Google Maps Street View Update: Service More Comprehensive, Gets 'Biggest Update' Ever

After parting ways with Apple, Google is showing off its strength by making it's maps "more comprehensive" with the "biggest...update ever."

Google's Street View Program Manager Ulf Spitzer on Thursday announced that the company will be doubling its number of special collections and updating over 250,000 mils of roads around the world.

Macau, Singapore, Sweden, the U.S., Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Canada will have increased street view coverage. Special collections are expected to be launched in South Africa, Japan, Spain, France, Brazil and Mexico, among others.

"Street View, as you know, is a useful resource when you're planning a route or looking for a destination, but it can also magically transport you to some of the world's picturesque and culturally significant landmarks," Spitzer said.

Google Maps has been updated to include parks, city centers, castles and tourist attractions. The update will include Catherine Palace and Ferapontov monastery in Russia, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan, the Stanley Park in Vancouver and the urban jungle of Singapore's Fort Canning Park.

Google Maps will also include images from inside Helsingør in Denmark and its surroundings.

"We hope you enjoy taking a virtual stroll around some of the world's beautiful places, and stay tuned for more Street View updates as we look to make our maps more comprehensive and useful for you," he said.

Last week, google made Street View available on mobile browsers and users can use panoramic, street-level imagery to explore and navigate places. Transit, driving, biking and walking directions continue to be available on the mobile browser.

Apple ditched Google and created its own map system and has come under much criticism. According to Apple, there are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps.

"We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better," Apple's CEO Tim Cook said.

Cook said that while Apple is improving Maps, users can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.