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Google Has Not Yet Submitted a Google Maps App to Apple [Update]
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I may be in the minority, but I actually like apple maps. Navigation works perfectly, and its nice and clean.
Well, there are two party false assumptions in this.
First, most of the people in this discussion are vastly underestimating the negative impact Apple Maps have worldwide. Parts of the USA may be ok, some maybe even better than Google Maps, but other countries are a disaster. People all around the world who used to depend on Google Maps on their iPhones will have a very tough time ahead of them.
Second, iOS does not have the same market presence worldwide as it has in the US. Therefore, a lot of US Apple fans assume, based on what they see in the US, that Google should strive to "convert" iOS users to Android. But worldwide, the situation is much different, as there are millions (billions) of users still using featurephones. And those are the ones that both Apple and Google are targeting the most. And when those millions of people will choose their first smartphone, they want one which has all the functionality they expect, including maps that cover their countries. And guess which one they will choose when they compare iOS and Android? The amount of users Google can gain this way (by maybe not releasing a iOS app) is much much bigger than what they can gain from current iOS users.
FFS. No! Because Apple Maps is included.
People who are whining about not updating to iOS6 until Google release an app, have any of you ACTUALLY used Apple maps? Or are you basing your opinions on that damn tumblr blog?!
Canada is really BAD
Umm no .. the maps in Ontario are REALLY BAD outside the GTA.
- In Ontario virtually all small towns north of Barrie are completely missing.
- Virtually all small towns south of Barrie put the pin in the wrong location.
- This makes it useless.
The new Maps Search feature is unable to find towns that the old maps could - and consistently provides really bad search results.
For example:
Searching for Alban Ontario drops a pin on "Albany Pizza" in Toronto when it should place a pin on the town of Alban Ontario.
2. It seems like most smaller towns in Ontario are missing or misplaced.
For example:
On the old maps a search for "Britt Station" shows the correct location in northern Ontario, on Apple Maps it drops a point on Iowa State USA which is not just wrong but in the wrong country as well !!!
3. Traffic overlays do not seem to work like it used to. I mean if you compare the traffic data from Google Maps it is almost totally different. Apple Maps says traffic is flowing smoothly, Google says there is congestion.
4. Pins don't seem to be centered in town. For example a search for Port Perry Ontario puts the pin on Scugog Island 10km outside of town.
5. There are no more walking trails. Ontario is loaded with walking trails - the Lake Ontario trail system, Durham forest etc. Apple Maps does not have walking trail data.
I could go on and on ... it's really bad in Canada outside of the cities. And in the cities the Pins never drop on the exact spot.
Umm no .. the maps in Ontario are REALLY BAD outside the GTA.
- In Ontario virtually all small towns north of Barrie are completely missing.
- Virtually all small towns south of Barrie put the pin in the wrong location.
- This makes it useless.
The new Maps Search feature is unable to find towns that the old maps could - and consistently provides really bad search results.
For example:
Searching for Alban Ontario drops a pin on "Albany Pizza" in Toronto when it should place a pin on the town of Alban Ontario.
2. It seems like most smaller towns in Ontario are missing or misplaced.
For example:
On the old maps a search for "Britt Station" shows the correct location in northern Ontario, on Apple Maps it drops a point on Iowa State USA which is not just wrong but in the wrong country as well !!!
3. Traffic overlays do not seem to work like it used to. I mean if you compare the traffic data from Google Maps it is almost totally different. Apple Maps says traffic is flowing smoothly, Google says there is congestion.
4. Pins don't seem to be centered in town. For example a search for Port Perry Ontario puts the pin on Scugog Island 10km outside of town.
5. There are no more walking trails. Ontario is loaded with walking trails - the Lake Ontario trail system, Durham forest etc. Apple Maps does not have walking trail data.
I could go on and on ... it's really bad in Canada outside of the cities. And in the cities the Pins never drop on the exact spot.
If Apple makes such a big deal out of it and then it turns out that half of that only works in select countries and on top of that maps are of very poor quality in quiter a few places and on top of that you can't even get a "so so" gps location.
This makes any application that uses maps useless rigth now for many people, including me.
Long story short: deliver or don't make it at all. Issues people are having usally should be fixed in the initial testing phase.
Get used to Apple Maps??? Would you get used to drive your car without the wheels ? I dont think so.
Apple Maps is worth quality that stuff that was there in the late 90'ths
Apple really should have kept Google maps until their own version was at least useable. It's my one gripe about the new phone...The maps are utterly useless...Why incorporate a BETA version in IOS6? Would have been better to wait and polish the app first.
In my area of the UK the images are truly appalling, I would have happily waited until they had produced something of good quality...It's not as if they don't have the resources, but building a large image database takes time...Remember all those Google trucks?..
They probably knew where 'Duncaster' was.
And thats why you're not Google. Try to remember what Google sells, and where they get it from.
I used Google Maps everyday. So yes I used Apple Maps - and it's worhtless. So now Im on Galaxy S3 for everydag use till they get it fixed. See no reason not to. iPhone has nothing it doenst.
I'll stay with iPhone 4S - the longer screen on the iPhone 5 (yes I have one) is just dumb to handle. Why make it longer and not wider? Photos CRAP - Apps CRAP... Video... Okay. The rest just dumb :-/ And on photos it looks good. In real life it just looks as a joke :-/
But my daugther is happy - she got the 5
And she likes everything about it. Damn fangirl :-D
No. The people who are bashing maps are just bandwagoners who hate Apple and can't form opinions for themselves.
I USED IT TO GO DOWN THE STREET THE OTHER DAY AND IT WAS PERFECT!
Apple maps is pretty much useless, because I simply don't trust it to give me accurate information. I got lost over the weekend using apple maps and had to use google maps via safari to get me where I needed to go. Disappointed that apple decided to punish google at the expense of the user experience
Apple Maps are completely unusable were I live.
I tried Apple Maps with a friend's iPhone 4S updated to iOS 6 (they're probably switching to Android since they can't restore their iPhone back to iOS 5) and on an actual iPhone 5 in store. Apple Maps feels faster than the iOS 5 Maps but the map itself is completely unusable.
My own bugbear with Apple Maps is that major town names are entirely missing but yet it displays tiny villages OK. I'm living in Kenilworth (UK) and around the immediate area we have Leamington Spa, Warwick and Stratford-On-Avon. Of these only Leamington is actually shown and even then its "Royal Spa", which won't appear on any sign posts. The only other places shown are little villages, like Stoneleigh and Hatton, both of which are "blink and you'll miss it" in size. How on earth can something so basic as showing major towns not have been implemented?
I tend to think that your own mileage with Maps depends on where you live. However, for my local area they are pretty useless.
I'm not about to jump ship to Android but Apple does have 1-year to get the matter sorted out to an acceptable level. After that my contract will have expired and I'll be choosing a new phone. Normally I wouldn't consider Android but this issue really does give pause for thought.
I tend to think that your own mileage with Maps depends on where you live. However, for my local area they are pretty useless.
I'm not about to jump ship to Android but Apple does have 1-year to get the matter sorted out to an acceptable level. After that my contract will have expired and I'll be choosing a new phone. Normally I wouldn't consider Android but this issue really does give pause for thought.
Talked to Apple Support About It
When I asked support why a search for "Priceville Ontario" dropped a pin on "Riceville Rd." about 800 miles west of the actual town of Priceville Ontario Apple Support told me to go to Settings and reset my location services and try again!!!
Then they suggested I click on report a problem and then drag the pin to the correct location - but the program switches over to satellite view at that point.
Unfortunately north of Toronto Ontario most of the satellite view is in black and white and really blurry. So this makes it impossible to actually drag the pin to the correct location to report a problem!!!!
When I asked support why a search for "Priceville Ontario" dropped a pin on "Riceville Rd." about 800 miles west of the actual town of Priceville Ontario Apple Support told me to go to Settings and reset my location services and try again!!!
Then they suggested I click on report a problem and then drag the pin to the correct location - but the program switches over to satellite view at that point.
Unfortunately north of Toronto Ontario most of the satellite view is in black and white and really blurry. So this makes it impossible to actually drag the pin to the correct location to report a problem!!!!
Don't bother crossing the border into Ontario ... maps may send you hundreds of miles out of your way ... sounds like it's great in the USA but really poor everywhere else including your neighbours here in Canada.
No. The people who are bashing maps are just bandwagoners who hate Apple and can't form opinions for themselves.
I USED IT TO GO DOWN THE STREET THE OTHER DAY AND IT WAS PERFECT!
Sorry to hop in on your argument here but have you considered the possibility that just because it works in your area, it doesnt mean it works everywhere else.
Take the UK - it's not just slightly inaccurate here and there, its plain wrong. They have towns 50+ miles away from where they are supposed to be, they havent even bothered to map residential streets in some towns.
The whole 'fine for me' argument doesn't wash. It's been proven to be wildly inaccurate for a hell of a lot of areas.
Even the biggest koolaid drinker must admit that Apple Maps, in its current form is a complete mess.
If it had been released as a Beta, then I'd have a bit more sympathy for Apple, but they released it as a finished product, and marketed the crap out of it, knowing full well that it was nowhere near good enough.
We need you Google, you are our only hope in the mapping wars!
If Microsoft was smart, they would already have a dedicated Bing Maps app on iOS, because while I always use Googles maps, I have to admit that Microsofts rotating "birds eye" aerials (although not perfect) are very useful, and a unique feature.
If Microsoft was smart, they would already have a dedicated Bing Maps app on iOS, because while I always use Googles maps, I have to admit that Microsofts rotating "birds eye" aerials (although not perfect) are very useful, and a unique feature.
Yeah, because rushing something as important as a Maps service before it's ready would be idiotic. (I'm looking at you, Apple)
I continue to be amazed at the emotional investment these fanboys have for Apple and how they can turn a blind eye and defend even the worst missteps by Apple. Definitely akin to a religious cult. Very sad indeed.I don't know why so many people are defending Apple Maps based on their success on a few common routes they take. It's not like other people who are reporting problems are making things up, the inaccuracies and errors are there...refusing to acknowledge it won't make the app any better in the long run. Hoping Apple will eventually pull this off, but no point denying that it's just inadequate as a full release map app right now.
Next thing you know, people will be defending the lack of map detail as intentional "minimalist apple look".
Google services like Map api's may be free for those that are not for profit, but definitely not for big companies like Apple.