Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Maps Significantly More Popular Than All Other iOS Mapping Apps, Including Google

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,490
30,731



After a rough launch last year, Apple Maps appears to be doing very well for itself, with 35 million U.S. iPhone owners using the app in September 2013, versus 6 million iOS users of the downloadable Google Maps according to data from comScore and The Guardian.

The data remains a little fuzzy as neither Google nor Apple publicly release their usage figures, but if they are even close to correct, Apple has largely succeeded with its Maps rollout and Google has lost a tremendous number of Maps users in just a year.

It's likely that Apple's success is largely due to the incredible advantage default apps hold on mobile platforms, with the majority of users finding Apple Maps to be "good enough" and not looking for an alternative.

googleapplemaps.jpg

According to comScore, Google Maps has gone from 81.1 million mobile U.S. users last year to just 58.7 million this year, a drop of more than 20 million. At the same time, the total number of iPhone and Android phone users in the U.S. increased from 103.6 million to 136.7 million. comScore attributes this significant drop largely to the introduction of Apple Maps as the default app on iPhones, as well as an increasing share of younger users that don't use any mapping application.
ComScore's data shows that in September 2013, 35m used Apple's maps at least once during the month, out of a total iPhone population of 60.1m. The 58% usage on the iPhone is reckoned to reflect the growing number of younger users who do not use mapping services; the proportion of iPhone users who use any mapping service, including Google's, has been dropping since April 2012, according to ComScore's data.

Wood said: "The thing is, on an iPhone all roads lead to Apple's maps. They're putting this front and centre for users, and getting more confident." For Google, he said, "They're very fortunate that Android is a big source of data - they will be very relieved at that." He cautioned that US iPhone users might be more eager to use Apple's maps because there seem to be fewer errors there compared to other regions, including Europe.
Click to expand...
35 million iPhone owners used Apple Maps in September, out of 60.1 million total iPhone owners in the United States, some 58 percent. Based on The Guardian's modeling, this means roughly 8.3 million iPhone users are using an alternative mapping application like Google Maps, with approximately two million of those using the pre-iOS 6 default Google Maps application because they have not upgraded to a newer version of the iOS.

Article Link: Apple Maps Significantly More Popular Than All Other iOS Mapping Apps, Including Google
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/11/apple-maps-significantly-more-popular-than-all-other-ios-mapping-apps-including-google/
L

levitynyc

macrumors 65816
Aug 19, 2006
1,123
3,704
Stockholm Syndrome.

I recently has my daughter's first birthday party and 3 people got lost solely because Apple Maps sent them to the wrong location.

I don't plan on using Apple Maps for a very long time.
 
slffl

slffl

macrumors 65816
Mar 5, 2003
1,303
4
Seattle, WA
It's more popular because it's better! I use maps and GPS on a daily basis and every time I give Google maps a try it fails me. Apple maps is by FAR the best navigation app out there!
 
I

iLoveiTunes

macrumors 6502
Feb 26, 2011
268
512
Could be because of he ease of use.. Data is still wrong at times but is usable.

Waze is my go to app. :cool: (esp. for cop alerts) :D
 
joonyaboy

joonyaboy

macrumors 6502
Jun 27, 2010
336
297
FL
I prefer Apple's Maps as well as the integration, but in obscure places it does not seem as accurate. In those situations I just double check with Google.
 
N

newagemac

macrumors 68020
Mar 31, 2010
2,091
23
Of course it is. Works extremely well in the U.S. and that's Apple's largest market. And it works much better than Google in China. It's hilarious that anybody thought anything different. Google lost out big time on this one.

Still needs some work in other countries though.
 
PowerBook-G5

PowerBook-G5

macrumors 65816
Jul 30, 2013
1,243
1,179
Apple Maps are actually more reliable now than this time last year (at least where I live), and I now use them whenever I have to go on a long trip.
 
Davmeister

Davmeister

macrumors 6502
May 7, 2009
334
87
London
What annoys me the most is it is implemented better but the data is terrible compared to Google (e.g. place names, accuracy). A combination of the two would be the ultimate mapping solution.
 
jrlcopy

jrlcopy

macrumors 6502a
Jun 20, 2007
548
840
It still returns the worst results for me in NY.

Google def has better routing through incomplete addresses, such as, "10 w 23th" but if I enter that into apple, the I'll end up in Bangladesh.

But google also tosses me to Brooklyn for some reason every once in a while, and google likes to zoom out and show me results all over the metropolitan area instead of just in the little box I'm zoomed into.
 
marioguarneros

marioguarneros

macrumors regular
Nov 2, 2011
156
71
While in Europe, US and Australia I use Apple and Google maps without a preference, when in the Middle East on the other hand I have to use google maps exclusively as the info in Apple's side is pure rubbish and completely outdated.
 
O

outphase

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2009
1,291
32
Parts Unknown
I tend to defer to Apple Maps now because of two main reasons: 1. lock screen integration is useful and informative and 2. when audio is sent through my car's BT setup, Siri is notably louder than Google's voiceover, so I don't have to turn my music too loud just to hear the directions.
 
K

koppie644

macrumors regular
Oct 4, 2011
132
1
Once I want to go to a museum, Apple Maps led me to the backdoor of the museum, which is used by those who worked there...
 
IJ Reilly

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
I use Apple Maps instead of Google because it loads much faster and is less data hungry. It is also clearer in many respects. Apple actually did a good job with the design, it was the data that had problems.

BTW, an editorial note: references to people are generally in the form of "who" not "that."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom