The “probe data” mentioned in the article should hopefully help with up to date traffic info. As for their routing options, AM tend to avoid smaller roads that would allow you to “shortcut” and get there faster. This, in my experience, results in a smoother drive, yet can take a bit longer indeed. Waze is doing the opposite, however, making you drive in a zig-zag pattern to save 1 minute of a 1 hour drive. Let’s see how the new AMs turn out.
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Apple Maps to Be Rebuilt 'From the Ground Up' With First-Party Data Over the Next Year
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The “probe data” mentioned in the article should hopefully help with up to date traffic info. As for their routing options, AM tend to avoid smaller roads that would allow you to “shortcut” and get there faster. This, in my experience, results in a smoother drive, yet can take a bit longer indeed. Waze is doing the opposite, however, making you drive in a zig-zag pattern to save 1 minute of a 1 hour drive. Let’s see how the new AMs turn out.
Boy do I agree with that due to the one real problem I have with Apple Maps.
I use it regularly and am happy enough with it. It virtually always gets me where I want to go, accuracy is good even on back roads, and it does an exceptionally good job of rerouting on the fly if I decide I don't like the turn it's telling me to take.
But... there are some dirt backroads near where I live that have horrible accuracy on both Google Maps and Apple Maps. Apple is slightly better (Google's street names are one off, so completely wrong), but they're both inaccurate. Of particular annoyance, Apple Maps shows what is the "main" road through the area (as in the only paved one) as a minor road, and a gravel one-lane road with locked-gated private sections as if it's the major road. It's kind of useless, particularly when a suggested alternate route has you run into a locked gate.
I reported this error to Apple. They've always accepted business location changes quite quickly, but this went un-fixed. Twice. So, knowing that Apple has pulled data from OpenStreetMap before, I took the trouble to go in to OpenStreetMap, fixed the names, marked the impassible sections, correctly identified which roads were major and which are gravel one-lane, and even did a GPS trace on a side road that someone I know lives on and was totally wrong. I then reported the bad directions to Apple and specifically referenced OpenStreetMap as more accurate in the report.
Still nada.
I get that they can't just accept every OpenStreetMap change that gets made, but if somebody explicitly complains about bad directions you'd think they could do an import or something to fix it.
Problem is, no Apple vehicle is ever going to drive these roads (Google hasn't either), and even on the off chance someone tries to drive to a location out one of these roads (despite the total lack of cell service) there's no way for it to know what the names are or that there's a gate for part of it, so OpenStreetMap is the only way that information would ever be corrected.
....we have...until they decided to do this...you don’t think it will make a huge difference?
And...again...yes...Google has years of experience. Years of experience in hiring an army of people to manually edit maps and take pictures of streets.
Did anyone read the article (the TechCrunch one) to understand what a huge leap forward this is in mapping??
I always expect at least 90 percent of the folks responding to Maps posts to just regurgitate the same old stuff and try to convince me that Google Maps has never let them down (believe me, it screws up all the time...and more than once tried to have me make dangerous illegal turns).
Oh...but since we’re complaining about Maps...one thing...can Apple please just let me type in “Chick Fil A” while on an existing driving and let me route there as a stop instead of making me use their stupid list of restaurants?? Thanks.
Whom are you referring too?
And if it is Google, easy...keep doing things the same way you have for 10 years while others come up with a better and faster way to do it.
Oh...it’s not a gimmick though...from day one, the company they bought that came up with this tech has also been mapping ground level features including interiors of buildings.
What Apple has done is take that same tech and put it in their vans.
You will have a seamless connection between flyover to street view to even walking in a building (yeah...not every building...but you know what I mean).
THAT is pretty ***** amazing if you ask me.
Apple was not years ahead in mapping, they were very much behind everyone else. I am glad they're working to improve their offering, I have just been able to rely on their maps a little more. In Colorado I couldn't rely on Apple maps for directions to certain areas as they were always miles off. My old address for example was shown as in another town on Apple maps, so I'd have to tell people coming to visit to use Google maps or Waze specifically to not get lost.
I wish people wouldn’t lie about this sort of thing, it doesn’t do any favours to your credibility.
I encountered Apple’s mapping van the other day. The crew stopped me to ask for directions.
All kidding aside, I chose Waze over Apple Maps. Both have similar GUI but Waze has superior data (e.g. roads within private properties such as universities; active businesses) and is more clever with routes, especially during peak traffic hours. The live hazard/police warnings are invaluable.
But the main reason I abandoned Apple Maps: Siri. Siri was so irritating in other tasks that I developed a hate for its voice(s). Just hearing Siri speak raises my blood pressure. In fact, even if Apple Maps is improved to the point that it outperforms other map apps, I probably won’t use it if I have to listen to Siri’s voices.
All kidding aside, I chose Waze over Apple Maps. Both have similar GUI but Waze has superior data (e.g. roads within private properties such as universities; active businesses) and is more clever with routes, especially during peak traffic hours. The live hazard/police warnings are invaluable.
But the main reason I abandoned Apple Maps: Siri. Siri was so irritating in other tasks that I developed a hate for its voice(s). Just hearing Siri speak raises my blood pressure. In fact, even if Apple Maps is improved to the point that it outperforms other map apps, I probably won’t use it if I have to listen to Siri’s voices.
Type in "Edinburgh to Glasgow" as your requested _location_ in Apple maps and it doesn't show you the directions, because it is searching for a location. Click on "directions", type in "Edinburgh" under "Start" and "Glasgow" under "End" and it is fine.
Why you think identifying "hlsdie" as "Glasgow" is useful is beyond me.
[doublepost=1530371034][/doublepost]Hope they add more contrast as well as detail. Apple Maps is currently a sad alternative to Google Maps. If CarPlay integrated Google Maps, I’d never use Apple Maps.
Apple today announced that it will be rebuilding its Maps app "from the ground up" with street-level data collected from its fleet of Apple Maps vehicles, high resolution satellite imagery, and anonymized, random segments of navigation sessions from iPhone users, which Apple refers to as "probe data."
Image: TechCrunch
TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino has published an in-depth overview of the changes coming to Apple Maps, which will be available in the San Francisco area starting with the next iOS 12 beta next week, cover all of Northern California by this fall, and roll out across the rest of the United States over the next year.
In short, Panzarino says Apple Maps will be switching to its own base map, reducing but not fully eliminating its reliance on third-party providers like TomTom, which will yield significant improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, road systems, new construction, changes in pedestrian walkways, and more.
Apple also promises more relevant search results that, as Panzarino quips, are hopefully on the same continent now.
In a follow-up question-and-answer piece, Panzarino noted Apple Maps will more accurately display foliage like grass and trees, pools, parking lots, exact building shapes, sports areas like baseball diamonds, tennis and basketball courts, and pedestrian pathways that are commonly walked but previously unmapped.
His questionnaire also confirms that the overall design of Apple Maps will remain similar for now, beyond the additional detail.
Image: TechCrunch
Panzarino spoke in detail about the changes with Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who oversees Apple Maps:Cue noted further improvements will take Apple Maps to "the next level":More from Cue:Cue's notion that nobody really knew about these plans is debatable, as its Apple Maps vehicles have been a telltale sign since 2015, the same year Mark Gurman reported that Apple would switch to its own base map by 2018.
Apple's in-house base map will continue to improve thanks to probe data. When an iPhone user is navigating with Apple Maps, Apple may collect anonymized data from middle segments of the trip, but never the beginning or end point. Apple says no personal information is ever attached to the data it receives.Despite the privacy push, iPhone users can still disable the collection of probe data from their device, if they so desire, by opening the Settings app and tapping Privacy > Location Services > Maps > Never.
Image: TechCrunch
In addition to improved accuracy, Cue said Apple will be able to quickly make changes and updates to its base map, such as new roads:Apple did not confirm when the improvements could reach other countries, but Cue noted that the Apple Maps team is global, and Apple Maps vehicles have already surveyed parts of at least ten other countries, including Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
iPad-based system in Apple Maps vehicle via TechCrunch
Apple also hasn't confirmed if it will use the data it collects to eventually introduce its own street view feature like Google Maps.
The full article is well worth a read, diving deep into advanced technologies like 3D point clouds and Deep Lambertian Networks that Apple is using to parse its mapping data. Panzarino was also invited for a ride in an Apple Maps vehicle, and he shared interesting photos and details about their setup.
TechCrunch: Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up
Article Link: Apple Maps to Be Rebuilt 'From the Ground Up' With First-Party Data Over the Next Year
Google took a number of years to perfect their Maps. In fact most people didn't even have smart phones when they started out, it was all web based.
That said, I am happy to see Apple going the extra mile to bring their Maps app up to par and hopefully they surpass my expectations.
Apple is even opening up maps applications to third parties for Car Play this fall, so if you like to use different maps, you can do that.
That said, I am happy to see Apple going the extra mile to bring their Maps app up to par and hopefully they surpass my expectations.
Apple is even opening up maps applications to third parties for Car Play this fall, so if you like to use different maps, you can do that.
Obviously Google makes money by monetizing your data in better ways (for them) than just selling it. Like an advertiser pays them every single time an ad is shown to me because of data that Google collected about me. Google would be stupid to sell my data and only get paid once.
On the other hand of course, anyone claiming "Google does not sell your data" is intentionally misleading. And they know it. If you look at the definition of fraud, it doesn't involve "lying to people", it is about "making people believe something that isn't true", even if it is achieved without lying.
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What's your point? Google uses my data to make money. How they do that doesn't matter.
Using your data to make money is not the same thing as selling your data. This should be obvious to anyone without some weird, delusional anti-Google bias. But go ahead and keep thinking they’re the same thing.
They should just get the post trucks to strap on the equipment and pass it from station to station to get a good set of maps without hiring drivers.
I think the point being made is that people don't want their data to be used to sell ANY advertising, regardless of how it is done.
Exactly. I remember when Google did not show any biking trails. They do now. Apple Maps still mostly shows none, especially rural ones are completely lacking. Apple has room for improvement and them going for it is not a bad thing.
I'm not someone who thinks the Apple version of everything is currently the best. But I don't have a problem with them trying to be the best and potentially surpassing the competition.
Don't get me wrong. I used to love Maps. It's still adequate for general cases. Google Maps has let me down, but Maps has let me down even more.
However since I now live in the city and walk everywhere, I need it be more precise, and that's where it fails me greatly.
If I type "Fuku" in the Maps app today, I get 2 restaurants that have the word "Fuku" in it followed by Japan.
If I type "Fuku" in Google Maps app today, I get the same results AND the fried chicken restaurant "Fuku" in Wall Street - which is what I was looking for.
So now, I just open Google Maps and avoid having to repeat my experience twice every time I need to look up something.
I hate to break it to you, but this happens all the time. I’ve bought catalog and magazine mailing lists before. Google doesn’t sell your name and address but plenty of other companies do. And I don’t see anyone worked up about that.
You’re going to see ads online regardless. I’d personally rather see something relevant than random. This idea that Google is the privacy boogie man while Apple is the white knight of privacy is just silly. Google is doing what numerous other marketing and research firms do, only, unlike those firms, Google doesn’t sell that info.
I don’t see any online ads.
I’m against any/all data collection for advertising purposes.
The work of building their own basemap is largely complete (for the United States, and from what I read not outside). They no longer have a real need for OSM in the U.S. once their vans have covered the entire country, and they’re getting close.
I was in despair at the uselessness of Apple Maps. Unusable here in Norway. A waste of hardware space. How unprofessional of Apple to release such rubbish. They clearly do employ SOME complete idiots. They should know the world is bigger than Cupertino. The arrogance of the leadership is beyond words.
I am no Google fan, but they really do kick Apple when it comes to maps.
I am no Google fan, but they really do kick Apple when it comes to maps.