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Key Maps Engineer Chris Blumenberg Leaving Apple for Uber

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Chris Blumenberg, a key Apple engineer who has long worked on Maps for iOS and OS X, is leaving the company to take a position with Uber, according to a report by The Information. Blumenberg is the latest of a number of departures from Apple's Maps team, which has been suffering from internal politics.

Blumenberg is a 14-year veteran of Apple, initially working on Safari for OS X and later iOS. He famously built a version of Maps for iOS in just a few weeks in late 2006 so that Steve Jobs could demo it at the iPhone introduction in January 2007. For the last six years, Blumenberg has managed the Maps Apps & Frameworks group, overseeing a team of at least 40 employees handling Apple's Maps apps on iOS and OS X. From his LinkedIn profile:
My team is primarily responsible for the Apple Maps app and the MapKit framework. Since 2006, we've worked on a number of Google and Apple service-backed features such as local search, directions, street view, next destination and CarPlay. I proudly drove and guided the implementation of vector maps, Flyover and navigation during the shift from Google's services to Apple's services in 2012.
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Apple's issues with its Maps team have reportedly slowed the company's work on that initiative, so much so that there were virtually no mentions of Maps at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote last month. Apple reportedly has a number of iOS Maps improvements in the works, including transit directions and improved points of interest, but it is unclear whether they will be ready in time for the public release of iOS 8 later this year or if they will need to be held for a later update.

Article Link: Key Maps Engineer Chris Blumenberg Leaving Apple for Uber
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/08/maps-engineer-chris-blumenberg-leaving-apple/
diddl14

diddl14

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2009
1,102
1,730
So do we now have to worry when using Uber services of ending up at totally different places?
 
Traverse

Traverse

macrumors 604
Mar 11, 2013
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Here
I don't know anything about him, but maybe Apple can get some new leadership to help improve the maps application.

It has always worked for me, but I know many here have had problems.
 
D

dleute

macrumors newbie
Jul 12, 2008
18
0
Apple Made a mistake

Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
 
Lapidus

Lapidus

macrumors regular
May 14, 2012
202
174
It doesn't seem like it's his fault that Apple Maps is what it is today. Looks more like he's out because Apple isn't doing what he think it should do.
 
G

GuitarDTO

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2011
687
110
dleute said:
Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
Click to expand...

Sigh, here we go again. Lest you remember, coincidentally we did not have turn by turn navigation built into the Google Maps app until AFTER Apple Maps came out.
 
M

matty.p

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2010
508
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Portland, OR
I wonder if this means we will see some maps updates in the second half of the iOS 8 preview with the hardware launch. I assume if he is leaving his team, he wouldn't do so until after a major project finished as not to leave in the middle of it. Or maybe I'm just an optimist :p
 
osofast240sx

osofast240sx

macrumors 68030
Mar 25, 2011
2,539
16
dleute said:
Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
Click to expand...
Apple the money and talent to make maps just as good or better than google
 
keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
dleute said:
Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
Click to expand...

They dropped Google because Google didn't put things like turn by turn navigation in, when they did for the Android version. Also Google wanted their logo plastered over the maps app, which Apple didn't. They put Apple in a tough spot and didn't really give them an option.

So Apple made their own, and then Google brought out their own iOS map application which had all the features Apple requested in the first place.

I'd provide sources but thought this was common knowledge on MacRumours.

EDIT: as mentioned by other posters, Google also wanted people's location data. As I'd argue Apple are one of the most transparent and pro-privacy tech companies existing today, it's quite obvious why they were in a position where they had to decline. Google played the cartel card, and Apple wasn't having it.
 
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osofast240sx

osofast240sx

macrumors 68030
Mar 25, 2011
2,539
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matty.p said:
I wonder if this means we will see some maps updates in the second half of the iOS 8 preview with the hardware launch. I assume if he is leaving his team, he wouldn't do so until after a major project finished as not to leave in the middle of it. Or maybe I'm just an optimist :p
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Apple maps is updated every single day
 
R

Revearti

macrumors member
Oct 29, 2011
71
66
I've never had a problem with Apple Maps. Yes, Google has better map data, but I've never gotten lost using Apple Maps.
 
S

Skika

macrumors 68030
Mar 11, 2009
2,999
1,246
dleute said:
Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
Click to expand...

You think Apple will bring back Google maps after they spent a billion acquiring that mapping technology company? Not going to happen.

Anyways whats the point, you can download Google maps from the app store.
 
ATC

ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
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Canada
Lapidus said:
It doesn't seem like it's his fault that Apple Maps is what it is today. Looks more like he's out because Apple isn't doing what he think it should do.
Click to expand...

That's what I read into that too. He, like so many of us, is throwing in the towel. It was a huge mistake to dump Google data from the Maps app.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,142
31,197
Lapidus said:
It doesn't seem like it's his fault that Apple Maps is what it is today. Looks more like he's out because Apple isn't doing what he think it should do.
Click to expand...

What are you basing that on? Not everyone leaving a company is doing so because they're unhappy. Perhaps he just wanted something different after 14 years at Apple. Perhaps Uber made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
dleute said:
Dropping google was a huge mistake. This is one case where Apple needs to give up and bring google map data back into the fold.

Apple builds the best interfaces, but they don't have the data to back those interfaces in this case. Just admit google is better this one time.
Click to expand...

It's in the app store. What's stopping you?

Me? I'm glad Apple told Google "no" when it wanted tracking data for advertising purposes. I'm much happier having that as an app-store option rather than the default.

So go get it and stop trying to force it on me.
 
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