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Apple Expands 'Maps Ground Truth' Hiring to Rest of the World

charlituna said:
They didn't forget it. Part of their plan was for users to help with the verify part by highlighting issues. Just like Google and many other companies did and do
Click to expand...

Really? So how does that work then?
I live in a town of 20,000 inhabitants, It has the wrong name to it. Myself and some friends have been submitting error reports for the last three months to no avail. I've tried changing the names of businesses that have gone out of business as much as five years ago. All to no avail.

Recently I've stopped submitting corrections or trying to get anything changed. It seems a complete waste of time. From my experience of the area that I know, I can't trust areas that I don't know making the maps almost useless.

I really want maps to be good. At the moment I can't see it happening any time soon.
 
Karma*Police said:
Great, more clueless posts and trolls.

Mapping the world is no small task. Even Google relies on 3rd parties for some of their data, and after 9 years, it's still laughably bad in many areas.

And unless someone finds some amazing new technology that can keep tabs on every road, business and residence, and updates maps in real time, there will be no such thing as a perfect maps app.

Apple's first attempt was actually quite good, despite the media pounding it into the ground to make a quick buck. The UI alone is far better than Google maps and turn by turn is already superior in many ways. It's a version 1 product that saw some solid improvements already, and it'll only get better with time.

Where are all those "competition is good!" posters?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it a "good" first attempt when their CEO issues a public apology and recommends many of alternatives.

Tim Cook already mentioned the competition in his apology letter.

"While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."

http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/
 
There's a listing for NZ too, although the job description is about as accurate as Maps because Auckland is absolutely not in Otago (they're not even on the same island) :rolleyes:
 

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Solomani said:
Those hiring posting are for Managers. If you have any common sense at all, you'd figure that each Manager would be responsible for "managing" a bunch of employees working under them. So conceivably this might end up being several dozen to a few hundred "Ground Truth" employees under this single Apple project alone.

But I expected the Google fanboys to come and pour some salt in here anyways, as if it's some heinous crime for Apple (or anyone else) to work on improving their own mapping software. By the way, Android OS in its first year of existence sucked balls compared to iOS. Does that mean Google should have stopped improving it back then? ;)
Click to expand...

Finally some sense in the forum. No idea why Android fanboys troll around here so often
 
ipedro said:
Apple isn't aiming to copy or match StreetView. They're aiming at something much much better.

In the first generation of iOS Maps, there are already hints of how Apple will proceed with a competitor to StreetView: Flyover. I already use Flyover to look at the general area, in a lot more efficient -- albeit granted, lower resolution -- than StreetView.
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Flyover is not competition with Street View, they are totally different things.
 
maxosx said:
I will say that yes Apple maps have improved. However I drive all over Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. I still experience far better speed, accuracy and usefulness with Google Maps.

Not only does Apple still have plenty of room for improvement, the hair brain idea someone had to offer more than one route to the same destination really mucks things up. Especially on the very tiny iPhone 5 screen.

Thankfully I have really gorgeous Note II that makes Google Maps really stand out. Between that and the excellent Nav system in my car, I don't bother with Apple maps.
Click to expand...

Apple Maps have been great since launch here in California, in LA, up and down the coast, the Bay Area, Sacramento, etc. Only problem I've had was a mislabeled national forrest entrance last year.

I hate car nav systems, slow data entry, limited integration with the rest of my life and the minute you buy the car you're stuck with last year's technology. I'm totally spoiled not even looking at the screen to do certain things like getting directions while driving. Didn't know Apple Maps ran on the Note II. Now that you have a Note II, do you do a lot of comparison on your iPhone 5 since launch of Apple Maps. Exactly what things improved for you? Tried Google Maps on your iPhone? It's terrible, totally clunky looking. Android's UI benefits a lot from a big chunky screen, looks even cheaper and fiddly when it's scaled down to a reasonable size. Just really bad UI design, and the dude can't abide.

Android is a no go for me, cheap jumbo duplo phones, clunky OS and the app selection/quality totally blows. Further. I think characterizing the iPhone 5 as a 'tiny screen' is laughable when you're horking around a hefty plus size device.
 
skellener said:
Meanwhile, once Google has the autonomous cars legitimized (which is getting closer everyday), you can bet they'll never send out a manned Google Car again.
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Where I live an unmanned Google Car is considered fair game.

Seriously. It will be some time before these things start delivering your pizza. (If ever at all).
 
Rogifan said:
And how exactly do you expect Apple to make their maps better? :confused:
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Bit of an odd statement isnt it? Surely if your product is underdeveloped, the obvious solution is to get as many hands pumping information into it, and get your best developers and project managers on the case until its fixed. Or, bow out and outsource it all to someone who can do the job.
 
Not sure how well this is going to work. They still haven't fixed the multiple errors I reported when Maps was first released.
 
supercoolmanchu said:
I dunno, when I'm in the car (which is often here in the greater Los Angeles area), Apple Maps are a huge improvement and load way way faster over cellular data than Google's. Traffic information is much better as well, Google is always slow to change and misses a fair amount of pesky congestion.

I guess if your walking around, stopping to study details on the satellite/street views, then you might prefer Google Maps, but for driving and getting around California, Apple Maps destroy the Poodle. Most times, I don't even look at the screen, Siri does all the interfacing.
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Step outside the US - they are wildly inaccurate and just plain crap. They list shops in our town that closed over 18 years ago! :eek:

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charlituna said:
They didn't forget it. Part of their plan was for users to help with the verify part by highlighting issues. Just like Google and many other companies did and do
Click to expand...

Except Apple aren't fixing it when users report stuff. Not a single one of my reports, dating back to the week the iPhone 5 came out has been fixed. I gave up bothering in the end. Reports I've sent to Google were fixed within a day or two.
 
I've been trying to give them free "ground truth" info for Australia via the in-built reporting tool since Maps was in beta.

So far, none of the corrections have made it into the maps. They are as woefully inaccurate as on day one.
 
Apple Corps said:
Bingo. We need a crusade to get Cook FIRED. They have so much money they don't know how to spend / invest it for the Apple Ecosystem but they can't get a current featured Mac Pro out and they are just now hiring a mapping team :eek:

Cook is an administrator at best - he is so in over his head. Another hiring / promotion mistake by Steve I'm afraid.

This is an example of why Apple stock is tanking - no meaningful innovation and stumble city on recent executions.

BTW - enough with thinner and lighter - where is Aperture X, pro features on Final Cut X, Maps, Apple TV, new iOS, OS X is getting long in the tooth, Pandora like streaming music, China Mobile contract.

Tim is Cooked.
Click to expand...

I don't want to say that you're wrong, but you're totally incorrect. :)

You do realize that if you combine the post-Jobs era, along with Steve's extended sick leaves, that Tim Cook has presided over Apple at the biggest peaks in Apple's history? Yeah he sure stumbled those iPhone 4S and 5 releases... and that iPad thing really has just fallen flat... oh and iCloud... yeah nobody is using that at all...

What is Aperture X and why would you want it? :rolleyes: Final Cut X has plenty of pro features, entrenched video editors with legacy hardware and edit decks weren't so happy, but you might recall Steve Jobs was no friend to legacy hardware and compatibility hold outs.

There's no money in streaming music. It's expensive to run for services like Pandora, and artists make almost absolutely nothing from them. Plus streaming services aren't exactly models of profitability right now, hence a bad move for a CEO of a very successful company.

We all eagerly await new Mac Pros, however there's only myself and maybe 2 others here that actually buy such hardware. You also might be familiar with Apple's penchant for releasing hardware at key industry events. Ever heard of NAB? That's in "spring 2013". Not sure what you were expecting by now?

OS X is doing great, not sure what there is to fix besides a few inconsistent app UI's and that silly monochrome Finder sidebar. I think a lot of people (especially the squeaky vocal internet ones) like Snow Leopard because there was a lot of pirated app content available, some of the big apps that require 10.7 and later have yet to be cracked. Let us not forget that 10.6 had plenty of bugs, and more than a few lingering issues for pro app users.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
By not releasing it until it was actually ready?
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So when Google released Maps to the public in Feb 2005, it was perfect? That was 8 years ago. Is it perfect now?

Define "ready". I've been using since it came out and haven't had any problems.

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4TheLoveOfTech said:
I wouldn't call it a "good" first attempt when their CEO issues a public apology and recommends many of alternatives.

Tim Cook already mentioned the competition in his apology letter.

"While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."

http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/
Click to expand...
The public apology was because of the outcry, not because the app was objectively "bad". Myself and many others have had no problems using it. Tim Cook didn't "recommend" the alternatives. He simply said if Apple Maps didn't suit your needs, there were other options. And that's the whole point of the iOS ecosystem - options. The original Podcast app sucks. Do I care? No, I simply got Downcast which I love. So why would I waste my time bashing Apple for coming out with an inferior Podcast app?

Obviously, some people just need a reason to whine. You know who you are.
 
ipedro said:
Apple isn't aiming to copy or match StreetView. They're aiming at something much much better.
Click to expand...

Do you know anyone who's ever used Google StreetView and said, "Nope, this isn't helpful at all. We need something better."? I don't personally know anyone who doesn't find StreetView incredibly helpful as it exists right now.

Sure, StreetView isn't perfect, but I don't think Apple is barking up the correct tree with FlyOver. StreetView is helpful because it shows me what to expect to see at pedestrian level when I get somewhere I'm not familiar with. FlyOver shows me what I'd see if I were flying to the place where I'm going. How often do I do that?! And the 3D renderings of buildings in FlyOver in many cases just don't look realistic.

To me, it seems like FlyOver is Apple's solution that's looking for a problem. Actually, I think Apple Maps and FlyOver are Apple's solutions to Apple's problem -- with Google. The average consumer doesn't have a problem with Google Maps or Google StreetView.

Over the past decade or so, Apple's been very good at helping the consumer realize that we've settled for mediocre far too long and that Apple can make a better product and a better experience. They did it with MP3 players, cell phones, tablets, and computers. I just think they're missing the mark with maps and navigation.

Like them as a company or not, you can't say Google has put forth anything less than an amazing effort in terms of time, financial resources, and boots on the ground to get Google Maps and StreetView where it is today. In the mapping space, Google started thinking outside the box many years ago and they've only continued to pick up momentum in that space. I think Apple has a LONG way to go if they want to try to top Google's efforts.
 
Solomani said:
But I expected the Google fanboys to come and pour some salt in here anyways, as if it's some heinous crime for Apple (or anyone else) to work on improving their own mapping software. By the way, Android OS in its first year of existence sucked balls compared to iOS. Does that mean Google should have stopped improving it back then? ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah.. I'm a google fanboy :rolleyes:

I didn't say anything that wan't true. If you think for one minute that Apple's maps are up Google's level of detail, you are only kidding yourself.
 
flux73 said:
So when Google released Maps to the public in Feb 2005, it was perfect? That was 8 years ago. Is it perfect now?

Define "ready". I've been using since it came out and haven't had any problems.

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The public apology was because of the outcry, not because the app was objectively "bad". Myself and many others have had no problems using it. Tim Cook didn't "recommend" the alternatives. He simply said if Apple Maps didn't suit your needs, there were other options. And that's the whole point of the iOS ecosystem - options. The original Podcast app sucks. Do I care? No, I simply got Downcast which I love. So why would I waste my time bashing Apple for coming out with an inferior Podcast app?

Obviously, some people just need a reason to whine. You know who you are.
Click to expand...

supercoolmanchu said:
Ready for what? Whiners to whine? Complainers to complain?

Did Google wait until their maps were ready? They still have inaccuracies and mistakes, and they've even been driving camera cars around for years. Now that's embarrassing.
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Whining has nothing to do with it. It was an embarrassment for Apple. It didn't "Just Work".
 
rmwebs said:
Step outside the US - they are wildly inaccurate and just plain crap. They list shops in our town that closed over 18 years ago! :eek:
Click to expand...

You mean outside the US like China? Which has the biggest population on earth? Been there twice since New Years. Guess what, Google Maps are abysmal there, while Apple Maps are fantastic, the clear leader in that region. I'm sure your region will eventually catch up with the US, as always. :)

rmwebs said:
Except Apple aren't fixing it when users report stuff. Not a single one of my reports, dating back to the week the iPhone 5 came out has been fixed. I gave up bothering in the end. Reports I've sent to Google were fixed within a day or two.
Click to expand...

Google personally responded to your map corrections? Our receptionist hates Google Maps because it always gives visiting clients bad directions, and it's been reported to them several times over years.

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AppleScruff1 said:
Whining has nothing to do with it. It was an embarrassment for Apple. It didn't "Just Work".
Click to expand...

OK... so you got lost with it? What didn't work?

I'm seeing "Heisenberg", but I'm reading "Jesse", really confusing. :)
 
Tim Cook Quote "We Screwed Up"

flux73 said:
[/COLOR]The public apology was because of the outcry, not because the app was objectively "bad". Myself and many others have had no problems using it. Tim Cook didn't "recommend" the alternatives. He simply said if Apple Maps didn't suit your needs, there were other options. And that's the whole point of the iOS ecosystem - options. The original Podcast app sucks. Do I care? No, I simply got Downcast which I love. So why would I waste my time bashing Apple for coming out with an inferior Podcast app?

Obviously, some people just need a reason to whine. You know who you are.
Click to expand...

No he simply said "We Screwed Up" in his interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

"We set on a course some years ago and began to do that. So it wasn’t a matter of saying, “Strategically it’s important that we not work with company X.” We set out to give the customer something to provide a better experience. And the truth is it didn’t live up to our expectations. We screwed up.

So what are we doing? We’re putting all of our energy into making it right. And we have already had several software updates. We’ve got a huge plan to make it even better. It will get better and better over time. But it wasn’t a matter that we … decided strategy over customers. We screwed up. That’s the fact."

That quote was from December 2012
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/85170-tim-cooks-freshman-year-the-apple-ceo-speaks
 
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