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Apple Hints at Future Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions With Traffic for iPhone

"We didn't enter the search business, they entered the phone business."

Steve Jobs whines people step on his turf, but is too thick to see the irony when the shoe is on the other foot. Mapping the entire world is complicated and best done by Google because they can effectively monetize it. For an effective traffic app, you need high volume. Android's cheap crap does this better because it has more marketshare. Apple needs to quit being bitches and put the Google navigation app on iPhone and both phones for a superior traffic app.
 
canderton said:
The only downside would be that an offline navigation system requiring only a GPS signal would require GB's of maps data to be stored on the phone. A sacrifice that a lot of people aren't willing to make. Especially people with the 16GB models. Otherwise, without an internet connection, you will just appear as a dot on a map full of gray squares. That's the reason Apple chose google maps in the first place. When they first introduced the iPhone, there would be no plausible way to store maps on a phone with only 4/8GB of storage.
Click to expand...

For Tom Tom, the map data for the USA is divided into five sets of about 250-300 MB each. No problem at all. UK is about the same size.
 
canderton said:
That's the reason Apple chose google maps in the first place. When they first introduced the iPhone, there would be no plausible way to store maps on a phone with only 4/8GB of storage.
Click to expand...

True, perhaps not the entire world. But before the iPhone came along, back when we all mostly had "only" 512MB for data and apps, many of us had installed a subset of the TomTom database on our smartphones.

Outside the USA, some phones even came with TomTom installed by the carrier for the country where it was sold. Especially HTC Windows Mobile phones.
 
SilianRail said:
"We didn't enter the search business, they entered the phone business."

Steve Jobs whines people step on his turf, but is too thick to see the irony when the shoe is on the other foot. Mapping the entire world is complicated and best done by Google because they can effectively monetize it. For an effective traffic app, you need high volume. Android's cheap crap does this better because it has more marketshare. Apple needs to quit being bitches and put the Google navigation app on iPhone and both phones for a superior traffic app.
Click to expand...

The last thing I want is the need to constantly connect to the internet and download the maps every time when I want to get some navigation. The Google maps solution is not ideal if they still don't allow caching maps or local navigation database.
 
Is there a good turn-by-turn for iOS now? I am sorely missing my google nav and want something somewhat similar until they update it. Any recommendations? free or otherwise. thanks guys
 
stevenshizzle said:
I took this to mean traffic as in network traffic. iOS devices, and all new smartphones, utilize a lot of network traffic. It wouldn't surprise me if they were looking at more robust ways of utilizing traffic, compression, etc. I'm not sure how they would collect traffic data. I suppose if they see a cell signal sitting in the same place for 20 minutes, it would reflect a traffic jam. But then again, they could have parallel parked and went to go grab a Starbucks.
Click to expand...

Same here, I understood it as Network traffic, not road traffic.
I mean how will the iPhone determine if you are walking along the road or driving slowly down the road in a traffic jam?
At least the Driving apps, can assume you are in a car if navigating.
 
I would even pay for this, but no more than $10 for home state then pay $5 for each extra city/state so you buy what you need rather than get everything. Means you can travel the world and pay $5 for each destination city rather than paying $30 a day for a sat nav from Avis/Hertz etc
 
cdmta said:
Is there a good turn-by-turn for iOS now? I am sorely missing my google nav and want something somewhat similar until they update it. Any recommendations? free or otherwise. thanks guys
Click to expand...

Lots of great apps. These are the best IMO...

Navigon - NAVTEQ maps
Tomtom - TeleAtlas maps
Co-Pilot - NAVTEQ maps
 
canderton said:
The only downside would be that an offline navigation system requiring only a GPS signal would require GB's of maps data to be stored on the phone. A sacrifice that a lot of people aren't willing to make. Especially people with the 16GB models. Otherwise, without an internet connection, you will just appear as a dot on a map full of gray squares. That's the reason Apple chose google maps in the first place. When they first introduced the iPhone, there would be no plausible way to store maps on a phone with only 4/8GB of storage.
Click to expand...

Yes but if you enter an appointment in iCal then the system could cache the required data before you leave wifi range. Most your adhoc travel is going to be your home city right. So it could have a cache of your home city in high detail in a couple of hundred Meg right?

Sure if you where doing a couple months of travel it might need lots of space but day to day it shouldn't need much.
 
MattInOz said:
Yes but if you enter an appointment in iCal then the system could cache the required data before you leave wifi range. Most your adhoc travel is going to be your home city right. So it could have a cache of your home city in high detail in a couple of hundred Meg right?
Click to expand...

United Kingdom + Ireland on TomTom is 166 MB. Complete USA is 770 MB, complete Europe about 1000 MB. Maps are a lot smaller than you seem to think.
 
diamond.g said:
I guess the question is are there enough iPhones out and about to provide good traffic data?

I mean will there be enough iPhone 3GS/4/(whaever the new version is called), will the traffic information be sent in the background even if I never use the built in Apple application?
Click to expand...

Oh man, you have no idea! On the navigation map while driving, you see icons of other WAZE users around you, there are hundreds all around the map. I had so many occasions where I would stop at a traffic light and see so many icons around me, look to the sides and see other WAZE users with the app running in their car. :)
 
Cool!!! Turn by turn GPS built into the iPhone would be sweet.

Ever heard of a Flip Camera? GONE now that the iPhone made HD video on a phone standard. Who knows. Our kids, kids might someday ask, "What was a Garmin Grandpa?" ;)
 
Laird Knox said:
True but I still see a use for dedicated devices. I rode across the country and back (6000 miles) on my bike. I don't think the iPhone would hold up too well to the rain, snow and vibration. Not to mention not being able to use the touchscreen with gloves on. ;)
Click to expand...

Great points indeed. :)

Though I don't think my Mom's TomTom would hold up much better though! :eek:
 
I'd love this on an iPhone, but we're probably a year or two away from it, if ever. Death of the GPS unit cant come soon enough.
 
Corban987 said:
I would even pay for this, but no more than $10 for home state then pay $5 for each extra city/state so you buy what you need rather than get everything. Means you can travel the world and pay $5 for each destination city rather than paying $30 a day for a sat nav from Avis/Hertz etc
Click to expand...
I understand where you are coming from, but many of the apps already offer this via in-app purchase, and it's generally $10-20 for the entire USA or a continent. Your prices would be too high to me.
 
haruhiko said:
The last thing I want is the need to constantly connect to the internet and download the maps every time when I want to get some navigation. The Google maps solution is not ideal if they still don't allow caching maps or local navigation database.
Click to expand...

The latest Google maps (and Google navigation) that is used on Android both have caches. Maps has a setting for it.

Google Navigation caches the route and continues even in airplane mode, including at least some rerouting if you miss a turn. Someone made an example video here.
 
I would love to have a GPS and a few GB of worldwide maps on an iPhone. I'm not always within range of a tower and I don't even want to think about foreign data rates...

This is the one thing I will give Google credit for. Google Earth works really well when you have a fast internet connection. The issue is how to you find friends on the map (based on them sharing their location with you), stores, tourist attractions, and the best route to take when you might not have the best coverage or there are thousands of people trying to use their phones to get data or calls...

Apple could use some of their cash to buy a TomTom or Garmin though...
 
gnasher729 said:
For Tom Tom, the map data for the USA is divided into five sets of about 250-300 MB each. No problem at all. UK is about the same size.
Click to expand...

The problem with off-line map data is that it does not get updated automatically and one has to pay for updates (about $70 for US maps for Garmin)
 
leisenstein said:
Actually, it will be better than Garmin.

What they do, is they hire local people to watch you via the position tracking. Then, they can give you directions based on your exact location.

Imagine, "Slow down for upcoming pot hole on left."
Click to expand...

bahahaha!
 
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