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Today, on Twitter, I came across a German word "verschlimmbesserung". It's rough translation is something along the lines of "improvements that make things worse".

Seems oddly apt! :D
 
There's no major guesswork needed. A few of us predicted that Apple's foray into maps would be bug ridden and/or inferior to Google's offerings for at least a couple of years.

Of course there is, let's separate the issues here, bug ridden and feature complete are different. As I recall apple have acquired several mapping companies, and using separate mapping services like tom tom and OpenStreetMap. What is the cause of the bugs and how can they be fixed? An answer to those questions without actually working on the problem is based on guessing, if not what?
 
You would think that they would have tested it to make sure it worked before they released it.

I am sure they did. They also send things like this out to devs but my guess is there are more people getting the beta builds of the OS and just playing with them (who aren't devs) than there are devs. They do nothing for development when they steal or buy the software before it is released.
 
That would be terrifying. Imagine Apple Maps telling you that there is a lake, or a 10 mile drop in front of you that you can't see. And invisible dragons.

Gives them inspiration and motivation to perfect Maps.
 
Of course there is, let's separate the issues here, bug ridden and feature complete are different. As I recall apple have acquired several mapping companies, and using separate mapping services like tom tom and OpenStreetMap. What is the cause of the bugs and how can they be fixed? An answer to those questions without actually working on the problem is based on guessing, if not what?

Sure it's guess work. So what ? Absent any information, guess work is all we can rely on.
 
Of course there is, let's separate the issues here, bug ridden and feature complete are different. As I recall apple have acquired several mapping companies, and using separate mapping services like tom tom and OpenStreetMap. What is the cause of the bugs and how can they be fixed? An answer to those questions without actually working on the problem is based on guessing, if not what?

They still don't have access to the volume of data available to Google and I doubt they every will. Google's core business activity is data mining.

Will be interesting to see if Apple approve a Google Maps app it could be very awkward for them if they don't.
 
I am sure they did. They also send things like this out to devs but my guess is there are more people getting the beta builds of the OS and just playing with them (who aren't devs) than there are devs. They do nothing for development when they steal or buy the software before it is released.

Non devs playing with the DPs changes nothing as far as testing/debugging/Q&A from actual devs and Apple's staff goes.

Again guys, we've known about the issues and the "downgrade" since the first DP. We've also seen how much has improved and how much of the reported problems have gone unfixed over the course of the last 3-4 months.
 
Why does everybody have blind faith that Apple fix this quickly?

The Maps fiasco is very similar to their Podcast app fiasco....just on a much broader scale. Despite having Podcasts in the Music App since Day 1 and plenty of 3rd party apps (Downcast) who did it right, Apple released a half baked bug filled debacle. The only upside is there was still the third party apps to go to.

Bring back Google Maps!
 
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That would be terrifying. Imagine Apple Maps telling you that there is a lake, or a 10 mile drop in front of you that you can't see. And invisible dragons.

Actually, isn't it the other way around ? I'd be much less scared of Apple maps telling me there's a 10 mile drop where there isn't one than Apple maps failing to mention that little tidbit as it tells me "ahead, 100m" when there's only 75m left before said drop. ;)
 
They still don't have access to the volume of data available to Google and I doubt they every will. Google's core business activity is data mining.

Well, OpenStreetMap for an example is crowd sourced, that alone should tell you that at some point it will, add separate data sources like tom tom and yelp and coordinate them. But, in my opinion the most critical thing to get fixed is bugs.

Sure it's guess work. So what ? Absent any information, guess work is all we can rely on.

Which isn't reliable, that was my only point.
 
Apple shouldn't have launched this until they had a solid lock on current or very nearly current map data and imagery. Yes, that's a big job. Yes, that's why Google put so much effort and money into it -- they did it right, and often had to do it themselves to get it right.

What Apple has instead done is cobble together pieces from various sources, leading to a hodgepodge of pixelated or low-res, or black & white images intermixed with relatively decent, current color and high-resolution imagery. Their actual street data is lacking, too.

To say this is "beta" or "crowd sourced" is putting a bandaid on the problem to save face. This feature was not ready for primetime.
 
Will be interesting to see if Apple approve a Google Maps app it could be very awkward for them if they don't.

The situation will be awkward no matter what. If the don't approve the app, people will be left with a unusable maps app until they fix it. If they approve it, it's going to be a bit weird not only because they've ditched Google Maps before but also because probably Google Maps will be a lot more reliable service than their own app.
 
Which isn't reliable, that was my only point.

We're discussing here. It's not like anyone is under the gun to provide a working solution except Apple. So what does reliability of our discussion have to do with anything ?

As developers (speaking for myself), it's fun trying to figure out how the bugs could be happening and where they are located. Thinking in terms of how the programmer might have implemented a feature and what conditions could trigger this bug, etc..

If you've ever written software (and seeing how you like to argue in the programming forums even when you're wrong, you might have...) you know these are fun exercises. It also makes for nice discussion.
 
The situation will be awkward no matter what. If the don't approve the app, people will be left with a unusable maps app until they fix it. If they approve it, it's going to be a bit weird not only because they've ditched Google Maps before but also because probably Google Maps will be a lot more reliable service than their own app.

Plus, if Apple do reject Google Map, it would likely put Apple in DOJ's scope. I'm sure it is something Apple don't want, as big as Apple is, DOJ would crush them like a bug (Look at what they did to Microsoft 10 years ago).
 
We're discussing here. It's not like anyone is under the gun to provide a working solution except Apple. So what does reliability of our discussion have to do with anything ?

It does if forecasts about time schedules are proposed, and it's not clear that it's based on speculation. View what I said as a side note commentary, move along etc.

If you've ever written software (and seeing how you like to argue in the programming forums even when you're wrong, you might have...) you know these are fun exercises. It also makes for nice discussion.

Lol, that's precious. You are always right in the programming forum! Even when you are allocating 5 bytes of memory to save space. :)
 
Why does everybody have blind faith that Apple fix this quickly?

The Maps fiasco is very similar to their Podcast app fiasco....just on a much broader scale. Despite having Podcasts in the Music App since Day 1 and plenty of 3rd party apps (Downcast) who did it right, Apple released a half baked bug filled debacle. The only upside is there was still the third party apps to go to.

Bring back Google Maps!

It's more than blind, it's stupid.

They're literally going to have to start again in the UK. The POI data is junk.

That's going to take at least 4 years to get it anywhere even close to usable.
 
Why should we, when we had a working app before Apple decided to dump it for their own corporate reasons? POIs are abysmal right now, and I've looked at a few places in different countries that I know very well. Within half a mile of where I stay in NJ Apple only has one POI, a chicken place, shown in the wrong place entirely. All the other businesses including a large supermarket, Subway, Gamestop, bank, chinese takeaway, diner, not shown at all. Near where I live, there are a handful of POIs, some in the wrong place, some misspelt. This stuff should have been working on day one. Maps is not a new feature, it's a replacement of a working feature with an inaccurate, incomplete one. It's a fiasco.

Ok........ don't!
 
The reason why Apple Maps will be always behing Google Maps is that Apple will not be able to provide a consistent experience.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can only use Apple Maps on iOS devices, you cannot view them in a browser on a computer.

With Google Maps I can find a location within a browser on my big computer screen, check the a route to that location in detail and then send the route to my phone, where I will see the same thing alas on a smaller screen. I will also get the exact same route if I look it up on my phone. This is a consistent experience across devices.

There's definitely a difference between a Service Provider (Google) and a Hardware Provider with some service offerings (Apple).

Google inherently wants to target many markets and hardware platforms... Web (targeting desktops... PC, Mac, Linux, etc.) and Mobile (iOS, Android, and probably Windows Phone).

Apple... doesn't often go beyond OSX and iOS. That they have iTunes and some offerings for Windows is noteworthy... and that's because iTunes and iCloud made a quick leap to becoming a Service, with the former being a revenue generator.

I doubt we'll ever see a web-based Apple Maps. And because of that, they may never put the effort into it that Google has.
 
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