Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Maps - Serious Question
- Thread starter cardinalryan
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I guess the big question I have or really only care about....does it get your from point A to B with accurate directions?
iOS 5 Maps = no turn-by-turn, walking/public transit included
Apple Maps = turn-by-turn, currently no walking/public transit
Google Maps = ?
If Google released a stand-alone iOS app that does not include turn-by-turn (high probability that it won't), then the argument works in both directions. Either way you are going to sacrifice some type of functionality. Users can decide which is the most important to them.
My guess is that proper walking/public transit directions will come to Apple Maps in iOS 7, if not before.
The answer will actually likely be YES, because having people use their services is far more important to google than having people use android. When they were the maps solution for iOS, they could have both. They restricted google maps on iOS, but it was still the default, so it still got used.
Now that apples maps are default, Google is going to want people skipping that and using google maps. But if they can't offer the same features as apple maps, people won't do that. So theyll have to at least match apple maps for features if they want to be used frequently, and trust me, they do
I feel like if the above was true, then Google Now would have an iOS app as well. I guess we'll see...
I like the new Maps app. I don't have a problem with the actual maps data, it has all my POI's that I search for. The Yelp integration is fantastic and really useful to me personally. I don't drive so I have not tried turn-by-turn directions yet. I do however miss the subway directions, that's an absolute must have for me and I'm not a fan of having to be sent to a separate app to get my directions.
Overall: I like it.
Overall: I like it.
To compare it to the old Maps app is wrong. They are fundamentally two different things meant to be used in two different ways.
I can tell you right now, after using it for the past however many months - you won't be using it to find what's around you anymore, as much. Instead, you'll be using it for finding out where YOU are, and getting you where you need to be via turn-by-turn. The turn-by-turn is phenomenal and better than most stand-alone GPSs on the market today. You are going to be astounded at the polish of it, and how often you fall back on it. Utterly amazing and really changes your relationship with your phone when you're in the car.
That said, finding restaurants and places just by searching is piss-poor and you'll find yourself just using dedicated applications more often. Like Yelp.
I can tell you right now, after using it for the past however many months - you won't be using it to find what's around you anymore, as much. Instead, you'll be using it for finding out where YOU are, and getting you where you need to be via turn-by-turn. The turn-by-turn is phenomenal and better than most stand-alone GPSs on the market today. You are going to be astounded at the polish of it, and how often you fall back on it. Utterly amazing and really changes your relationship with your phone when you're in the car.
That said, finding restaurants and places just by searching is piss-poor and you'll find yourself just using dedicated applications more often. Like Yelp.
I'm sorry, but that's plain BS. Unless you live in a very rural podunk place, Maps has found everything I've looked for in LA and given me far better directions than regular GPS apps have given me. Please give actual examples of how they're "really, really bad".
To the OP, Maps are beautiful, and honestly far better than I thought they would be. It's replaced Navigon as my GPS app that's how good they are.
----------
There is walking/public transit directions in Maps. I have no idea where you're getting that from, but it's wrong.
Yes. However to most pictures or read meaningful reviews you need the Yelp app.
----------
And C3 Technologies
http://9to5mac.com/2011/10/29/apple...s-looking-to-take-ios-maps-to-the-next-level/
The web app looks like crap on the iPhone 4; the maps look very pixelated compared to the native Google Maps app. And it's been like this for years.
It's also much slower and the interface isn't nearly as good.
Wish I'd thought of that!
----------
I'm surprised you guys need maps in the US. Isn't everything on a grid?
Of course, but what's perplexing me is how people say they can't find much on the new maps. I would think Yelp integration would resolve this issue.
----------
I'm surprised you guys need maps in the US. Isn't everything on a grid?
I think some of the city designers were smoking something at the time and the "grid" went out the window.
Well, good for you living in a major metropolitan city, but you know, there's a whole other country in between New York and LA. To say it's great because it has everything you need in LA doesn't do ANYTHING for those of us that live in places like Kentucky/Iowa/Missouri etc. But, I guess we're just "flyover" country to you folks from the "big city", right?
Well, always hate to argue with applefanboynutjobs. If you try to search something like UPS customer center, or anything not on yelp, you will understand. Seriously, how much can you eat everyday, people don't just look for restaurants. And please, when people say 20 years, do you think they mean 20 years exactly.
As I mentioned in another thread, kind of. I used it in Los Angeles this weekend and it directed me to get off the freeway, take a side street and then get back on the freeway. I was somewhat familiar with the area and ignored it and notice no traffic or road work or any reason for the detour. It did recalculate the route and eventually got me to where I was going, though it did make a few "odd" choices on streets (but all GPS apps I have used occasionally do that).
This is the only real issue with the maps i've seen. If i search for petrol, the nearest that comes up is 16 miles away but there's 3 petrol stations just a few miles away which aren't listed.
However if i search on yelp for petrol it gives me a load of pubs
Somewhere the data is getting screwed up... but it is improving as i keep trying various requests with siri and banks used to be miles away but it now lists the local branches, same with food.
This is the only real issue with the maps i've seen. If i search for petrol, the nearest that comes up is 16 miles away but there's 3 petrol stations just a few miles away which aren't listed.
However if i search on yelp for petrol it gives me a load of pubs
Somewhere the data is getting screwed up... but it is improving as i keep trying various requests with siri and banks used to be miles away but it now lists the local branches, same with food.
Becuase you're calling it "Petrol" silly! Geez, call it gas!
That is more of a service to make android desirable than maps is. I dont think google now is monetized like google maps is.
Apple maps is a disaster. In my area the satellite images are black&white, and 1/3 of the whole city (3rd biggest city in Denmark) is COVERED BY CLOUDS! Can't see anything but ***white***
Public transportation? Uhm.. No..
Apple should have waited one more year and put all efforts into the app.
This just seems rough in the edges, at least one year from being "usable". It's okay they want to do their own. But replacing something "excellent" with "good", that miss many features... It's just not right.
Public transportation? Uhm.. No..
Apple should have waited one more year and put all efforts into the app.
This just seems rough in the edges, at least one year from being "usable". It's okay they want to do their own. But replacing something "excellent" with "good", that miss many features... It's just not right.
You've hit the nail on the head.Well, good for you living in a major metropolitan city, but you know, there's a whole other country in between New York and LA. To say it's great because it has everything you need in LA doesn't do ANYTHING for those of us that live in places like Kentucky/Iowa/Missouri etc. But, I guess we're just "flyover" country to you folks from the "big city", right?
So far so good. The maps themselves look much better and the speed of the app is much much faster than the older google maps version. The turn by turn is probably equivalent to the TomTom app that I was using but the advantages of the notification alerts being used for directions is really nice.
The search is not as quite as good as the old google maps search but 90% of the time finds everything the first time. I do miss the transit directions but I just downloaded the local app and have been using that without any problems. Imho it's a great 1st version and I expect it to work really well fast.
Oh as for satellite maps they aren't as good but does anyone use those for anything except for going "oh hey there's my car parked in front of my house!"
The search is not as quite as good as the old google maps search but 90% of the time finds everything the first time. I do miss the transit directions but I just downloaded the local app and have been using that without any problems. Imho it's a great 1st version and I expect it to work really well fast.
Oh as for satellite maps they aren't as good but does anyone use those for anything except for going "oh hey there's my car parked in front of my house!"