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Apple Acquires Embark to Further Improve Mass Transit Navigation

Mmmmm.....

Apple is putting their money where had put their mouth....Not so unexpected after the embarrassment the last year about Maps. Getting leverage against Android drones also can viewed as a sensible investment.....


:):apple:
 
I travel a lot around Asia, I can say that Google Maps is still far useful than Apple Maps. Lots of missing places in Apple Maps.
 
Sounds great... provided that you live in the US, which the vast majority on the planet do not (and many of us pay more for the iPhone than those in the US). What is Apple doing about mapping service in the EU? Certainly here in Scotland Apple's Maps sucks for POI's, but Google's is accurate. The same thing is true for public transportation, in spite of the fact that the information is available....
 
This explains why Embark for London started showing this message on startup since last week:

x2qZHpY.png


It's unfortunate because all in all, Google Maps is better than Apple Maps for London, so even if Embark is integrated into Apple Maps, I don't foresee myself switching any time soon.
 
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It's great to see Apple invest so heavily into Maps.

If love to see more traffic stuff based on users in cities. I'm from a small city with loads of construction nightmares in summer. It would be awesome if we could help each other out somehow.
 
I.Love.Apple said:
Not unless they acquire Google. All these startups do is provide nice GUI. None of them actually creates the maps.
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The benefit of a transit map is far more than the map. If all I wanted was a map I'd just keep a photo of it on my iPhone.

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CTU Kyoto said:
This explains why Embark for London started showing this message on startup since last week:

<snip>

It's unfortunate because all in all, Google Maps is better than Apple Maps for London, so even if Embark is integrated into Apple Maps, I don't foresee myself switching any time soon.
Click to expand...

Crap, hope they don't do this to the NYC Embark. Hop Stop was my other most often used transit map. Things could potentially get worse before they get better. :(
 
TWSS37 said:
I guess this is what you do when the competition already has this built into their app, available on your device AND bought the company you really wanted instead?
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This makes no sense since Waze is not a transit App.
 
all they are doing is acquiring small navigation companies, when would they implement those in their maps app. apple you should also implement these things in you maps.
 
About. Freakin'. Time.

Apple has been a disappointment for two years now. Get on it!
 
Todd B. said:
POI are perfectly fine, I've been using them since launch. Goes to show that tech blogs can manufacture an issue for web hits and sway opinion.
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I have been doing periodic side-by-side POI data comparisons since the Google Maps app was released, and I couldn't disagree more... Apple Maps POI data is not only missing in a majority of cases, but the crowd-sourced location data is nothing short of terrible. Common things like drug stores, gas stations, grocery stores, pools, hotels, arenas/sports venues, etc. mostly don't exist in Apple Maps, and in the rare cases where they do, they aren't where Apple Maps says they should be.

I will say from my own experience that, as long as I can give Apple Maps a valid address to work with, I've never had a problem with directions. Which, really, is the point of POI data, innit? For those times when you know what you're looking for but not necessarily where?
 
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spacehog371 said:
That is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.

Apple has enough cash in hand to buy Waze dozens of times.

It isn't like they went to the bank, got a billion dollars out, and then went "****... we've got this money here, we'll might as well spend it."

Additionally, both Apple and Waze deny they ever had acquisition discussions. That was just a rumor.
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I imagine you have led a sheltered life if that was potentially one of the most ridiculous things you've ever heard.

I do apologize for using the "cash in hand" analogy in regards this. I basically meant they went through all the steps to prepare for the purchase.

Right, infact most of their cash isn't even avaliable to be removed into US Funds. They probably had the finance department invested in finding the best way to bring cash out for Waze. Of course that doesn't turn immediately at investing that money into a completely different company. I just think that if they had aquired Waze, they may have focused more on making sure that was integrated properly rather than also integrating solid transit information like this aquisition does.

Yes, it was just rumor. I thought that's why we are here... to discuss rumors?
 
spacehog371 said:
Waze had nothing to do with public transportation.

Why would Apple acquire a public transit app because they didn't get Waze.

They wouldn't. The two are unrelated. Waze would not have improved transit directions.
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My point was this appears to be reactionary to not getting what they really wanting (Waze) so instead going in a new direction with a public transit API.

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Geckotek said:
This makes no sense since Waze is not a transit App.
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See above
 
John.B said:
I have been doing periodic side-by-side POI data comparisons since the Google Maps app was released, and I couldn't disagree more... Apple Maps POI data is not only missing in a majority of cases, but the crowd-sourced location data is nothing short of terrible. Common things like drug stores, gas stations, grocery stores, pools, hotels, arenas/sports venues, etc. mostly don't exist in Apple Maps, and in the rare cases where they do, they aren't where Apple Maps says they should be.

I will say from my own experience that, as long as I can give Apple Maps a valid address to work with, I've never had a problem with directions. Which, really, is the point of POI data, innit? For those times when you know what you're looking for but not necessarily where?
Click to expand...

Isn't the majority of google POI information crowd sourced as well? Just a different database
 
matty.p said:
Isn't the majority of google POI information crowd sourced as well? Just a different database
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The difference is that Google has validated and scrubbed their data. They also have better tools to report incorrect information, and (apparently unlike Apple) Google's Maps team actively makes corrections.

It took literally two months of daily reporting before Apple finally corrected the location of a new Starbucks near my house (which their maps were showing as being a mile away) in order to get it to register correctly in Passbook.

Hey, I love Apple stuff when it works, but the POI data in Apple Maps has been nothing short of pathetic. Here's hoping they turn this situation around, stat.
 
TheKrs1 said:
Right, infact most of their cash isn't even avaliable to be removed into US Funds.
Click to expand...

I can't find the figure for right now, but in 2012 Apple had $11 billion in cash equivalents.

That would have allowed them to buy Waze 11 times just with their liquid assets.

That is to say nothing of the short term investments in which they could pull out of at any time.

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TWSS37 said:
My point was this appears to be reactionary to not getting what they really wanting (Waze) so instead going in a new direction with a public transit API.
Click to expand...

Okay... and?

What I said still applies. Why would they buy companies that do not serve the same function as Waze because they didn't get Waze?

It is like saying that you didn't get the car you wanted, so you went out and bought a boat instead.

What you are saying doesn't make any sense.
 
TWSS37 said:
My point was this appears to be reactionary to not getting what they really wanting (Waze) so instead going in a new direction with a public transit API.

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See above
Click to expand...

There is no logic to that argument. You don't make business decisions and spend millions like that "just because". There is clearly a weakness in the transit data in Apple maps. Weak as in it doesn't exist. These purchases make much more sense than Waze would have. Either way, buying or not buying one has little to do with buying or not buying the other (Navigation vs Transit).
 
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