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Apple Campus Missing From MSN Earth

Posted by timothy on from the take-a-memo-take-a-joke dept.

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?"

6 of 413 comments (clear)

  1. It's just an old map by winkydink · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  2. I estimate: 1989 by seanadams.com · · Score: 5, Informative

    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!

  3. For the lazy... by op12 · · Score: 5, Informative

    MSN's map
    Google's Map

  4. Re:I think that's just MS way by SmittyTheBold · · Score: 5, Informative

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

    --
    ± 29 dB
  5. Re:I think that's just MS way by BeerCat · · Score: 5, Informative

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

    Yup, still visible in the picture

    --
    "She's furniture with a pulse"
  6. Re:I think that's just MS way by tricorn · · Score: 4, Informative

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

    Most of Grand Junction 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 is mostly high-res, whereas most of the surrounding area is low-res.