Google Has Not Yet Submitted a Google Maps App to Apple [Update]

tibi08 said:

I'm surprised Google haven't moved quicker on this, if they wait too long then they will lose momentum from the iOS 6 launch. People might actually.... and I have some difficulty saying this.... get used to Apple Maps!

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well that depends on where they live.... some would fear leaving their homes because apple maps show them driving over a cliff... or driving into the ocean...

This is as good as the botched mobile me launch. The only thing missing is Steve Jobs to tell the staff they failed apple, the customers, and should hate themsevles for what they have done.

"What does maps do?" "Then why the F%#)%# doesn't it do that?"

RIP Steve....

Macist said:

Oh hell. So iOS6 users could be without mapping for months?

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Try more than that. Try : "Until Apple fixes their issues". The actual Maps app is one thing, but then there's that little other thing called Map Kit that lets 3rd party developers access mapping data to use in their apps.

So while Google may release a Google Maps application on the app store and take care of your mapping needs, that doesn't change the fact that if you have issues with Apple maps, it's just broken all the different real-estate applications that point locations on a map, it's broken fitness applications that rely on maps to plan out running/biking/walking routes (things like RunKeeper) and things like Find my iPhone/Find my Friends.

gpat said:

If I were Google, I'd not submit any app at all.

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They make money off it; lots of it!

Macman45 said:

Apple really should have kept Google maps until their own version was at least useable.

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They're between a rock and a hard place; if they'd kept Google Maps, most people would have just kept using that, depriving APPLE of the chance to improve their MAPS with millions of pieces of user input and corrections to improve and polish it. Google Maps is great as it is, but it too had lots of quirks in the beginning. APPLE's MAPS will improve over time; no doubt about that.

I get the impression that most people here do not really understand how Google makes money. They have one product: Us! They sell our lives to get more ads. That is what Google is.
Android, Google Maps, and everything else are just a vehicle in order to make people use their services. Of course will Google create a Map app for iOS. They want our lives and money. Don't worry.

MacRumors said:

Update (Sept 25, 1:34am PT): Bloomberg has a slightly different interpretation of Schmidt's comments. Schmidt said that it was up to Apple to approve the app, though they claim that Schmidt declined to say if Google Maps had been submitted.

"“We haven’t done anything yet with Google Maps,” Schmidt told reporters in Tokyo today. Apple would “have to approve it. It’s their choice,” Schmidt said, declining to say if the Mountain View, California-based company submitted an application to Apple for sale through its App Store."

Article Link: Google Has Not Yet Submitted a Google Maps App to Apple [Update]

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What??????????? YOU GOT IT WRONG. TOTALLY!

What Schmidt said is not "Apple should approve the app. Whether approve the app or not is Apple's choice"

What he said is "You should admit that removing Google Maps from iOS is Apple's choice."

Seriously...

If google provide an app then the issue fades quickly into history. That is not in their interest.

If apple approves the app, then they let google come to their rescue. That's not in their interest

In the meantime, I find Google Map's mobile web app pretty useful. It's not like I had turn by turn navigation in iOS 5 anyway, so for what Google Maps did provide for me (walking directions, places lookup), the mobile web app is great.

For real navigation, everyone should run out and download Waze right now and get it over with.

unlinked said:

Why would they sell it? You can only sell data once but you can sell targeting based on it forever.

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Seriously, this needs to be repeated every time ? People really think Google just "sells" data ? Wake up people, the data is worth tons of money, Google keeps it for themselves. They sell advertising spots to their ad customers, not the data used to target those ads.

If you've got a golden egg laying goose, you sell the eggs, not the goose.

tangerineyum said:

I'm interested to know how apple maps is not usable to anyone. I deliver pizza for a living. and I use apple maps. No, i dont use turn by turn. All i need is the general area for my delivery and im off. And Apple maps seems to do that well enough.

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Here in Lisbon (Portugal) Maps and Turn-by-turn navigation works fine. Bye bye Google Maps!

I don't know if the Google maps app on IOS has ads but certainly the one on Android does not, so its hard to see how Google makes any money on mobile maps. Yes the desktop does but that's a different beast.

I think Google are in a difficult place here. They could take their current Android maps and port it over to IOS (maybe they already have?). They would then have to get it approved by Apple. Then what? They get Google maps into the app store for the next year or two while Apple gets time to play catch-up with their app. Then when Apple are ready with a new, revised app they dump Google maps out of the app store again.

petvas said:

I get the impression that most people here do not really understand how Google makes money. They have one product: Us! They sell our lives to get more ads. That is what Google is.
Android, Google Maps, and everything else are just a vehicle in order to make people use their services. Of course will Google create a Map app for iOS. They want our lives and money. Don't worry.

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The problem is Apple maps is somewhat of a letdown. My current location is in the middle of the lake it seems, the real location is about 600 m away from that lake.

Fix it. I don't know how is it possible not to stumble upon at least one such bad location while still in testing. Local airport is in the hills it seems.

I don't see Apple approving Google Maps. If they do, it won't be for a long time. Apple is depending on people using the new maps and reporting issues. Their press release on iPhone 5 launch day says it all. Something to the effect that Apple Maps is cloud based, crowd sourced, and it will improve over time. That won't happen quickly if people download and use Google Maps for the better map data, transit, working local search, and street view.

Apple sees that YouTube is the #1 free app, and they probably figure Google Maps will also be a top app immediately. I hope I'm wrong though, LOL.

-ITG

jacobj said:

If google provide an app then the issue fades quickly into history. That is not in their interest.

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Again, that's not true 100%. The Maps app is only a small part of it. Map kit would still remain stuck using Apple maps requiring Google to also release an iOS API for their mapping and for 3rd party developers to move off of Map Kit towards that API.

Otherwise, all your map using applications (RunKeeper, real-estate finders, Find my iPhone) will keep using Apple Maps even if you have a Google Maps application installed.

So Apple are releasing products that are not ready for the bigtime with a superior competitor already established. It's certainly a break from the norm.

kevinof said:

I don't know if the Google maps app on IOS has ads but certainly the one on Android does not, so its hard to see how Google makes any money on mobile maps. Yes the desktop does but that's a different beast.

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Because prominent placement in search results and extra visibility for that particular restaurant is not an ad right ?

Because it's not apparent its an ad doesn't mean it isn't you know.

if google maps don't get on iOS, it will just increase the chances of apple maps succeeding. people with a contract could go without google for up to 2 years, and by then apple maps might be good enough.

I think what google meant is that they have issued apple with quite a lot of onerous terms for the use of their maps, terms that no sane person would consider, even under the pressure of the current maps fiasco.

kevinof said:

I don't know if the Google maps app on IOS has ads but certainly the one on Android does not, so its hard to see how Google makes any money on mobile maps. Yes the desktop does but that's a different beast.

I think Google are in a difficult place here. They could take their current Android maps and port it over to IOS (maybe they already have?). They would then have to get it approved by Apple. Then what? They get Google maps into the app store for the next year or two while Apple gets time to play catch-up with their app. Then when Apple are ready with a new, revised app they dump Google maps out of the app store again.

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I like the way you think.

If Google gifts IOS with the same maps from their android phones, the same maps they have been denying iphones for years, then everyone wins. Apple simply continues to update their own maps in the background, but now they have a bargaining chip in case google tries any such stunt again in the future.

If google holds out, giving apple time to eventually get their maps act together, ultimately, ios users will still win. The only caveat is that you have to be willing to put up with a lot of inconvenience now, but I honestly feel that us users will be better off in the long run.

Serelus said:

When did he contradict himself, can you please clarify this cause i've never ever seen him contradict himself about anything. I saw all his video's and read all the blogposts, and his biography. No contradiction anywhere.

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Are you sure you read his biography and didn't just look at the pictures?

Abazigal said:

I think what google meant is that they have issued apple with quite a lot of onerous terms for the use of their maps, terms that no sane person would consider, even under the pressure of the current maps fiasco.



I like the way you think.

If Google gifts IOS with the same maps from their android phones, the same maps they have been denying iphones for years, then everyone wins. Apple simply continues to update their own maps in the background, but now they have a bargaining chip in case google tries any such stunt again in the future.

If google holds out, giving apple time to eventually get their maps act together, ultimately, ios users will still win. The only caveat is that you have to be willing to put up with a lot of inconvenience now, but I honestly feel that us users will be better off in the long run.

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As far i know it was apple job to update the google map app and youtube app, it was the same thing all these years.

ikkejick said:

Seems like I'm going to use my HTC HD2 (with android) as a navigation system once my iPhone 5 comes in

It's better to have best of both worlds. Both operating systems/companies have it's strengths and weaknesses..

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And end up carrying 2 phones (devices) instead of one?

So I now feel equipped with the world's most advanced phone os that is essentially map-less for the time being and having dusted off my collection of PAPER maps.

This is so stupid Apple can't do it all. Especially replacing something like Maps in such a short time when the original took years to develop and grow.

It's called specialization. Stuff like maps and search shouldn't be doen by Apple. Apple is compromising the user experience by providing less to it's users.

This is all very similar to when Apple went to ware against Microsoft.

google is still waiting for their new voice app approval and they submitted it like months ago, didnt they? dont have much hope for google maps. guess its up to the jailbreak community to fix things once again

6251694 said:

Think of it this way... If people start jumping ship on iOS because the maps sucks, Google might win a few extra Android sales. They really have no reason to make an maps app for iOS. What benefit would they have?

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Here is a good reason; Google make money out of maps or at least from the data they get from us all using their maps. They don't make any money out of Android, its the users data they need the platform is just a means to an end. If they introduce an iOS maps app now it will get downloaded by pretty much everyone using iOS 6, in a few months time, if Apple get busy, maybe not so many. Apple will be working hard now to fix their map data and its only a matter of time before their offering becomes usable. At this point Google will have missed the opportunity. It is unlikely that Apple would be able to refuse a Google maps app at the moment because of the public outcry if they did. When Apple maps gets better that is going to be an easier thing for them to do.

For those HERE on Macrumors that already had an iPhone, you KNEW that upgrading would put Apple's app on your phone and take Google's off. We're sauvy enough to know this. So don't complain now. If was your choice.

Personally, I'm glad Apple stood up for itself and is kicking Google to the curb as fast as they can, after what Google did to Apple. This is an inconvenience, sure. But it's one I feel I can work around until Apple's maps app gets better. And it will, if you people with problems use the crowd sourcing button to let Apple know the problems. So far, the app has worked for me just fine.

It's hard in this day and age to know what problems there really are when the typical response with all that is Apple is to make a Mountain out of a Mole Hill. It's the Boy who cried Wolf in so many instances that I just don't know what to think.