Google Escalates the Competition in Map Services - NYTimes.com

A couple unifying themes

"On Wednesday, Google unveiled a new Google Maps, by far the biggest redesign since it introduced Maps eight years ago. Google announced the maps at its annual I/O developers conference, where it also showed off new tools for search, photo editing and to-do lists, along with a music service and features for Android and Chrome apps. Many of the announcements had an undercurrent — one-upping Apple. From its new music and photo services to maps to voice commands that rival Siri on the iPhone, Google seemed to be offering alternatives to Apple products.
But the new maps service was the biggest announcement."

Google Escalates the Competition in Map Services - NYTimes.com