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Apple Issues Statement Over Day 1 'Maps' Glitches, Maps Team Reportedly Under Lockdown to Fix Issues

OTACORB said:
If this is such a big problem for you, then you have a choice to make when you buy your next phone. It's pretty simple really!
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No, it's not. I have to weight my investment in the Apple ecosystem, vs the loss of features I used in maps (traffic was a big one, navigation not so much, properly labelled POIs were also a big one... it seems Apple really had it in for the features I used).

My investment in the ecosystem is pretty big. Frankly, if Google delivers a map application or continues to make their web based version usable on iOS, then I won't be moving anymore, much to your chagrin. I'm not losing all the applications I bought nor all the time I invested in learning how to program the damn thing over things I'll just have to get elsewhere, if not as good as I once had it.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
And none of this happened or was well on it's way to market while Jobs was still alive? What happened to the next few years of products that Jobs had lined up before he passed away? Was Siri Tim's baby? The new Final Cut?
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None of this matters because regardless of what's "in the pipeline", it still has to be managed, developed and tested properly. That is where the "new" Apple under its new leadership is faltering terribly.
 
SactoGuy18 said:
Now that I've updated my iPad 2 to iOS 6.0, I had a chance to play around with the new Maps program.

Potentially, it could be a GREAT mapping program, especially in areas where a lot of map data is already inputed. I've tried it in my home town (Sacramento, California USA) and towns in the San Francisco Bay Area and it does work fairly well.

I do think, however, that Apple should have spent more money to get mapping data in foreign countries. In Japan, there is a company called Mapion that provides excellent maps of that entire country; Apple should have bought mapping information from that company and it would have resulted in maps of Japan that would actually be BETTER than the Google Maps information for Japan. For example, the well-known small city of Onomichi, called by many Japanese "Japan's hometown," is mapped out in Mapion in great detail if you look at this URL:

http://www.mapion.co.jp/m/34.40558389_133.20746389_7/

In short, it's going to take a while for Apple to build up the database for good mapping experience.
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Best comment I have read so far. Hopefully Apple does some re-sourcing for the biggest problems, especially now that they have usage data to suggest which regions those are.

Regarding past comments about developers not doing a great job testing this release, many have separate phones for development, which means production devices (the ones with everyone through the day) weren't using the new maps app. Personally, I didn't report any problems until the release.

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KnightWRX said:
No, it's not. I have to weight my investment in the Apple ecosystem, vs the loss of features I used in maps (traffic was a big one, navigation not so much, properly labelled POIs were also a big one... it seems Apple really had it in for the features I used).

My investment in the ecosystem is pretty big. Frankly, if Google delivers a map application or continues to make their web based version usable on iOS, then I won't be moving anymore, much to your chagrin. I'm not losing all the applications I bought nor all the time I invested in learning how to program the damn thing over things I'll just have to get elsewhere, if not as good as I once had it.
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The web app really isn't missing much IMHO. If Google implemented Street View in the mobile app, that would address the biggest feature missing from the new Maps app. It's in their best interest to make improvements either through the website or a native app, and I would be surprised if we didn't see one or the other.

How long has Bing Maps (either under that or other names)? I would be interested to see how that has progressed alongside Google Maps.
 
subsonix said:
So what? Do you think that the entire planet needs to be 3d mapped for it to be a useful feature? What is the usefulness of covering uninhabited areas or smaller rural areas compared to larger cities and attractions.
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In my view that's the selling point of the 3D feature - go where you haven't gone before, take a trip down the Colorado River, over the Rockies or Siberia. Seeing San Francisco in some kind of rendering gets old very fast, everyone does it and since the 3D feature turns into a Dali painting rather quickly when zooming in, it isn't that useful for cities.

They need something like StreetView - hypnotize all owners to go outside once a month and take a Panorama photo or something like that.

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Pilgrim1099 said:
Siri, I believe, was Forstall's idea. He suggested it to Steve and probably to Mr. Cook, if I'm not mistaken.
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He needs to be put in a car and forced to drive around the UK using Apple maps only. He's speech at WWDC '12... Beautiful, beautiful beautiful... he's like crazy Steve on pot... Developers, developers, developers...
 
AZREOSpecialist said:
None of this matters because regardless of what's "in the pipeline", it still has to be managed, developed and tested properly. That is where the "new" Apple under its new leadership is faltering terribly.
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Good point. Hopefully they learn their lesson quickly and get back on track. In some ways I think that the growth was too fast and explosive for them to handle as efficiently as they did in the past.
 
dv8r said:
In my view that's the selling point of the 3D feature - go where you haven't gone before, take a trip down the Colorado River, over the Rockies or Siberia. Seeing San Francisco in some kind of rendering gets old very fast, everyone does it and since the 3D feature turns into a Dali painting rather quickly when zooming in, it isn't that useful for cities.

They need something like StreetView - hypnotize all owners to go outside once a month and take a Panorama photo or something like that.
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In my opinion that is the novelty of it, the usefulness would be in doing recon of an area you are about to visit to easier find your way around and so on. That is, usefulness defined as something that solves a problem. I actually think It's better for this purpose than streetview since it's easier to pan, zoom out and turn the entire map. The Dali effect you describe is usually there only before the new textures are loaded at a new zoom level ime.
 
I'm highly disappointed. Google maps worked. I'm about to go somewhere unfamiliar. Usually I tap it into Google maps, but I got an iPhone 5 yesterday. So unbeknownst to me, I have to go through several third party apps for directions. So the cool Apple map that I was initially excited about is a bait for the switch.

I love my iPhone, have since version 1, but Apple has been screwing up a lot lately (including with FCP) and this could possibly be a deal breaker for me. I don't think there's a better phone, but I don't mind exploring a bit. I don't see carrying a GPS along with my phone and that's what I'll have to do as-is. #FAIL
 
Google maps is still available

Open Safari...

GoTo Maps.Google.Com

Click Share

Save to home screen

Welcome back Google Maps
 
Apple should stop trying to be in the advertising service and focus on what they do best. All this branching out is no good.
 
subsonix said:
In my opinion that is the novelty of it, the usefulness would be in doing recon of an area you are about to visit to easier find your way around and so on. That is, usefulness defined as something that solves a problem. I actually think It's better for this purpose than streetview since it's easier to pan, zoom out and turn the entire map.
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Yeah I don't arrive by helicopter that much so StreetView does more for me in the cities - but it's also a "manual" task to get those data, so I can see why Apple would want to avoid having a fleet of Apple cars going around all the time.

But this is also (in my opinion) the least of the problems right now - fix the basics... Maps in my hometown seemed to have been updated this morning so now it's generally correct - the POI's are still all wrong though and I have given up submitting errors through the interface, it pure crap - they really need to come up with a better way to do this (and please get this thing running in OSX or Safari)...

subsonix said:
The Dali effect you describe is usually there only before the new textures are loaded at a new zoom level ime.
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I don't know - Copenhagen looks kinda odd in 3D and there isn't that many tall buildings there to obscure the tracking/measuring, so they should be able to get rather close to street level. Trees definitely makes this thing go MoMA pretty quick...
 
dv8r said:
Yeah I don't arrive by helicopter that much so StreetView does more for me in the cities - but it's also a "manual" task to get those data, so I can see why Apple would want to avoid having a fleet of Apple cars going around all the time.
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Of course, but it's great to get a sense of relationship between to 2 points. Just dropping down on street level doesn't really tell you much in a city you have never been in for example. On the data collecting, it's also done manually for the 3d maps.
 
ChocolateApple said:
I love my iPhone, have since version 1, but Apple has been screwing up a lot lately (including with FCP) and this could possibly be a deal breaker for me. I don't think there's a better phone, but I don't mind exploring a bit. I don't see carrying a GPS along with my phone and that's what I'll have to do as-is. #FAIL
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Exactly what i'm thinking - i love the build quality, screen and usefulness, but they seem to mess up the software more than normal these days. At some point in time one of the other builders will catch up to Apple on the build quality and then it get's interesting. But Apple stock owners have launched themselves into space searching for a new planet at that time...

Love the Lumia 920, but Nokia should have gone with Android - Microsoft will fail miserably in the mobile space.

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subsonix said:
Of course, but it's great to get a sense of relationship between to 2 points. Just dropping down on street level doesn't really tell you much in a city you have never been in for example.
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It's great for looking at a turn or where the entry to something is - but I find myself relying more on the actual mapping and POI's than pictures and StreetView, but I get your point.

subsonix said:
On the data collecting, it's also done manually for the 3d maps.
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Not really - apart from people flying the plane the process is more or less automated. There's a demo video on how they (C3) get their data:
http://youtu.be/CNemPTHOKWg
 
dv8r said:
Not really - apart from people flying the plane the process is more or less automated. There's a demo video on how they (C3) get their data:
http://youtu.be/CNemPTHOKWg
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Eh, that's like saying Google street view data collecting is not a manual process (apart from the people driving the car). I was referring to the data collecting not processing, it's done by flying and taking photos, then some stereo processing is applied to the images. It was explained by the C3 rep in the previous video I linked to, and in your link above as well btw.
 
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Shaun said:
Well I do think there is one big difference.

Steve cared about the products because that fed his ego to be the best, to leave a lasting legacy and to change things.

I think Tim cares about the money. Get the product out and we'll fix it later because we need to keep the share price going up. The retail changes are testament to that. Steve wanted the AppleStores to be unique and a great experience, Tim just wants them to make more money.

And yes I do think they should ask "what would Steve do" regardless of what he said. We all need a guiding philosophy in life, something to shape our thoughts and actions. For many that comes from their faith, for others it's the teachings of a particular businessman, politician, singer, parent, mentor, coach, etc.
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Well you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't agree with your harsh assessment. I think that things have changed a bit since Steve's passing, but I don't see it like you do. I think there's some nuggets of truth in what you say, but I don't think the difference between them is as radically polarized as you put it.
 
Lost (?) for words

This new Maps is a mess. Even with superb performance in some localities, the amazing 3d flyover and built-in turn-by-turn features, it's now being overshadowed by its failings…which have become ridicule fodder for the competition. It's so bizarre how Apple, which goes to great lengths to market its 'magical' devices, can release (or supersede) a stock app which is so "compromised". iOS6 Maps is just not ready for primetime. It needed to bake a little longer.

This sub-par Maps also detracts from what could have been a fantastic product launch. The iPhone 5 will still sell by the millions but why accompany it with this blemish? Apple squandered a great opportunity, which is all the more perplexing given their few (ie once-a-year and critical) release cycles.

Weird, just weird.
 
I don''t understand. Maps has been a mess since Beta. Why does it take an official release for Apple to fix it (attempt to fix it)?
 
I wonder how much of this is due to Jobs' threat to go "thermonuclear" and spend every penny Apple has fighting Android/Google?

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

thermo_war.png

Dropping Google apps, which were a major factor in the iPhone's initial popularity, is pretty much the definition of "cutting off your nose to spite your face". At least, at this point.
 
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