Google Maps for iOS Now Live in App Store

[mbhebsgaard]

So Apple could you please replace you ****** Maps with the real Google Maps - sick and tired of all the faults and apple's useless maps app.

So pleases Google made this and guess google is pleased now - every one know who make the best map app.

You lost this one Apple!!!

[Razeus]

Originally Posted by vikingjunior

I'm sure Google Chrome will be available in the app store next.

?

It already is.

[Wozza2010]

Trust Google to deliver the goods.

They never fail.

[adamtore]

Originally Posted by Dudical

Why would I want to install Google's crappy maps when I have the superior Apple Maps app already installed?

Cause at some point you would actually have to navigate to places, and get there, shortest route, safe and sound.

[Minhimalism]

Originally Posted by vikingjunior

I'm sure Google Chrome will be available in the app store next.

Was this a joke.. haha

[John.B]

Originally Posted by Lancer

Went to check my iPhone 3Gs this morning and the battery was completely dead, took about 15 minutes hooked up to my Mac before it came back to life, charging now.

I have charged it last night so it should have been fine for today. My only guess is I was playing with the new navigating on the Google Maps and had not canceled the trip, maybe it was on all night until the battery drained? I did notice it was warmer than normal when charging.

The only reason the trip was still programmed was I could not find a way to end/cancel the trip. I think I have now but it appears you need to manually quite the program to turn it off fully, at least on my 3Gs.

Any GPS-based app is going to burn through your battery at some pace, but some are worse than others. This 1.0 version seems to be worse than most. Must be that whole 24/7 location tracking thing Eric Schmidt is so fond of.

Originally Posted by Lancer

Put in an address then pull up the address tab at the bottom of the screen, it should be there if available.

Yeah, the UX is atrocious.

[sshhoott]

Originally Posted by haruhiko

The new Google Map uses vector graphics while the old one was plain bitmap. The former is much more CPU intensive than simply displaying a bitmap picture.

So why is Apple Maps (which also use vector maps) much smoother on iPhone 4 than Google Maps?

Is there still some more optimization that Google has to do or is it just that their maps are more detailed and have more layers?

[Lancer]

Originally Posted by John.B

Any GPS-based app is going to burn through your battery at some pace, but some are worse than others. This 1.0 version seems to be worse than most. Must be that whole 24/7 location tracking thing Eric Schmidt is so fond of.

I agree, you just have to be careful as like I said you can end up with a dead phone within hours.

Yeah, the UX is atrocious.

It's a learning curve.

I try it when needed, but unless I get a phone holder I'll be using my Garmin in the car. But its still nice to have another option, bring on the Google Maps Errors!

[BuzzMega]

Of course, first thing I did was compare the two looking at my house and surrounding area. Apple shows my orbiting 3D house with recent image. Google relies on older image in this area. Point goes to Apple.

Apple's streets in standard map view are proportionally as wide as their number of lanes. Point goes to Apple.

Two blocks from my home is a closed-off street segment. Apple shows it as not going through, but Google gets it wrong. Point goes to Apple.

I don't need public transport. Point goes to neither.

Google has street view. Gains a point.

Apple has 3D buildings in my area. Gains a point.

Apple has more POIs around town. Point to Apple.

I prefer both.

[StrudelTurnover]

The current top-of-list review on iTunes:

Better than apple maps

by Reed Morse
I almost died in Australia, thank god this is out.

I want to hear that story....

[wastedyuthe]

The only things I don't like:

1) How it sets Home and Work locations. I'd love the option to select a point on the map as either instead of having to type in a location. Both my Home and Work locations cannot be entered accurately this way. Work is further down the road than where it actually is, and my Home address has to be No.13 instead of No.22 for it to be in the correct location on the road.
2) No ability to name your saved locations. I want to name them instead of them just being the name and number of a street.

[dontpannic]

Originally Posted by wastedyuthe

The only things I don't like:

1) How it sets Home and Work locations. I'd love the option to select a point on the map as either instead of having to type in a location. Both my Home and Work locations cannot be entered accurately this way. Work is further down the road than where it actually is, and my Home address has to be No.13 instead of No.22 for it to be in the correct location on the road.
2) No ability to name your saved locations. I want to name them instead of them just being the name and number of a street.

I'm sure you know where you work and where you live, so surely the addresses you can enter are close enough? And probably safer anyway.

[wastedyuthe]

Originally Posted by dontpannic

I'm sure you know where you work and where you live, so surely the addresses you can enter are close enough? And probably safer anyway.

Of course. But my navigon app can have the exact position i want. Just saying being able to mark a point on the map as Home or Work would be a good option in instances where merely typing in an address won't be as accurate.

[TroyCola]

Is Apple's map offering really that bad? I haven't experienced any issues and I find Apple's application visually more superior than Google's map offering. Just my opinion though.

[ATC]

Originally Posted by BuzzMega

Of course, first thing I did was compare the two looking at my house and surrounding area. Apple shows my orbiting 3D house with recent image. Google relies on older image in this area. Point goes to Apple.

Apple's streets in standard map view are proportionally as wide as their number of lanes. Point goes to Apple.

Two blocks from my home is a closed-off street segment. Apple shows it as not going through, but Google gets it wrong. Point goes to Apple.

I don't need public transport. Point goes to neither.

Google has street view. Gains a point.

Apple has 3D buildings in my area. Gains a point.

Apple has more POIs around town. Point to Apple.

I prefer both.

You're one of the lucky ones living in an area where Apple Maps actually isn't bad. Wish I can say the same thing for me.

No 3D Maps locally (not a big deal for me), but the POI difference between GMaps and Apple's is huge.

I'm always searching POIs while on the go, for restaurants, businesses etc... and with Google Maps it finds probably 8-9 out of 10 and they're all accurate. On Apple Maps, same POIs, 4 are missing, and from the remaining six 3 are in the wrong location.

I've also been submitting error and omission reports for months, not a single fix has been implemented. So much for Apple taking Maps seriously.

Having said that, I do prefer the look and feel of Apple Maps and it's very fluid on my iPhone 4 whereas GMaps is a little choppy sometimes (esp during panning and zooming). Google makes up for that by adding full turn-by-turn voice guidance to my iP4 which is nice.

[John.B]

Originally Posted by StrudelTurnover

The current top-of-list review on iTunes:

I want to hear that story....

You'll find it in the Fiction department.

Reed is a self-admitted Fandroid who sold his project to Google (marooning their user base in the process) and now is part of the hivemind at the Googleplex.

[TroyCola]

Originally Posted by zippy7

Tried it out and it's only okay.

Some observations:
-Bummed that I can't view directions from the lock screen, nor do they show up in the header when I leave the maps app to do something else on my phone. Sounds silly, but I'm not always the one driving so it's nice to be able to actually use your phone while getting directions.
-Definitely not as clean as apple maps, but that's okay.
-Awesome how it shows you how far away a place is just by searching, you don't have to pick a route before seeing how long it will take you.
-Apple maps has a better overview and better switching between overview and directions.
-Apple maps rules in that if I am going somewhere I can search for say 'Starbucks' and it finds me starbucks that are along my route. Google maps doesn't do that... that is probably that greatest innovation in maps that iOS has seen, and google didn't include it.
-No 3D maps is a bummer, I know there is google earth, but come on...
-Also the city view isn't as nice, to be able to see restauraunts or coffee shops you have to zoom in super far and it's kinda pointless.

They both have good and bad features. I'll use apple maps to find where I am going, and if it's wrong then I'll use google to get the correct address, though I haven't been mislead yet *fingers crossed*

Using both apple and goolge maps together will be great.

Agreed! Good post!

[wastedyuthe]

Originally Posted by TroyCola

Is Apple's map offering really that bad? I haven't experienced any issues and I find Apple's application visually more superior than Google's map offering. Just my opinion though.

All I know is Apple Maps is around 8 years out of date for my local roads. There is one section where one road has now been built on with residential homes and it completely alters the layout. This was around 8 years ago or longer. Apple still shows the old layout. Yet in Satellite view it shows the new layout (with the old road name going through the houses). That alone puts Apple Maps in the "complete joke" department. I immediately reported the issue and it is still not resolved.

[TroyCola]

Originally Posted by wastedyuthe

All I know is Apple Maps is around 8 years out of date for my local roads. There is one section where one road has now been built on with residential homes and it completely alters the layout. This was around 8 years ago or longer. Apple still shows the old layout. Yet in Satellite view it shows the new layout (with the old road name going through the houses). That alone puts Apple Maps in the "complete joke" department. I immediately reported the issue and it is still not resolved.

Yeah, i agree that's pretty bad! I live in a major city and I use Apple's application mainly to get around locally, so maybe that's why I haven't had any issues to date.

I think the next release will blow Google's application off the map.

[dontpannic]

Originally Posted by wastedyuthe

Of course. But my navigon app can have the exact position i want. Just saying being able to mark a point on the map as Home or Work would be a good option in instances where merely typing in an address won't be as accurate.

I don't see why being a few houses off is an issue though?

Theoretical situation, but one that has happened in the past - your car is stolen with your phone/sat nav, house keys etc inside. The burglars simply have to set the sat nav to home, then take your house keys, load up your stuff, then bugger off. My phone is set to home, which is fine as I'd be able to lock the device as soon as it was stolen, however, my dedicated sat nav device is set to my local Police station.

----------

Originally Posted by TroyCola

Is Apple's map offering really that bad? I haven't experienced any issues and I find Apple's application visually more superior than Google's map offering. Just my opinion though.

No. It isn't. The POI's are a bit crap, but no complaints with routing or map displays in my area.

[wastedyuthe]

Originally Posted by dontpannic

I don't see why being a few houses off is an issue though? ...

It's an issue because it is inaccurate and not as user-friendly as it could be if the user also had the ability to just select a point on the map. Simple.

[Grohowiak]

26 Pages for Google praise on a Apple rumors forum.

WOW!

Google maps are great though. Enjoying hassle free mapping experience again

[blinkin357]

We have found using the new Google maps to be difficult.

It's not intrinsic like the Apple maps. I just want to enter a destination and have the mapping route me there. Google wants FROM and TO first and no fields open up to enter them. I can't use my contacts list with Google. That's where most of my destination addresses exist.

Hopefully Google will simplify the interfaces and link to our contacts list. Then I'll be a happy trooper.

[ChazUK]

Over 10,000,000 downloads in 48 hours.

http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/12...s/?fromcat=all

Google’s Jeff Huber has just announced via Google+ that Google Maps for iOS was downloaded over 10 million times in under 48 hours from its release last week. That accounts for roughly 2.5% of iOS devices sold.

That's some going.

[roxxette]

Originally Posted by ChazUK

Over 10,000,000 downloads in 48 hours.

http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/12...s/?fromcat=all



That's some going.

Lol the should have charged 2.99