Apple Fixes Australian Map Error That Caused Police Warning, Issue Traced to Official Gazetteer

[Mr.damien]

One mistake fixed, millions to go.

One hater fixed, millions to go

 

[mccldwll]

Maybe they'll fix Texas next.

Just shift the Rio Grande to the northern border and fix the "Texas problem" for everyone.

 

[Mr.damien]

For all of Apple's talk about "innovation" and "invent your own stuff", why is it then that Apple is blatantly RIPPING OFF Google Maps, and quite badly at that?

The common stuff between haters, is that they never understand the word they use. So I will help you as - with all the haters - you think that innovation is invention.

Innovation is the development of new customers value through solutions that meet new needs, inarticulate needs, or old customer and market needs in new ways. Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself.

It is what Apple is doing mainly. Bring values with existing technologies. In the case of Maps, the innovation I see here is fly by which I like a lot.

 

[iphoneclassic]

Prepare for the worst or predict the worst, with no basis? Not even a company as bad a RIM would go around correcting one error at a time. Some errors, yes, but the vast majority would be by changing the way data is analyzed and cross-referenced. [For example, that early ad by I believe it was Motorola where Maps supposedly couldn't correctly find an address in NYC. it turned out that specific numerical address didn't actually exist on the target city block which was a vacant lot, so Maps found that specific address some distance away. Obviously, individuals can't go around creating data points for non-existent addresses, so a systems approach would analyze immediately surrounding known existing addresses, and provide the interpolation as an alternative destination.]

When we are talking about present day issue of a matured maps technology, why do you refer history.

First Mobile Phone was built in 1946, First hand held phone was built in 1973. Apple built iPhone in 2007. Why there were call quality issues with iPhone?

As lot of Maps/Navi industry experts suggested in September, the way Apple is trying to fix is not going to work. Maps is out of Apple's league.

When you use a GPS device(portable/in-dash), you enter an address/co-ordinates or pick a category like fast food, with in that category you may search for "SubWay". But because of the way Google Maps app worked when you type "SubWay" it could be fast food or a subway station. App should be able to show both.

BTW, TomTom iOS App is way better, Maps are stored on the device, so it doesn't rely on cellular connection, which in most remote areas is either non-existent or slow. App sells for $49, So TomTom is not going to give everything to Apple.

 

[Oletros]

It is what Apple is doing mainly. Bring values with existing technologies. In the case of Maps, the innovation I see here is fly by which I like a lot.

Apart that the post uou have quoted is sarcasm, where is the invention with Fly By when it has been shown first with Nokia and Google?

 

[The Phazer]

Macrumors really needs to fix the headline to this article.

This error has only been half fixed, and there is no "source of the error" other than Apple. The issue is slightly complex, but the Gazetteer is completely correct, and Apple's Maps are wrong.

 

[MH01]

It's Antennagate all over again.

Step 1: Find a minor problem that exists in all similar products, that most users don't encounter.
Step 2: Write lots of articles about it online and in the press. Because it's Apple, it gets an inordinate amount of attention.
Step 3: Get the television media involved, because they're slow and only get their news from newspapers already in a panic.
Step 4: Get as many customers as possible to do something they'd never do in order to encounter the minor problem, making the problem appear widespread.
Step 5: Force Apple to apologize publicly, then criticize them for using reality as a defense.
Step 6: Get the fandroids to never shut up about it, and badmouth the Apple product everywhere on the internet.
Step 7: ???
Step 8: Apple still sells more of the product than they've ever sold before, since overall it's a superior product for most users in most situations.

ha ha ha ha ha, did not get past step 1.

Step 1: Find a minor problem that exists in all similar products, that most users don't encounter.

Minor problem eh, I think you will find that till will make the top 5 tech blunders this decade, and in the running for Century honours. I do not believe Apple has every screwed up this bad with a product launch...ever!

To be honest, not even Microsoft has launched anything this bad.

If you think its minor, you live in the US, in a City that is actually mapped, and that is the world for you!!!!. For the rest of us that live in the actual planet earth, travel etc its a HUGE blunder.

 

[iphoneclassic]

But mapping data is not shared freely between competitors. Its owned and controlled by its prospective company.

Map data is freely shared. You can get from public entities, wikimapia as well. Integration between layers is proprietary and application specific.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Apple did not invent voice interaction with a navigational device nor did it work any good. Actually voice-based navigation has been around in cars for like...errr...decades.

And you obviously haven't used an Android device, as voice based search and Navigation is there since...errr....years. Just because you don't know how to use it doesn't mean it is not there (I know, it's harder to just press a Microphone button and speak the keywords you are searching for than chatting with Siri. Sorry - though S Voice seems to be on par I found it rather annoying to say "Hello Galaxy. Navigate me to...")

Did I say Apple invented voice navigation? No, I did not. I said theirs is better, which it is.

 

[rabidz7]

wow, an app that can kill you!

 

[johncrab]

It's hard to take seriously a country that has three time zones and the one in the middle is off by just one-half hour. Fix that and get back to us on the mappy thing.

 

[gri]

There's no 3D where I live. In fact, most of Tokyo is simply a grey mess and then a green mess. Yes, Tokyo, the largest city on the face of the planet, a city with more population than most countries on the map. Nothing helpful at all. Apple really really need to fix this app.

Nah:
Beijing Population (2011): 20,180,000
Tokyo Population (2012): 13,216,221

Though, milage may vary for individual web pages as info source.

 

[Mike MA]

Just for the record - was Google Maps perfect from the very first day? If yes, what did they do different? Anybody remembering?

 

[linuxcooldude]

Map data is freely shared. You can get from public entities, wikimapia as well. Integration between layers is proprietary and application specific.

Even I could quote you Open Street Maps. But they are either far behind or not on such a grand scale such as Google maps. But such map data is proprietary, not free shared.

And as I mentioned, shared by competitors. Those you mentioned are not direct competitors to mapping as they are usually underfunded and not as complete or accurate as the proprietary versions.

 

[Oletros]

Just for the record - was Google Maps perfect from the very first day? If yes, what did they do different? Anybody remembering?

Are you saying that perople has to wait 8 years to have good Apple Maps?

 

[ovrlrd]

"Hey the iPhone is telling us to follow this dirt path instead of this highway that has big signs saying we should stay on it."

"Well technology has never failed us, dirt road it is!"

 

[scaredpoet]

SIRI - not working

Works fine for me.

iMessages - often not working

Works fine for me.

Facetime - not working

Works fine for me.

iCloud - not working

Works fine for me.

now when i pull out my iPhone 4S when people around have a Note II or an S III, i feel embarrassed

Maybe you're using it wrong. If you're that embarrassed, the correct thing to do would be to sell it to someone who'd be happy to use it, and get yourself a Samsung, since you find them to be superior.

Wow. So people are still saying:

"Oh my god my iDevice is COMPLETELY DEFECTIVE because of maps and it's TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE to get Google Maps back! Even though all I have to do is go to maps.google.com and add it to my home screen so that it works like an actual app OH MY GOD I'M NEVER USING APPLE PRODUCTS AGAIN EVEN I TOTALLY WILL I HATE APPLE WITH A PASSSSSSION!!!"

There, I fixed it for you.

Big sillies!

Indeed!

 

[Jjd10]

Maybe Mildura should relocate their city to where apple thinks it is. Also +1 for the call for the article to reflect that the gazetteer is correct. However the article is not

 

[ncaissie]

Have you noticed how much better the map interaction inside Find Friends app became? Or how Siri can now give you turn by turn directions.

That was not possible before cuz Apple had their arms tied by the limiting Google maps contract.

Also, Apple Maps basically has Google Earth built-in. Sometimes it's pretty neat to see some place in 3D.

There are problems with the new maps, but there are improvements too. Most people seem not to notice them.

What good is turn by turn if 90% is wrong or missing?

 

[mccldwll]

The common stuff between haters, is that they never understand the word they use. So I will help you as - with all the haters - you think that innovation is invention.

Innovation is the development of new customers value through solutions that meet new needs, inarticulate needs, or old customer and market needs in new ways. Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself.

It is what Apple is doing mainly. Bring values with existing technologies. In the case of Maps, the innovation I see here is fly by which I like a lot.

Buckus isn't a true hater, he's just an employee doing his job.

 

[tbrinkma]

Ouch. Has an app ever been labeled as "life-threatening" before?

Actually, Google Maps, MapQuest, and virtually every other GPS/mapping software solution in the world has had a few of these sorts of incidents at some point.

Back in the day, MapQuest tried to take me up an service road off a major highway, and would have dumped me off a 10' drop as a left-turn onto the road below.

More recently (last year), Google Maps gave me directions through someone's driveway and back yard to get from my hotel to a friend's wedding at the Builtmore estates. (That doesn't sound life threatening, until you find out there was an unbridged creek running through that yard which would have swallowed the car.) Of course, in both cases, I realized something was up *before* following those particular instructions, so I'm still alive today.

 

[james92se]

Just shift the Rio Grande to the northern border and fix the "Texas problem" for everyone.

How would that fix the "Texas problem" for the rest of you? People in Texas already know borders are made for crossing. Duh. I guess then at least we could just cross right over and call you racist if you question it, and stereotype the rest of you for once.

Anyway, in all seriousness, I've found Apple maps in the Dallas area to be fantastic. I love the turn by turn navigation.

 

[zorinlynx]

This isn't as severe but look how far Apple Maps says Gravenhurst, ON is from the actual city center.

I reported this MONTHS ago and it's still not fixed!

Apple really needs to get on the ball and fix this!

 

[tbrinkma]

I like this part. The rate that Apple is correcting their maps error is dismal.

Do you actually have numbers for that, or is it just an impression you've gotten by watching people complain on the Internet?

 

[TrentS]

Der!!

I find it humorous how todays Gen-X drone's have to rely on an app to get them to where they need to go. Not too long ago it was pretty easy just to do some simple research ahead of time with an Atlas to figure out how to get from point A to point B. But now, if they get lost, they just blame it on an app.