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Apple Maps satellite pictures a disaster

jafingi

jafingi

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 3, 2009
1,470
158
Denmark
I have just installed the GM on iPad, and checked the satellite images in my area. They're all black & white!!

It was that too in the betas, but Apple wrote in the change log that it would be replaced with high resolution satellite images in the final release.

Seriously... Black and white satellite images in 2012... Hope it will be fixed soon!

Anyone else noticing this?
 
I would hardly call a b/W image a "disaster" compared to a color version. A little overblown, don't you think?
 
Daremo said:
I would hardly call a b/W image a "disaster" compared to a color version. A little overblown, don't you think?
Click to expand...

Come on. Black and white images aren't acceptable in a brand new, "better than Google Maps" app.

So no, I don't think it's overblown.
 
Black and white would be better than I have here:
maps71zox.jpg

(default zoom level, it is not as close as you can get)

But black and white maps would still be unacceptable when you are trying to replace Google maps.

Hopefully there will be another server-side update before release. (this is on the iOS 6 GM)

I am all for Apple trying to eliminate their ties with Google, but so far it has come at the cost of user experience.
 
Im with the OP, i live in a fairly big city in the uk. the imagery is blurred, blocky no matter how far you zoom out.

People in the uk are not going to be happy with ios6. Google need to release maps as an app fairly quickly.
 
jafingi said:
I have just installed the GM on iPad, and checked the satellite images in my area. They're all black & white!!

It was that too in the betas, but Apple wrote in the change log that it would be replaced with high resolution satellite images in the final release.

Seriously... Black and white satellite images in 2012... Hope it will be fixed soon!

Anyone else noticing this?
Click to expand...

It is like you play around with Instagram filter. Think it that way XD
 
Beta Particle said:
Black and white would be better than I have here:
maps71zox.jpg

(default zoom level, it is not as close as you can get)

But black and white maps would still be unacceptable when you are trying to replace Google maps.

Hopefully there will be another server-side update before release. (this is on the iOS 6 GM)

I am all for Apple trying to eliminate their ties with Google, but so far it has come at the cost of user experience.
Click to expand...

It could be a new kind of Instagram filter that it has not come out yet. Awesome, I didn't know Apple bought Instagram from Facebook.
 
Yeah, it does luck fuzzy and B/W is not what you expected but I wouldn't say that its a disaster.At least they can still be seen. Yes,they look vintage, thats it!:)

__________________________________________________________

:apple:iMac early 2011-12GB Memory-500GB int.HD & 500 ext.HD-running Mac OS X ML-So far my OS is going good in spite of a few minor problems.Overall rating= 9:cool:
 
I agree. In York, Uk the images are black and white for most of the city.

This could be worse than antennagate for Apple. I'm hoping that they've just not flipped the switch for hi-res images yet, but I doubt this is the case...
(I'm a glass half empty guy)
 
Living just outside of Philadelphia and I see the satellite imagery is under par. It's not really a disaster but can very well be for anyone not living near a major city in the US (haven't checked out the world yet).

One thing for sure is that the turn by turn directions is superb and accurate. Traffic is informative plus it knows to stay on when it's in use and plugged in the car. Too bad it doesn't have a hybrid option in turn by turn.
 
Where I live in the uk the satellite images are just a pixelated blur so they can't have enabled them yet surely?
 
The satelite pics for where I live (Brussels, Belgium) are actually very sharp, detailed and newer than the ones on google maps (buildings that were built last year are on the pictures) so I guess I was lucky.

That being said, I really wish apple won't stop google from releasing a google maps app, if apple maps really is so much better than google maps then why not allow it on the store, have some faith in your product rather than blocking competition. I used the public transport routes in the old google maps app all the time to get around Brussels, now I have to rely on the google maps web app, which is a much less pleasant experience and has no street view.
 
My house was fuzzy in Google Maps but the highstreet was fine. Just the way it is.

They will continue to update but I'm most happy about all the POI's that have been stuck in. I was starting to worry. :D
 
OzyOly said:
I agree. In York, Uk the images are black and white for most of the city.

This could be worse than antennagate for Apple. I'm hoping that they've just not flipped the switch for hi-res images yet, but I doubt this is the case...
(I'm a glass half empty guy)
Click to expand...

Just checked York and they are indeed B&W pictures. I live in Newcastle and the imagery is fine. Maybe they are still updating the imagery. Remember this release was meant only for developers. They might have the maps in place by next week.

I doubt this could be worse than Antennagate. Using Maps does not stop you from making calls. Think you need to calm down.
 
bbfc said:
Just checked York and they are indeed B&W pictures. I live in Newcastle and the imagery is fine. Maybe they are still updating the imagery. Remember this release was meant only for developers. They might have the maps in place by next week.

I doubt this could be worse than Antennagate. Using Maps does not stop you from making calls. Think you need to calm down.
Click to expand...

It doesn't make any sense to release ****** imagery to developers. What need to they have for low-res B&W photos? I just don't see much reason for holding back.
 
I live in the West Midlands in the UK, a metro area of 5 million people. Most of the satellite images are none existant, the area above my house is one pixel to every 100m or so, also my street and whole housing estate which has been here since the 1920's is missing from both Standard and Hybrid map views. Birmingham city centre maps are at least 2-3 years outdated and full or mistakes too. POIs are all a few hundred metres in the wrong places and half of them that show on the map, which there are very few of them, are ones that closed years ago.

Coventry is a black and white too.
 
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SimonTheSoundMa said:
I live in the West Midlands in the UK, a metro area of 5 million people. Most of the satellite images are none existant, the area above my house is one pixel to every 100m or so, also my street and whole housing estate which has been here since the 1920's is missing from both Standard and Hybrid map views. Birmingham city centre maps are at least 2-3 years outdated and full or mistakes too. POIs are all a few hundred metres in the wrong places and half of them that show on the map, which there are very few of them, are ones that closed years ago.

Coventry is a black and white too.
Click to expand...

SimonTheSoundMa said:
Moving and reporting POIs in Birmingham city centre. Some of them closed 5-6 years ago. Restaurants seem to be mostly greasy spons too.
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound very promising. :(
 
This is the main reason I'm really hesitant to install iOS6.

Apple have shown time and again that services outside of the US are not a priority (remember Siri in the UK was very limited compared to the US, still is to my knowledge).

To remove Google Maps completely from iOS6 and replace it with something WORSE is just not acceptable.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was a toggle somewhere that allowed you to set the Mapping provider between Apple and Google (at least outside the US where Google is likely to be the superior option) but somehow I don't see Apple ever doing that.

I mean, if large cities in England have issues with mapping in iOS6, what chance does Northern Ireland have? Probably just a big square with '<Insert Country Here>'
 
I didn't know the University of Birmingam was in Lancaster:

2012-09-13%2007.44.12.png


Dudley is marked as being 5 miles out:

2012-09-13%2011.07.41.png


A close up of the town centre:

2012-09-13%2011.08.29.png


Wolverhampton:

index.php


Coventry:

2012-09-13%2011.09.34.png
 
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