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KieranDotW

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 12, 2012
623
68
Canada
Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA:

peg1-stars-hollywood-sign.jpg


"Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA" in Apple Maps:

w7FiMJB.jpg


"Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA" in Google Maps:

4LuBBi1.png


Which one seems more accurate to you? Go ahead and try it yourself.

And before anyone asks, no, I'm not saying Apple Maps are perfect either. I haven't had any issues myself, but the issues are definitely out there. I'm just sick of tired of people pointing out Apple's flaws like Google doesn't have any.
 

DavidBlack

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2013
606
239
Somewhere In Apple's HQ ;)
Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA:

Image

"Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA" in Apple Maps:

Image

"Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA" in Google Maps:

Image

Which one seems more accurate to you? Go ahead and try it yourself.

And before anyone asks, no, I'm not saying Apple Maps are perfect either. I haven't had any issues myself, but the issues are definitely out there. I'm just sick of tired of people pointing out Apple's flaws like Google doesn't have any.

Just did lol nobody is prefect!
 

Dented

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2009
1,119
899
I'm not a big maps user but last week I was in a strange (UK) town and needed to find the post office. Having accepted the general wisdom that Google Maps knows best, I searched the app for "post office" and it tried to tell me the nearest one was about five miles away, in a residential area.

There may well have been a small sub office there of course, but as luck would have it I then found the large town centre post office just a few shops down from where I'd been. Just out of curiosity I fired up Apple Maps and asked it the same question; it immediately dropped a pin down exactly where I was standing.

Now I know, this is just one example and google's strike rate is no doubt higher overall - but for me it did give the lie to the general assumption that google maps is unassailable and apple's is wrong in all things.
 

quietstormSD

macrumors 65816
Mar 2, 2010
1,224
584
San Diego, CA
Yeah, but search for an everyday item, like a McDonald's or 7-eleven. Google Maps search and POIs are far better than Apple Maps search and POIs.

Apple does get points for ooh's and ah's of landmark type stuff, with their 3D layout etc. But for finding places in everyday situations, Google Maps I believe is far better.

Google maps as you can see doesn't have an address for the location so it is just putting the location at the middle of Los Angeles

Now I'm sounding like a Google Maps apologist lol
 

deannnnn

macrumors 68020
Jun 4, 2007
2,090
625
New York City & South Florida
Nobody has ever once claimed Google Maps to be perfect. There is no such thing as perfect maps in a world that is constantly changing, but are some significantly better and more accurate than others? Absolutely.
 

surjavarman

macrumors 6502a
Nov 24, 2007
645
2
This thread is a huge fail. Google maps is significantly better than apple maps. Stop being so biased. Jesus man the fanboyism here gets worse by the day
 

AstralShane

macrumors newbie
Jan 25, 2013
12
0
In order to make maps the best possible experience, Apple needs their own personal satellite in orbit scanning the earth every other day. These scans would then be "feed" to the Maps app via automatic micro updates, only pertaining to an iOS Device's most common location. For example: If a device is located in Cupertino, CA, then the device would only download the latest Cupertino map updates. If the iOS moves to another area, then it could ask the user if s/he wanted to download the latest map data for that area.....

With 100+ billion in the banks, Apple could afford it; probably costs a dime to them.
 

Random 995K

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2012
295
0
This thread is a huge fail. Google maps is significantly better than apple maps. Stop being so biased. Jesus man the fanboyism here gets worse by the day

It's seriously not better, the UI is unpleasant and doesn't have Siri and also isn't native to ios. I prefer apple maps and so do many other people. Also not to mention fly over. Google maps is slightly more accurate but those added features and the smoothness/UI makes apple maps the better choice IMHO.
 
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Futurix

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2011
591
684
Strasbourg, France
Flyover is a gimmick! It's a thing that you check once or twice and then go back to 2D view because it is actually useful. And in 2D view Google Maps wins by a huge margin (at least on UK, France, and Germany).

Apple Maps still has every single one of the errors that I reported 1 day after it was released!
 

Purant

macrumors 6502
Aug 26, 2012
305
0
It's seriously not better, the UI is unpleasant and doesn't have Siri and also isn't native to ios. I prefer apple maps and so do many other people. Also not to mention fly over. Google maps is slightly more accurate but those added features and the smoothness/UI makes apple maps the better choice IMHO.

They are talking about the mapping data themselves not the GUI/presentation aspects.

In general apple's GUI for their maps app was generally well regarded, it was the mapping data and POIs that were (are) the problem.

I usually try to use Apple's maps, and if I can't find what I'm searching for I then open Google Maps (or just browse to maps, before the app was available). This happens way more often than I would like it to and that is the problem with Apple Maps.

Apple even issued an apology for the maps, so, can we stop debating on the quality of the mapping data? Google's are not perfect either, but Apple's are definitely worse. They will get better in time. Meanwhile we have a google maps app as well. So let it go.
 

Random 995K

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2012
295
0
They are talking about the mapping data themselves not the GUI/presentation aspects.

In general apple's GUI for their maps app was generally well regarded, it was the mapping data and POIs that were (are) the problem.

I usually try to use Apple's maps, and if I can't find what I'm searching for I then open Google Maps (or just browse to maps, before the app was available). This happens way more often than I would like it to and that is the problem with Apple Maps.

Apple even issued an apology for the maps, so, can we stop debating on the quality of the mapping data? Google's are not perfect either, but Apple's are definitely worse. They will get better in time. Meanwhile we have a google maps app as well. So let it go.

Yeah I agree, I wasn't aware we were discussing the accuracy part only.
 

Heb 7:4

macrumors regular
Jun 11, 2011
115
0
It's not that google maps are perfect, it's that apple maps are poor. That doesn't mean there aren't some occasions when apple maps will give a better result, but it's heavily skewed the other way.

I've just moved from London to Dubai, and apple maps is absolutely shocking in both places.
 

DMH3006

macrumors regular
Jun 16, 2011
231
0
In my experience if you know how to get there but don't know exactly know how things look(for example you know to follow this and that route and all of that) Apple's Maps are better here for that.
If you want to know where restaurants are Google's got way more restaurants showing up although for some reason most of those aren't really there(either closed or theres others stores in those locations and people say there was never a restaurant there) or it confuses hospitals with police stations(pretty weird)

Conclusion(here at least): if you've never been to a place and want to know what stores there are there or something like that,Googles the way to go,just looking at places and navigation I prefer Apples one.
 

Stampyhead

macrumors 68020
Sep 3, 2004
2,294
30
London, UK
It's not that google maps are perfect, it's that apple maps are poor. That doesn't mean there aren't some occasions when apple maps will give a better result, but it's heavily skewed the other way.

I've just moved from London to Dubai, and apple maps is absolutely shocking in both places.

That's so strange, I must be visiting all the wrong (or right) places. I've used Apple maps all around London and many other areas in the UK and it has so far been 100% accurate for me.
That said, I think all of this arguing about maps is a bit silly. I use both Apple and Google maps and I like them both. One doesn't have to fail for the other one to be viable. Choice is a good thing.
 

The Phazer

macrumors 68030
Oct 31, 2007
2,997
930
London, UK
That's so strange, I must be visiting all the wrong (or right) places. I've used Apple maps all around London and many other areas in the UK and it has so far been 100% accurate for me.

At this point you must be flat out lying.

Going by the example earlier in the thread, if you type Post Office into the search box in London on Apple Maps there are a grand total of two in the search radius, both of which are labelled as having an approximate location.

I do not think there are only two post offices in west London.
 

Ashin

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2010
959
201
Neither is right.

If I'm searching for "Hollywood Sign" the business, then Google is in fact perfect, and I'd think to myself "Wow, Apple maps sure do suck"
 

Bahroo

macrumors 68000
Jul 21, 2012
1,860
2
This thread is a huge fail. Google maps is significantly better than apple maps. Stop being so biased. Jesus man the fanboyism here gets worse by the day

Google Maps is only 2% more accurate in the US then Apple Maps, but Google Maps defitnetly outshines Apple Maps in other countries
 
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