When Apple’s new map launched with a noticeable coverage break across California...

...it seemed as if Southern California would be the next area that Apple would expand to.

But it wasn’t.

Instead, Apple’s first expansion was to a group of islands half an ocean away (and as far from Cupertino as the Carolina Coast):

So why Hawaii?

The simplest answer is that Hawaii was actually the first state completed by Apple’s collection vehicles:

Given its year-round good weather and relative isolation, Hawaii was likely an ideal location for Apple to test its data collection vehicles without attracting unwanted attention or scrutiny.

After adding Hawaii, Apple’s new map now covers 3.3% of the U.S.’s area...

...and 5.3% of its population: