that it was taken October 30, 1991 [microsoft.com]

Apple Cloaking Devices working Properly

ignore the large complex of buildings you see before you, they are not on MSFT's radar ... or Google's ...

Other things that are missing

Of course, Australia is missing from the Microsoft maps as well but somehow that seems less notable than... a couple of acres on the west coast of the US?

Stuck in a loop.

Obviously, the MSN earth server didn't like the concept of drawing an infinite loop.

Bill's house seems to be there...

Of course MSN [msn.com] gets you a much better view than Google [google.com]. I mean come on, where do you think your boss would look first?

Still I'll admit that I Googled [google.com] for the address and got a hit without even having to drill down!