Australian Police Warn Against Use of Apple Maps Due to Safety Concerns

[gikku]

I've found that the place names have been located at the geographic heart of the "place", or where the name will "fit" on the map. However that may not be the actual location sought for directions.
For example, the Mildura name on the map may be placed at the heart of the geographic area for the city or shire, or where the name fits to make the map look good, but the locality of "downtown" Mildura can be miles away, 36 in this case.

Directions to Mildura, without a further specific street address want to take you to where the place name is on the map, not "downtown" or to the "city".

 

[Cinematics]

Apple Maps is so bad that people get lost because of it! LOL

 

[Futurix]

Even when the data is correct, Apple Maps has a major problem with data display style. Whoever thought that hiding names of smaller streets (until you zoom in really really close) is a good idea must be shot or left in Central London with only Apple Maps.

 

[pirateyarrr]

For the first time, I'm first.

Geez, Apple Maps must be total poop outside the USA. This is hilarious.

It's pretty much sht inside the USA, too, don't even kid yourself. I haven't become stranded in a desert or anything, but there's still tons of mistakes and tons of stuff missing. It's a joke. Android in March, when my contract is up. Bye iPhone.

 

[teknikal90]

It's pretty much sht inside the USA, too, don't even kid yourself. I haven't become stranded in a desert or anything, but there's still tons of mistakes and tons of stuff missing. It's a joke. Android in March, when my contract is up. Bye iPhone.

byeeee!!!
you know each platform has its ups and downs right?

 

[Analog Kid]

Because Apple REMOVED the choice for people to have Google maps on any iPhone with iOS 6 - Okay there is a web app but it's clear that it's not as good as the original map app.

If Apple maps is an optional download or even if Google Maps is an optional download all of us would have shut up. Nothing is perfect (and Apple Maps is very very far from "not so perfect", it's actually closer to unusable) at the beginning but we are all forced to be guinea pigs!

Did Google recommend Google maps for serious day to day use or for turn by turn navigation in its early days. See http://www.apple.com/au/ios/maps/ Apple says "you want get lost with apple maps"!!

The point is IOS already had a good mapping app based on google maps. But Now it is DOWNGRADED to **** maps.

Here's the thing-- Apple and Google are separate companies. Sometimes they cooperate, and sometimes they don't. For example, Google had been promising turn by turn directions on iPhone for years, but never delivered:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/22/free-turn-by-turn-google-directions-iphone/

With Google's teams of developers, why haven't they released an iPhone version of Google maps yet? Are they holding back? Who knows. It's certainly no skin off their back if Apple keeps getting abused like this.

Maps on IOS is a free gadget. Sometimes it's useful, sometimes not. When driving alone, the old Maps wasn't so useful without audible turn by turn.

I've got a few different GPS apps on mine because if I'm really going to be driving someplace I'm not familiar with, like the Australian outback, I want a backup plan and I don't want to have to worry about whether I've got cell coverage.

What I'm seeing are people who didn't check where they were going, blindly followed a machine, got lost, and are covering their embarrassment. If you're driving to a city, and it shows up in the middle of a National Park, you might want a second opinion.

Or, call me old fashioned, but I like to look out my windshield when I drive:

 

[stevemiller]

a couple thoughts:

-given that apple still had a year left on their google map agreement, they should have left it as an option for users. similar to safari's choice of search provider, there should have been a mapping provider choice. set it to apple by default if you want, but at least give the option.

-having not done that pro-actively, they should have at least done that re-actively once the whole thing blew up in their faces. would it be embarrassing for them? yes. but they're already embarassed, and they are just digging their hole deeper by saying "we prefer you wait it out with an inferior product, rather than just give you back the old functionality that we still have licensed for the near term."

-in spite of all this, these people getting stranded seem kind of ridiculous. apple maps assumes an internet connection, so if you are finding one source of data unreliable, you should probably cross check it with the myriad of other online resources at your fingertips. and if its a matter of running out of gas, you should probably pay closer attention to your gas tank. planning to roll into your destination on fumes isn't the smartest choice in unfamiliar territory. and also... had they not HEARD how bad apple maps were??

 

[Patriks7]

I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one to not have problems with Maps I traveled with it as my only source in quite a few parts of Europe already, and not once did it mess up.

 

[parish]

Apple, save some money, stop fighting Google and just work WITH them. The combination of Google data and services with Apple interface and design works so well. It's such a missed opportunity to make everything better. Stop fighting!

Well, they've joined forces to bid for Kodak's patents after initially starting as rival bidders, so who knows.

Common sense should tell them it's the right route to take (no pun intended) as I can't see even a company the size and wealth of Apple ever catching up with Google Maps so iOS Maps will always be inferior.

 

[Kr00]

*Click*

Every time I click my finger, an Australian is attacked by wild kangaroos in the outback thanks to the cartographic iArrhoea which is Apple Maps.

*Click*

Save an Australian today; tell them to use Google.

*Click*

This is not a subject to make fun of. Kangaroos can seriously injure a person and kill dogs and small children. They are not just in the outback. They are in the suburbs around major cities. Just last week a kangaroo entered the grounds of my kids high school. It entered a hallway and ended up in a teachers office.

As for Apple maps, it is still showing the false info for Mildura. What does it take for them to actually DO something. Apple, you seriously need to get your ***** together, as this is not funny any more.

 

[slimbek]

True, Apple Maps is horrible here... but there are a WHOLE lot of signs directing you to Mildura. It's a major town in an area of hardly any towns... literally the next biggest would be 100's of kms away.

These people were not paying attention.

 

[blewyn]

What kind of plonker sets off into the outback without a backup ? What are they gonna do if the phone craps out ? Ask a koala for directions ?

 

[KiwiAdventure]

I purchased Tomtom mapping for getting around and I don't need data.

 

[parish]

I'm waiting for someone to post that it shows an Apple Store in the wrong location

I think the most damning thing about this is that there are so many errors in the US. Apple is a US company so the least you'd expect is that things would be correct on their own turf.

One thing I don't expect to get fixed anytime soon - if ever - for UK users is the colours of roads. We have, as I expect every country does, standard mapping colours for the different classes of roads. For UK roads Apple Maps is just totally non-standard which means that even when looking at an area around where I live I often have to zoom in to orientate myself because all it shows is a rats nest of white roads whereas Google Maps uses the standard UK colours (for the most part - it uses orange instead of red for non-trunk A-roads) so the pattern of blue and green routes allows me to orientate easily. This was always an issue with MS's Auto Route too.

 

[alexgowers]

You can't compare google maps to apple maps, google has had like 10 years of user input and constant online proper mapping. Apple maps is a conglomeration of maps with data from very unreliable navigation companies who proved tonnes of bad information.

Apple should have bought all the bloody data they could to get it right and waited a year to get it right as an addon beta like siri. They could have even called it navigation and pulled info from google while they still had the contract.

I blame google though for not adding navigation to the iphone maps app and massively stunting the iphones ability to be a true all in one device.

I don't know how many people are on fixing apple maps but in the UK there is very little missing however i would like them to add near spellings as if you don't enter exact names or mis-spell anything you don't get the familiar did you mean dialogue like google or a suggested list.

This is more like the cases where people die from following navigation devices. You must be a retard not to realise you are going the wrong way.

 

[Lancer]

I agree, the Apple Maps was bought in too early, iOS6 should have trialled it alongside Google Maps or Apple should have partnered with Garmin who actually have working maps.

My biggest problem with the Apple maps is the total lack of street view, I often look up an address either on the iPhone or computer and then see what the building looks like so I have some idea what to look for. That is gone with Apple maps and not likely it return unless they start doing their own street view like Google did.

Really hope the Google app comes out before I have to update my aging 3Gs.

FYI this store was just on the local TV news here.

 

[-AG-]

What I'm seeing are people who didn't check where they were going, blindly followed a machine, got lost, and are covering their embarrassment. If you're driving to a city, and it shows up in the middle of a National Park, you might want a second opinion.

Or, call me old fashioned, but I like to look out my windshield when I drive:

Exactly what i was thinking

All this story was, was a scare tactic from the police so they don't have to spend thousands of dollars this year fishing tourists out of remote locations again due to them being too stupid/cheap to at least pay for proper equipment. (personally I'm surprised their 4WD is even allowed to go off road)

But who wants to let the facts get in the way of a good Apple Maps bashing...we sure know this forum doesn't.

Apple Maps bashing =

Simple answer if you don't like the app download something that works or buy a decent GPS system, don't come onto here and bitch about the same issues...we get it, its broken and not as good as Google....move along.

 

[eyecon82]

It's pretty much sht inside the USA, too, don't even kid yourself. I haven't become stranded in a desert or anything, but there's still tons of mistakes and tons of stuff missing. It's a joke. Android in March, when my contract is up. Bye iPhone.

wait to switch until april or may when the SGS IV comes out

 

[bartelby]

I can't find my own house on Apple Maps.

As a flip side, I can find my house and it has a more up to date satellite images than Google. Apple maps shows the extension that was built in 2007...

 

[macs4nw]

Here's the thing-- Apple and Google are separate companies. Sometimes they cooperate, and sometimes they don't. For example, Google had been promising turn by turn directions on iPhone for years, but never delivered:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/22/free-turn-by-turn-google-directions-iphone/ With Google's teams of developers, why haven't they released an iPhone version of Google maps yet? Are they holding back? Who knows. It's certainly no skin off their back if Apple keeps getting abused like this. Maps on IOS is a free gadget. Sometimes it's useful, sometimes not. When driving alone, the old Maps wasn't so useful without audible turn by turn. I've got a few different GPS apps on mine because if I'm really going to be driving someplace I'm not familiar with, like the Australian outback, I want a backup plan and I don't want to have to worry about whether I've got cell coverage.
What I'm seeing are people who didn't check where they were going, blindly followed a machine, got lost, and are covering their embarrassment. If you're driving to a city, and it shows up in the middle of a National Park, you might want a second opinion. Or, call me old fashioned, but I like to look out my windshield when I drive:

Old fashioned or not, that's definitely a good policy.

Why does Apple NEED to do it's own closed Maps app? Steve Jobs of all people made a deal with Microsoft that basically buried the hatchet between the companies. MS continued to make Office for the Mac and both Apple and the Mac thrived. Sure Apple created their own suite of apps but they don't necessarily compete with the ones from MS. But they fill a niche for people who do not use or need Office. Why can't this spirit of cooperation exist with other vendors and Apple? Why does Apple feel it must crush Google to win? That is a failed concept......

I believe that it's a different marketplace now compared to back then, and I also don't believe that APPLE feels "it must crush GOOGLE to win". They just don't want to rely on GOOGLE, which all things considered, makes good business sense. Your scenario would be great in a perfect world, but it's a dog-eat-dog world out there; also it takes at least two parties to have a good business relationship.

GOOGLE is not the benevolent benefactor some people make them out to be; they too are in business to make money for their shareholders, and as we, as a society, become more and more information oriented, GOOGLE holds if not all, definitely most of the 'cards', something for companies like APPLE, to keep in mind, as they develop their strategy.

 

[BuckusToothnail]

Just checked again and Apple Maps is still showing the incorrect information about Mildura. It's been at least 24 hours since this worldwide story broke so it's a little surprising Apple hasn't updated this information given the huge publicity it's been getting.

Then again, it's actually NOT surprising given that I've reported at least two dozen inaccuracies on the Maps app in the past few months since I've owned my iPhone 5 and ZERO of these mistakes have been corrected since I last checked (which was just right now for "fun").

This includes a shopping mall near my house that's still listed as a lake (probably because it has "lake" in the name). Also a street near my house is one-way that Maps still advises me to turn into the WRONG WAY. Turn-by-turn is nice except when it can get you KILLED.

Sadly it seems the whole crowd-sourcing and "the more our customers use our Maps the better it will get" mantra espoused by Tim Cook and Apple is BOGUS so far or perhaps just EXCRUCIATINGLY slow in its implementation.

I think a HUGE part of the problem is Apple doesn't seem to be directly in control of the DATA used in its Maps application. The fact that Apple is licensing data from a variety of mapping data providers.

So while IOS6 users are giving Apple a treasure trove of correction information, these corrections are NOT being implemented. Doesn't seems like these third party vendors wants Apple to mess with its data, and Apple itself is not able incorporate its own corrections into the databases it licenses, which are likely live and constantly updated by the data providers.

 

[antzzz]

Wow can't believe Mildura made it onto global news! Let alone Hattah! Argh! Don't forget about the roos that you'll smash into driving through there!

Have a read of this... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/beth-lawrie-stranded-for-days-in-one-of-victorias-remotest-areas/story-fn7x8me2-1226236321818

Locals are fine, but we get heaps of backpackers etc up around here, they cannot handle the head - just not prepared.

Come on Apple! Sort out this maps debacle! Should have just stuck with Google really....

 

[Starfires]

Google Does This Better

Apple should really just stop. They have never delivered services well - and Maps is now one of the biggest embarrassments to date.

Whatever they are spending to do their own Maps - it still must have been cheaper to simply use Google's data. Even if Maps gets to the point that becomes usable, how long is Apple committed to the service? A few years? Five tops? Google is obviously in it for the long haul. Streetview? Where is it Apple? Do you think the Google self-driving car is simply for R&D??? Nope - eventually those autonomous cars will be all electric, driverless and will be grabbing updated Streetviews monthly if not weekly. Apple are you ready to compete on that level? I doubt it. Apple Maps will eventually go the way of Ping or Dot Mac and everyone will forget about it. It's just another poorly implemented Apple service that will see no follow through.

Apple, save some money, stop fighting Google and just work WITH them. The combination of Google data and services with Apple interface and design works so well. It's such a missed opportunity to make everything better. Stop fighting!

This is so true. There is no way Apple has the resources (appropriate resources) to make a map service as good as Google's. They also don't have the appropriate 'let any platform use it' philosophy to offer such a universal service.

When I got into iDevices, the fusion of Google services and Apple software was perfect. They are getting ahead of themselves if they think they can make something better, or even as good in this area. It would indeed be cheaper and better to pay Google if need be, than to go their own way, making their customers guinea pigs for flawed concepts.

Note- I'm writing this in Japan, where the Apple Maps can't see my local stations, some of them pretty significant, or pretty much anything of use around here. Maybe in 5 years it will work, but why wait so long? So I've kept my iPhone 4S on OS5 just to avoid the chaos, hoping the Google Map app will come soon, and be as great as their YouTube one.

 

[ladeer]

Apple is going to have a very bad PR disaster comes Monday.

Map has worked perfectly for me, but I do live 20 mins from its headquarter so I am fortunate.

 

[Xano]

Oh my god, if in US works more or less, outside works like Sh**!
I'n Europe doesn't work and people are always advertised to don't use Maps.
Even on invitation people joke with; "Sorry I'm late, I used maps!".