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Apple Begins Animating Landmarks in Maps, Starting With London Eye and Big Ben's Clock

This reminds me of myself. When I have something really boring to do, I make up different (more entertaining) things to keep me busy.

Now that the wheel is spinning, what about fixing some of the annoying bugs in Yosemite? Album artwork synchronization, for example.
 
I like Apple Maps, but I always use Google because of superior POI and that you can scroll ahead in your route to see what's coming up, then just resume.
Am I right in that Apple Maps only lets you see a list of upcoming directions without also showing it on the map?
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I find it very frustrating that you can't scroll wherever you want- it bounces back to where you are in you're route.
 
People use maps for many reasons. While a London Eye rotating at a far too rapid rate is meaningless for point-to-point route planning, for those like me, who also love maps as a form of armchair tourism, research resources, and the like... something of this sort can be a delight, similar to a software Easter egg. This kind of thing influences my choice of mapping resources - "capturing the hearts and minds" is a useful business strategy. Other, more practical features are critical, too, of course - I'd like to have both Street View and Flyover. At times, Google Earth's measurement function is an essential capability...

In my driving, (Eastern USA) it's been quite a long time since I've encountered a routing error, and now that I have an iPhone capable of it, I'm really enjoying Apple's implementation of turn-by-turn navigation. YMMV, of course.

As to POI data? Both Google and Apple leave a bit to be desired. I happen to have an interest in rivers and streams - I've found Apple to be better at this than Google. And (on a less serious note), displaying current road traffic conditions is all well and good, but when are we going to see real-time barge traffic on the Thames, aircraft take-off and landing at Heathrow, positions of trains in the Underground, etc.? Currently, I have to pay a subscription to accurately locate the container ships delivering my goods (free maps show week-old positions at the moment), when is Apple going to spare me that expense, huh?

It is kind of cool that Big Ben is displaying the correct time. However, iif one wanted to be truly accurate... It's currently February 26, 2:45 PM (14:45) on the U.S. East Coast, which means London should be in the dark. One wouldn't know that unless one zoomed out a substantial distance (day/night terminator is currently a bit west of Iceland). Between the green foliage in St. James Park and ambient lighting more accurate for summertime than winter... Damn, can't Apple get anything right? ;)
 
I'll start using Apple maps when I can actually scroll the map during navigation. Until then it is useless if there is any hiccup in where I'm going (ie unexpected street closure) or to plan ahead on where it is taking me.
 
AMDeeb said:
What about actually improving accuracy of maps and POI? (Especially in developing countries where Google is miles ahead)
Click to expand...

Just a note. I've been adding (and correcting) POIs for months in Kingston, Jamaica (where I live). Apple makes changes on a weekly basis. Sometimes sooner.

Read: Use the REPORT A PROBLEM option in Apple Maps.
 
I just tried London Eye on my MacBook Pro. The 3D flyover kicked the fans into high gear and the frame rate was pretty bad.

The city looks like a nuclear fallout zone. The colors are so drab (the river looks like pea soup) and the buildings are all slightly distorted shapes.

I don't see the point from a functional point of view, and it's not aesthetically pleasing. It's just like a dystopian Sim City simulator type thing.
 
Having just spent a couple of days in London I think they need to refocus on making their Maps app better than Googles. If I wanted to go somewhere Google Maps would tell me what tube, which line and direction to get on and change at, as well as walking guides too. I found it incredibly useful.

Apple Maps could only tell me driving and walking routes. No thanks!
 
Maps is still horrible on public transport. This is the south of Berlin in Apple Maps:
aJXdbpTtD3.png


And this is Google Maps:
ybHEOwMsBM.png


(open the images in a new tab for full resolution)

Like, this isn't even in the same ballpark. In Google Maps I can see the different lines and stations, differentiate between main line, light rail, underground, tram and bus stops. In Apple Maps everything is just a train station, it doesn't display the rails unless zoomed in radically… Rails just *define* the landscape of a city. The can be used to navigate in the city. They are bigger than the biggest streets and yet they are displayed as tiny hairlines as if just unimportant.

How the hell am I supposed to find anything? I live next to a big light rail station, it is super easy to find my home just by panning and looking at a zoomed out map. This isn't possible with Apple Maps as it doesn't even *display* rails at that kind of zoom level.

Not to mention Google Maps has public transport directions. Apple Maps doesn't. Apple Maps is for people with cars. This ignorance shows everywhere.

P.S: Not to mention the total lack of the Tempelhofer Feld. The former airport is the biggest park/green area in the city and it just shows as a white spot.
 
ipedro said:
People who don't like this can GTFO. Apple has always been about paying attention to details.
Click to expand...

But this isn't paying attention to details. The rendering is poor-quality and the wheel is spinning way, way too fast. It's cringe-inducing and about as realistic as the statue of Liberty waving at you! (please Apple, don't get any ideas! :))

It's amateurish. Standards seem to be slipping.
 
It's impressive, no matter how useless it really is.
I can't believe they even made the clock show the correct time!

----------
Arran said:
the wheel is spinning way, way too fast.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

Yes, and none of the cars are moving at all.
The Eye does 1 revolution per hour. If they rendered it at the proper speed, they may as well not bother as you wouldn't notice it move.
 
Apple maps wows almost anyone I show it to. Most ask if it's Google maps. It'll be good to see all landmarks redrawn to perfection. Not too distant is the future when well have animated people/traffic and then maybe even real time...
 
Farthen said:
Apple Maps doesn't. Apple Maps is for people with cars. This ignorance shows everywhere.
Click to expand...

The problem with both Apple Maps and Google Maps is that they try to cater for all users. At the moment Apple definitely has a car user bias due to its origins, but ideally what you want is an app that allows you to easily customise what is shown according to what you want to see. So when you are travelling by train you see train lines, when going by bus you see bus routes, when cycling you see cycle routes etc.

This is what I have done with my app (I won't mention the name here as I'm not sure if I'm allowed to advertise), which displays a toolbar at the bottom that allows very quick customisation of what is shown on the map (usually just two or three taps to get what you want).

BerlinRailiPad.png

BerlinBusiPad.png

BerlinCycleiPad.png

It doesn't just work for transport either, but also for pretty much anything else you might want to see, depending on what your requirements are at the time. For example your can see maps of tourist attractions, shops, restaurants & bars, hotels, ski pistes, hiking routes, MTB trails etc. It's sort of a cross between a POI app and a generic maps app, with the idea that the user easily controls what is shown on the map based on what they are doing, rather than seeing a general-purpose map that probably doesn't emphasise what they really want to see.
 
That's super exciting for when I am flying my private jet and need a fly over view.

Now how about the transit integration we were promised mid last year, for the rest of us peons. Really wonder what the hold up is here. I wish Apple would say something.
 
Apple Begins Animating Landmarks in Maps, Starting With London Eye and Big Be...

These things are why I like apple. The attention to detail is amazing.
Wheel also rotates.
 

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London Eye :apple: :cool:

too bad their not attention to detail with cars too....i guess they gather its not important.

This, alone, may make me switch from using TomTom app back to Maps. I'm liking what i see here.
 
richwoodrocket said:
These things are why I like apple. The attention to detail is amazing.
Wheel also rotates.
Click to expand...

I think this might not be a good idea. I bet some people will actually think they're getting a live view of the wheel and complain when they realize they aren't
 
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