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HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
Hooray! Apple finally fixed the listing for Walmart in my town. Ever since Apple Maps was first released they showed 2 Walmarts: the correct one... and the address of some old factory. I don't even know how Apple got that other wrong address. There's no document in the world that ever had a Walmart listed at that other address.

I've experienced exactly the same Walmart location error in 2 separate states- Florida and South Carolina. Both times, Maps took us to empty fields. Even now, try a search like "Walmart Lake Worth, Florida" and then switch it to Satt mode. Zoom in. The Maps pin is pointing in an alligator-infested canal- dead center. If you went right to where that pin is located, you'd drown or be eaten. There is a Walmart not far from there but Google puts it's pin right in the store. Maybe Apple has something against Walmarts?

I think Maps is generally OK (as in, generally, what you're looking for is within a half mile of where the pin is dropped, though sometimes it's right on… but sometimes it's a complete miss by miles), but if there is anything critical, I find it best to double check with Google Maps.
 
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Bayshun

macrumors member
Feb 24, 2014
82
91
I don't use Apple Maps much since the couple of times it gave me directions to go in circles. I tried it again last night, however, and it still didn't work properly.

I was going somewhere new last night. It was straight down the road I was on, but I tried to use Apple Maps to make sure I didn't miss it. Even though the map showed it as being straight down the road, the very first thing it tried to have me to do was make a U-turn. I turned it off right then as there is no way to get there if I make a U-turn.
 

CrzyP

macrumors 6502
Mar 14, 2012
337
145
I've been reporting the same three map errors for two years. I'm happy to say that Apple FINALLY fix them in the last couple weeks. This is a good sign!
 

heyyoudvd

macrumors regular
May 13, 2011
218
74
You would think so wouldn't you? But Apple hasn't done much work on it since, they didn't even mention it at WWDC. Guess it's not a priority for them.

The reason it wasn't mentioned at WWDC is because Apple has been planning a major feature boost for a while now (namely, the inclusion of transit directions as well as indoor mapping), but those features weren't ready yet, so they're being completed and polished off for a future software update.

But that's new features. When it comes to the actual mapping data, Apple has been improving it continuously. I've personally noticed absolutely HUGE improvements over the past 2 years. Apple has continually upgraded satellite photography, they've added in tons of roads that weren't there before, they covered my entire city (Toronto, Canada) with 3D Flyover, they added building footprints across the entire city, and recently, they've significantly improved the POIs.

Maps obviously still needs a lot more work, but if you compare were it was when it was released in 2012 to where it is today, the improvements have been nothing short of monumental.
 

Nevaborn

macrumors 65816
Aug 30, 2013
1,086
327
well some POI are better...no longer says theres a zoo in middle of the city. however some pins are still out of place despite reporting them several times...

worst though is map data.. with a housing estate missing and a shopping complex with new road network missing too.


I simply can't understand how Apple are using such old date it is about 6+ years out of date!

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would love to get to a point Apple provided lane guidance same as traditional sat nav..would pay for that service.
 

NY Guitarist

macrumors 68000
Mar 21, 2011
1,585
1,581
the problem with a service like Apple Maps is trust. Once you get burned by it, you are going to stop using it and it takes a lot to get that trust back.

arn

What's worse is that bad news travels faster than good news and Maps bad reputation was spread by those who may have never even used it, making it need to earn not only the trust of existing customers, but new customers too.

I'm not saying it didn't deserve the bad rep though.:eek: I got burned pretty hard by it in the beginning because I never thought it could be as bad as it was.
 

sputnikv

macrumors 6502a
Oct 3, 2009
506
3,184
apple maps had a pizza restaurant in the middle of a neighborhood park. i submitted reports and nothing was ever done. i remember doing this off and on a few times over a few months. checking now, i see that it's fixed and that other spots in my area are populated with correctly labeled points of interest. that's great
 

SpyderBite

macrumors 65816
Oct 4, 2011
1,262
8
Xanadu
Apple maps has been ok for me since launch. The only reason I continue to use Google maps is for the Bus route data.
 

69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
7,895
15,043
In between a rock and a hard place
I understand why people *wanted* Apple Maps to begin its public life as a perfectly formed service but I don't know why people *expected* as much. It is great that they are making clear strides and I expect that they will keep it up. I have had more problems with the service than I would like but I think it works pretty well overall.

The expectations were set by Apple when they introduced Maps at WWDC 2012. If Apple, using a ton of superlatives, says the product is great, why would fans think anything otherwise?

What Apple debuted was not great by any stretch of the imagination. They could have said "Hey we're giving you a beta level product that needs significant work. But bear with us. A couple of years from now it will be marginally better." That would have been the truth and the expectations for Maps might not have been so high.

But what we got was a ton of hype from Apple, then an apology from Tim when the product didn't live up to the hype. With that being said, I don't understand why you don't understand why people were expecting more than they got.
 

rc80

macrumors newbie
May 30, 2012
3
0
I submitted a request for Maps to add Mt Everest (and fix the inaccurate search results) when Apple released their mapping program. It still has not been fixed and we are unable to find the tallest mountain in the world. I'm not convinced that Apple is doing enough to fix user requests in a timely manner.
 

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,517
5,936
The thick of it
My wife and I just returned from a 1500 mile trip. We used Apple's maps the whole way and only encountered one problem, where some roads were closed because of recent construction and we had to follow detours. But Maps was able to re-calibrate and get us back on track.

The only thing that was an issue was Siri, who seemed to announce our next turn randomly. Sometimes it would be announced at 5 miles, sometimes at 800 feet, sometimes not at all. When it worked well (at 10 miles, 5 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile and then 500 feet), it was great. But it wasn't consistent.
 

Surreal

macrumors 6502a
Jun 18, 2004
515
30
the problem with a service like Apple Maps is trust. Once you get burned by it, you are going to stop using it and it takes a lot to get that trust back.

arn

I can agree with that. To rephrase my first thought, I would hope that people –other than developers, which may be my problem–would eventually recognize that these are large and difficult problems. Having recognized that, I hope that we could manage our own expectations regardless of what Apple says about it. I expect anyone presenting a product that they spent millions on to present it as the be all and end all. I expect superlatives because no one is allowed to be modest in marketing. "This product should be adequate in most cases." lack 'go' power.
 

manyminis

macrumors newbie
Apr 14, 2010
3
0
Even major GPS has problems. Happy that Apple allows corrections!

FWIW, I tried a just-launched iPhone GPS app from a major GPS manufacturer yesterday and it told me to go the wrong way down a one-way street in a metropolitan area and then when I of course did not do that, it stopped giving me voice directions from that point on.
And, a standalone GPS unit that I purchased from the same manufacturer always wants me to travel cross-country to get off the freeway in between exits to reach a particular area and will not re-route when I avoid that non-option.:):)
 

leesmith2

macrumors member
Aug 25, 2009
72
16
Apple Maps is a helluva lot better than my car's navigation system. That said, I keep a copy of Google Maps on my iPhone as a backup.
 

liavman

macrumors 6502
Sep 22, 2009
462
0
Arnold, why do you need to start the article with so much negativity, repeating stuff that has already been written dozens of times before. When that is in the middle of the article it is annoying, but starting the article with such things is quite jarring.
 

duffman9000

macrumors 68020
Sep 7, 2003
2,327
8,083
Deep in the Depths of CA
The expectations were set by Apple when they introduced Maps at WWDC 2012. If Apple, using a ton of superlatives, says the product is great, why would fans think anything otherwise?

What Apple debuted was not great by any stretch of the imagination. They could have said "Hey we're giving you a beta level product that needs significant work. But bear with us. A couple of years from now it will be marginally better." That would have been the truth and the expectations for Maps might not have been so high.

But what we got was a ton of hype from Apple, then an apology from Tim when the product didn't live up to the hype. With that being said, I don't understand why you don't understand why people were expecting more than they got.

Yup. And now people are complaining that we are pointing out flaws, some massive, 2 years into Apple Maps. The only time I use Apple Maps is when a link opens the app. If I could change the default Mapping app I would never ever use Apple Maps.
 

RAPTORSKI

macrumors regular
Jan 24, 2013
160
0
British Columbia
There have been improvements but the details are still lacking significantly. For example some airport runways and taxiways don't show on the digital maps, and borders of countries are all screwed up. Overall, Apple still has a lot of work to do.
 

Gasu E.

macrumors 603
Mar 20, 2004
5,029
3,145
Not far from Boston, MA.
I submitted a request for Maps to add Mt Everest (and fix the inaccurate search results) when Apple released their mapping program. It still has not been fixed and we are unable to find the tallest mountain in the world. I'm not convinced that Apple is doing enough to fix user requests in a timely manner.

So, did you end up on top of the wrong mountain as a result?
 

smithrh

macrumors 68030
Feb 28, 2009
2,722
1,730
I've never seen an incorrect POI, just lots and lots of missing ones.

Ahhhh.... used to think this myself, until I noticed a pretty substantial number of POIs in my 'hood that are off by MILES.

So, if you're just browsing the map, you'd think "hey, they missed the Taco Bell there." But in reality, they have it a mile or two or three away. Right street, wrong place, wrong side/corner, you name it.

I've reported these wayward POIs before. I looked just now, they're still wrong.

What people may not realize is that Google hires loads of contracting companies with low-cost and overseas labor to fix reported issues with POIs. Apple may have underestimated the amount of work/verification needed to have up to date maps.

Still won't use Google maps unless I'm forced into it though, which isn't all that often.
 

iolinux333

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2014
1,798
73
the problem with a service like Apple Maps is trust. Once you get burned by it, you are going to stop using it and it takes a lot to get that trust back.

arn

No GPS were trustworthy until about 4 years ago for tomtom and garmin, and then about two and a half years ago google maps suddenly became amazing. How soon we forget. Google maps used to be awful, much worse than tomtom.
 

kas23

macrumors 603
Oct 28, 2007
5,629
288
Why are forum posts increasingly becoming the basis of news stories? Especially ones from your own forum. Kinda tacky if you ask me.
 

vvswarup

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
544
225
As soon as Apple maps was released, Google FINALLY magically was offering turn by turn on the iPhone. That move alone made Apple maps worth it for me. With that said, I've never had any problems with Apple maps either when I've used it, but I'm glad they are continuously improving it. I still use Google though.

Agree 1000%. It's very telling that as soon as Apple Maps was released, the iOS offering of Google Maps magically came up to par with what Android users have been enjoying for years.

It's ironic that people praise Apple's competition on the grounds that "competition is good for the customer." When Apple released Maps and it had growing pains, people derided Apple for even trying to release a mapping service, saying that Apple should have just stuck to what they're good at and let Google worry about mapping. IMO, it's ironic that in the one case that people opposed competition in Apple competing against Google in mapping, competition got them a better Google Maps app.
 

kas23

macrumors 603
Oct 28, 2007
5,629
288
The only thing that was an issue was Siri, who seemed to announce our next turn randomly. Sometimes it would be announced at 5 miles, sometimes at 800 feet, sometimes not at all. When it worked well (at 10 miles, 5 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile and then 500 feet), it was great. But it wasn't consistent.

I don't think that's a problem with Siri, rather an issue with the turn-by-turn directions of Apple Maps, which has nothing to do with Siri.

----------

Agree 1000%. It's very telling that as soon as Apple Maps was released, the iOS offering of Google Maps magically came up to par with what Android users have been enjoying for years.

It's ironic that people praise Apple's competition on the grounds that "competition is good for the customer." When Apple released Maps and it had growing pains, people derided Apple for even trying to release a mapping service, saying that Apple should have just stuck to what they're good at and let Google worry about mapping. IMO, it's ironic that in the one case that people opposed competition in Apple competing against Google in mapping, competition got them a better Google Maps app.

I don't think it was the release of Apple Maps that caused Google Maps to offer turn-by-turn directions, rather a contractual clause with Apple that prevented them from offering TbT directions. What was Google to do? Offer a separate iOS mapping app, in addition to the stock maps app? Apple would never let that happen. Plus, the SDK prohibited TbT directions using the stock maps. Google's hands were essentially tied.
 

iolinux333

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2014
1,798
73
Agree 1000%. It's very telling that as soon as Apple Maps was released, the iOS offering of Google Maps magically came up to par with what Android users have been enjoying for years.

.

Except Google is still purposefully leaving out features like NIGHT MODE. Grrrrr.
 
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