Google Maps 2014 For Desktop overviews & Features

Google announced today that new google maps will make its way to desktops for all of its users as the default option.

Google announced the new version at its I/O developer conference last year. Many have been previewing the redesign since May and have switched between the two versions. As of now, majority of users are still using the old one but Google will slowly transfer everybody over to the new Google Maps. The roll out is set to be complete after a few weeks.

For users who would like to stay with the old one, you can switch there for the time being but it is very likely that once the roll out of the new version is completed, the old version will be turned off.

The new version is basic just like the original. What’s improved is the speed and clutter. The company also brought back the pegman and multiple destination routing features as well as the new 3D Earth tours along with the integration of traffic accident data and real-time traffic reports and Street View previews. The new version is completely personalized for every user. For example, it automatically highlight related places when you select a restaurant in the vicinity.

The new version is vector based whereas the old version used satellite imagery which basically downloads PNG every time. The new version allows for real-time changes and reduces the amount of bandwidth needed.