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Apple Acquires Transit Service HopStop to Further Improve its Maps App
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As much as I like/love Apple products, this is very simple. I pointed through their report tool a couple or three glaring mistakes around me (wrong address for high school, middle school, library in Alviso). I did this within one or two weeks of their highly publicized map launch. Has this been corrected almost one year later? NO. Big fat NO! They can't even fix things people report to them in good faith. I want to be realistic. They are way behind Google in maps quality and I don't see Apple even trying to close the gap. There you go, I said it. With all the billions they have, if they were serious about getting things better they would have done it. For crying out loud. This is a map application that gets its data from a server, it doesn't take a genius to fix the map errors and everyone gets an updated and correct map next time they open the Maps app. If you know Alviso, please go ahead and check where Apple puts the library branch, almost on top of George Mayne elementary school. I understand them making a mistake. What I don't understand is them not fixing this almost one year after being reported. That's what is really bad. Don't you think?
It is difficult to disagree. Hire 100 people, who can work from home most of the time, and ask them to check user reports against recent satellite pictures, other online sources (websites of libraries or stores, yellow pages, business listings, government records) and paper maps or by calling the businesses themselves. A person should be able to double check 5 reports per hour on average. That would add up to 80,000 corrections per month for 100 people and it would cost less than a million dollars per month even if each employee was paid $50 per hour including benefits. It may not make the maps perfect, but it would at least placate the users who report errors. The ones who bother reporting are probably the ones who feel the strongest connection to Apple. It would be a smart business decision to keep such users happy, so that they would stay loyal repeat customers and recommend Apple products to others.
I feel that if they were to make a mapping solution available for Windows and Android, it would be iCloud.com based.
I guess you are not aware how Google "develops" most of their services. With businesses this size, inventions and innovations rarely originate from inside but from ventures either corporate or through acquisitions. Google and Apple both need to look beyond their own walls to remain at the forefront in terms of new functionality.
I agree :^(
I've seen exactly the same thing - if my destination is in Hayward (north of where I live in Fremont), Maps consistently tells me to go south on I-880 toward San Jose. :^( I gave up after reporting this 4 times over the past year.
But I will say for the most part it actually works correctly. And of course, the integration with the rest of iOS is quite helpful.
(PS - as long as it doesn't block my access to Maria Elena's in Alviso, I'm happy ;^) )
I've seen exactly the same thing - if my destination is in Hayward (north of where I live in Fremont), Maps consistently tells me to go south on I-880 toward San Jose. :^( I gave up after reporting this 4 times over the past year.
But I will say for the most part it actually works correctly. And of course, the integration with the rest of iOS is quite helpful.
(PS - as long as it doesn't block my access to Maria Elena's in Alviso, I'm happy ;^) )
For my town in the UK it has good data, for all of the bus stops and times (Google doesn't offer bus data). Hopefully they won't be using the Hopstop search function though, as it keeps trying to find towns and cities as roads and streets.
Another company that they could acquire to help improve their public transport further is Moovit.
Another company that they could acquire to help improve their public transport further is Moovit.
Ahh. This doesn't work in my country - czech republic.. Too bad... Google maps have very precise mass transit where I am from so that's the reason why I use that even in car... Here, every masstransit operator has the obligation to put the timetable into a central database. However the copany that operates it has a monopoly on the data and has made no innovation whats so ever... There are no APIs. My friends are parsing it for their service, but I guess big companies like Apple cannot take that risk since it is leally grey area... My friends are however also lobbying to make public APIs mandatory for the company that runs it... Then it should be fairly easy to get all of public transport into maps even long distance!
Once they get a Streetview style service I'll switch, unless iOS7 lets us change default apps. HopStop is awful in my area. It frequently tells me to take a bus to a different town to get to my destination, it wants me to turn a 1 hour journey into a 3 hour adventure!
Will they ever be able to compete with Google Maps?
I ask this because I have the weird habit of wanting to use native apps only... But since I live in a place that is not too important (Belgium), I think they pay less attention while making maps for it... Anyways, it's sending me in wrong directions so the app is not reliable, I have to use Google.
I'm weird I guess
I ask this because I have the weird habit of wanting to use native apps only... But since I live in a place that is not too important (Belgium), I think they pay less attention while making maps for it... Anyways, it's sending me in wrong directions so the app is not reliable, I have to use Google.
I'm weird I guess
Not everybody has that loser mentality.
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Have you elected a president yet?
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ThTs the main issue with apple maps. Not only sucked at launch, but there aren't noticeable improvements.
This is another good move by Apple. Slowly, they are chipping away at all of their known issues. Its a process and time will improve it.
I also believe iOS7 will level the playing field.
I also believe iOS7 will level the playing field.
I agree, it's great Apple is trying to fix their app, but:
- Wake me up when they do, because I need a maps app that works now, not in the future.
- They need to re-brand it once it's fixed. People don't return to software that was once bad, they abandon it and will always remember it as "Apple's crappy Maps app" no matter how much better it gets.
And for the love of God, please change the color palette!!! The purple airports are burning my retinas!
With the Google Maps update, I have moved to their app as the main map on my phone and pad. Will be interesting to see how apple maps improves over the coming months.
Microsoftian tecniques....
somebody?....Still, it is better that stole intelectual property and bash or demand anybody threatening you..........
somebody?....Still, it is better that stole intelectual property and bash or demand anybody threatening you.....
.....Not sure what ios7 has to do with it
Once apple reliably updates reported issues en mass and starts launching multiple imaging satellites into orbit, then we might be able to expect some competition!
Not sure what ios7 has to do with it
Once apple reliably updates reported issues en mass and starts launching multiple imaging satellites into orbit, then we might be able to expect some competition!
I'm just speaking generally as an overall strategy. Improvements with the maps application and improvements found in iOS will chip away at any 'perceived' advantage Google/Samsung has. The acquisition of this company is one smaller part of it.
First off, your statement that apple completely failed is an opinion. Just bc you're hopping on the Apple Maps Sucks Bandwagon, doesn't mean it's true! I prefer apple maps to google for a lot of things, such as flyover for aerial views. The two apps are both useful. Googles transit directions beat out most other apps.
Second, Apple had to insert themselves into the current mapping market. Google had its time to slowly grow. Do you remember "Google maps mobile" that you would download onto your palm treo 650? It was terrible!!! Apple may have its hiccups, but they are not down for the count.
Samsung? Where do they come into it? Forget the childish 'brand-wars', we're all just consumers that want a steady stream of nice devices and services that suit our needs and wants, who cares about the logo stuck on the outside?
There's no 'perceived advantage', google are the definitive commercial mapping giants. They may be a search provider, advertiser and have a whole load of online services etc, but they've been the leaders in this field for a fair while now - it's not a pet side project when you've got exclusive access to the best non-military satellite imaging, global fleets of land-based imaging and an unquestionable advantage in crowd sourced information.
