Microsoft seen moving away from HERE Maps 3D imagery in latest Windows 10 Insiders builds

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by Radu Tyrsina 

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If you have been using the Windows 10 Maps app on the latest Insider builds recently, you may have spotted that 3D buildings now look slightly different. More precisely, it seems that the realistic 3D imagery for popular buildings and monuments is gone, being replaced by less impressive vector block artwork (via WindowsBlogItalia).

The app still use the data from HERE Maps though, and it’s not exactly clear when Microsoft introduced the new 3D style. In the pictures below, you can see how the Eiffel Tower is rendered in the latest version of the app for Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring (5.1611.10447.0) compared to the current version on the production ring (5.1611.3342.0).

Windows Maps version 5.1611.3342.0.
The 3D imagery still present in the current version of the app.
Windows Maps version 5.1611.10447.0
The Eiffel Tower is now barely recognizable.

While the new look could appear as a regression right now, moving away from the old HERE data could give Microsoft more control over its 3D imagery going forward. Building 3D maps is hard (remember the disastrous launch of Apple Maps back in 2012), but the app remains perfectly usable as of today. Hopefully, Microsoft will improve how points of interests look in the future. Let us know in the comments if you spotted other additions in the Windows 10 Maps app recently.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.