Out of the 7-10 people I know with iPhones, only one purposefully held back on iOS 5 because of maps. And she did so mainly because she relies big time on Transit Directions, which Apple Maps doesn't have at all.
Using your own logic, just because YOU have an issue doesn't mean there is an issue for everyone else. In some places, Google Maps is terrible too. In others, it's awesome. Same with Apple Maps. Everyone seems to forget that a few years ago (or more I forget...) some people using GPS devices drove into oceans and off cliffs and other sorts of sticky situations. These GPS devices uses the same map data provider as Google and Apple does. In some cases, the same data points and locations databases. Google Maps is more extensive yes but that doesn't Apple Maps universally terrible.
I personally use Apple Maps. I have friends who live outside the US and they have used both Google and Apple maps on Android and iDevices. They have told me it's roughly the same and both have "issues" in certain areas. As a whole, they all seem to think that Apple has the better UI. None of my friends are "techies".
Actually, it also works the other way too. Just because Apple maps is bad for you, don't assume everyone else is having problems. The truth is that many people aren't having problems with Apple maps and like Apple maps.
Same can be said about google maps... which I think is his point, if apple maps has issues, then so does google maps (in my area google maps is horrible)
I have navigated for over 4000 miles using both iOS 6 maps and an Google's Android navigation (Gingerbread) (side by side). Apple has had one mistake with a misplaced road. Google's maps has had 3 errors with mis-named roads. (Google's POI database is simply great).
The navigation interface on iOS 6 maps is better than the navigation on the Android maps. I miss traffic flow data on the iOS 6 Google maps app.
From my experience, it is an "issue" far over-blown by media and analysts. Both systems have errors and have areas of improvement.
Seriously, WHO CARES?
Google maps wasn't that important it seems an exaggeration to me that anyone could hold off just based on that. If it was deadly vital you could just go to the mobile site.
I have had zero issues with Apple Maps anyway, I downloaded the new Google Maps but its in a folder for emergencies with other apps like Waze. I was in London a few days ago and decided to give Google Maps a spin when I got lost, and it was giving me confusing directions. Switched to Apple Maps and it was much clearer. How is that for irony?
Even if only 20% of the people who upgraded to iOS 6 had problems with Apple Maps, that's still a lot of people.
That is the point. 20% is very very very high. I would suspect it is closer to 1% and you have very serious astro-turfing by both Samsung and Google to keep it high in the media spotlight.
The use of the word "bragging" caught my eye as well. Strange.Apple was "bragging"? Do I detect some negative bias, MacRumors? Tsk tsk, that's unlike you.
Your misunderstanding what was reported. It was a 29% increase in unique iOS adoptions over their baseline day. So if on Monday 100 new devices, then Tuesday 110, then Wednesday 120, then Thursday 129, so they reported an adoption rate increase. The percentage was a percentage of new adoptions, which turns out to probably include new devices. The 29% had nothing to do with total iOS users.
Apple was "bragging"? Do I detect some negative bias, MacRumors? Tsk tsk, that's unlike you.
20% is very very very high. I would suspect it is closer to 1% and you have very serious astro-turfing by both Samsung and Google to keep it high in the media spotlight.
But the excellent Transit does.
These numbers just don't make sense. iOS 6 adoption was at over 60% within a month. Even assuming that it plateaued there, we are talking about around 240 million iOS 6 users. A 29% increase would be around 70 million additional iOS 6 users in 3-4 days.
This isn't explained by new device sales unless Apple is going to have a heck of a blowout quarter!
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Their numbers are probably just completely wrong. I don't know how they collect their data put do they check to see if they may be counting any devices multiple times?
You can't use your own experience to define whether it's an issue or not. The fact that it blew up in the media, received a lot of negative press, and Tim Cook himself apologised for it, is proof that it's an issue.
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This past weekend, Apple issued a press release bragging that it had sold more than two million iPhone 5 units in China over the first three days of availability.
You three are missing the point, and putting words in my mouth. I never claimed that everyone had issues with Apple Maps. I was simply stating that some people DO have issues with it. This is just a fact. I don't see where the debate or argument is.
Did I claim that Apple Maps was completely useless for everyone? Did I claim that Google Maps was perfect for everyone? NO!!!!