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Google Moving Closer to Submitting Maps App for iOS as Eddy Cue Works to Improve Apple's Maps

John.B

John.B

macrumors 601
Jan 15, 2008
4,193
705
Holocene Epoch
As long as it shuts up the Googlephiles, I'm all for it, but there is no way in hell that it's going to get installed on our iPhones.

In the mean time, for anyone who wants Google maps or Street View on iOS 6, they can get them here: maps.google.com
 
X

xofruitcake

macrumors 6502a
Mar 15, 2012
632
9
KPOM said:
True. However, if it comes with free turn-by-turn navigation, that will be a feature Google never provided before. Maybe it will work out for the best in the end. We'll have Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Nokia Maps, all with turn-by-turn, at no additional cost.
Click to expand...

heh heh, agreed. I was laughing so hard when I read this news. Look like Google decide to fold on this map "war" now that Apple map is improving and Nokia map is on the horizon. Google want to hold Apple hostage because they have superior map apps and try to use the turn by turn to get Apple to agree branding Google map and most importantly insert Google Latitude into the IOS device. Google latitude is a big deal. It is the base for future location base apps. Essentially Google want to control IOS map direction in anything relate to location dependent function. Now if Google is putting the map back into IOS without getting anything in return. They are essentially folding and decided that they need to save the revenue generated by the map instead of trying to make in road in controlling IOS future.. I guess Apple win this round of corporate poker playing. If I were running Apple, I would just sit on the app application for 6 to 9 months until Nokia map or Apple map are fully entrench before approving the Google map app .. And users will get a deal out of this chaos with 3 map choices next year... What is not to love about it....


http://allthingsd.com/20120926/apple-google-maps-talks-crashed-over-voice-guided-directions/

Spoken turn-by-turn navigation has been a free service offered through Google’s Android mobile OS for a few years now. But it was never part of the deal that brought Google’s Maps to iOS. And sources say Apple very much wanted it to be. Requiring iPhone users to look directly at handsets for directions and manually move through each step — while Android users enjoyed native voice-guided instructions — put Apple at a clear disadvantage in the mobile space. And having chosen Google as its original mapping partner, the iPhone maker was now in a position where an archrival was calling the shots on functionality important to the iOS maps feature set.

......

And if there were terms under which it might have agreed to do so, Apple wasn’t offering them. Sources tell AllThingsD that Google, for example, wanted more say in the iOS maps feature set. It wasn’t happy simply providing back-end data. It asked for in-app branding. Apple declined. It suggested adding Google Latitude. Again, Apple declined. And these became major points of contention between the two companies, whose relationship was already deteriorating for a variety of other reasons, including Apple’s concern that Google was gathering too much user data from the app.
 
John.B

John.B

macrumors 601
Jan 15, 2008
4,193
705
Holocene Epoch
Namjins said:
If Google includes turn-by-turn in their app now, why didn't they just do it before? Wasn't Google's refusal to include this feature, part of the reason Apple dropped their maps app in the first place? :confused:
Click to expand...

And this way Google doesn't get payment from Apple for the Google Maps.

On top of all of the advertising revenue (and let's be clear, it's future advertising revenue that's the issue) that Google lost when Apple's Maps went live with iOS 6.
 
RemE

RemE

macrumors regular
Mar 19, 2012
213
223
Apple maps have been interesting, especially with Siri control, "Navigate Home", "Navigate to Natraj Tandoori" and away you go, pretty usefull stuff that I've not gotten from my expensive mapper apps.

BUT, Apple, please consider adding a NIGHT MODE, I frickken hate a bright white screen at night, seems like a basic feature, really.

Looking forward to seeing what Google can do, I'd gladly pay something for a decent app if they add the value that Google could bring.
 
S

shurcooL

macrumors 6502a
Jan 24, 2011
938
117
The main benefit of Google Maps app at this point would be if you rely on their transit navigation, something Apple Maps lacks outright.
 
D

dempson

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2007
117
14
Wellington, New Zealand
Namjins said:
If Google includes turn-by-turn in their app now, why didn't they just do it before?
Click to expand...

The Maps app in iOS 5 and earlier is written by Apple, not Google. Apple licensed the data displayed by that version of the Maps app from Google. Apple's licence to use the data did not permit them to implement turn-by-turn navigation.

Same goes for the YouTube app built in to iOS 5 and earlier - it was written by Apple.

Wasn't Google's refusal to include this feature, part of the reason Apple dropped their maps app in the first place? :confused:
Click to expand...

The rumour is that Apple wanted turn-by-turn navigation, but Google wasn't willing to allow Apple to offer that feature in Apple's own app, without Apple giving Google something else in return (such as gathering more data from iOS map users, or showing more targetted ads supplied by Google). Apple wasn't willing to compromise on those points, so they decided to switch to their own map data instead of continuing to use Google's data.

If the Google Maps app is eventually released, it will of course be doing all the things that Google wanted and Apple didn't want. At least users will have a choice whether to get the Google Maps app and its different set of map data (usually better at the moment), but in return have to submit to yet more data collection by Google. This is not likely to be obvious to the average user.
 
tdtran1025

tdtran1025

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2011
275
0
Once a dominant player, G Maps is no longer a crowned king. Turn-by-turn feature on Android is subpar compared to Waze or other paid products. With Apple Maps continue to improve, and the imminent release of Nokia's HERE, it may be a little too late for Google to win mindshare, all for the deadly mistake of holding back TBT feature for iOS. Last but not least, map cache needs to improve for offline nav in no signal situations.
 
U

Undecided

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2005
704
168
California
I don't know. The new maps app has worked just fine for me. I know, I know, that doesn't mean that it is fine for everyone.

Although, it doesn't seem to incorporate traffic info too well. If I want to navigate around traffic, I'll use Waze.
 
maxwelltech

maxwelltech

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2011
423
104
Irvine, CA, USA
Please Google, release the Maps app soon. Apple Maps is slowly killing me now, forcing me to use your mobile site. Hope you will come up with an iPad YouTube app as well!
 
kdarling

kdarling

macrumors P6
Jun 9, 2007
17,373
5,924
First university coding class = 47 years ago
Namjins said:
If Google includes turn-by-turn in their app now, why didn't they just do it before? Wasn't Google's refusal to include this feature, part of the reason Apple dropped their maps app in the first place? :confused:
Click to expand...

Supposedly one of the deal breakers was that Google wanted to have their Latitude service available on the iPhone, in return for navigation and vector maps. Apple refused.

As for dropping Google maps altogether, many people think a major factor was simply that Apple is in the process of trying to get away from too much dependence on its new competitors (Samsung and Google).
 
W

w0by

macrumors regular
Apr 29, 2007
158
2
Chicago, IL
Maps!

If Apple were to deny Google's great maps and turn-by-turn directions, I will sell my iphone and get an android. Google's voice on the turn-by-turns sounds like a real human, it's cool as heck!
 
NinjaHERO

NinjaHERO

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2008
972
1,253
U S of A
I hope Apple lets this and other similar apps into the store. Not only would I like to have some options, but competition will push all of them to get better, including Apple maps.
 
nuckinfutz

nuckinfutz

macrumors 603
Jul 3, 2002
5,539
399
Middle Earth
Radio said:
Cool - cay! Don't let the door hit u on your way out!

We miss street view and most importantly DATA on poi locations!!

Who gives a flying f about flyover?!?!

NOBODY! That's who!
Click to expand...

I can do Street View from a browser. POI can easily be added on or I can leverage something like Foursquare's data.

Apple did the right thing wrt to Maps on iOS and if so many people weren't on their knees giving Google a Bravo Juliet they'd wipe off their mouth and do some research.
 
K

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,024
7,867
Undecided said:
I thought the older maps app was actually made by Apple, and just accessed Google's maps data....?
Click to expand...

True, but Apple would have needed to negotiate access to Google's data in order to implement turn-by-turn navigation.
 
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