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Is it me or the UK has suddenly become the second priority for Apple instead of Canada?

I would not be surprised. All companies in Canada are a hassel to deal with.

We have greedy Copyright holders, Banks and Telecoms. With both Banks & Telecoms working together to get the most $
 
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I can confirm that I've seen these vans twice this week in Southern California. One was collecting data on my residential street, and the other I saw downtown.
 
I saw a couple of these vans in West Valley City (Utah) a few days ago, the vans were parked and the drivers were eating at Crown Burger. I meant to get a pic but was running late for a meeting.
 
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We are all not talking about the main issue here.

I now know, to within a 2-week window, when one of these will be driving past my house. What amusing thing can I do to the front of my house that will be captured for many years to come?
 
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Good to see apple putting more effort into maps. I'm still on google maps, though, apple still has some way to go to match the quality in my opinion.
I too am glad to see the effort. I don't use google maps very often, but I do like their lane guidance. Hopefully street level imagery allows apple to implement this feature, although I don't know why they can't do it from their current imagery?
 
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No joke, I was in the car with someone who used Apple maps to drive to a restaurant.

it sent it to the wrong one.

So No, Apple should focus on things they do well, they are 10 years too late in the 'map' industry

Which restaurant I'm sure we can check if it's still an issue.


I wonder why Apple is doing this now instead of before they canceled their maps contract with Google. Makes it seem like the original switch to apple maps was a impulse decision with no pre planning.

Because Google tried playing games, asking for more access to our (consumers) data. The whole thing is well documented.

http://daringfireball.net/2012/09/timing_of_apples_map_switch

As good as the data on Google Maps may be, the app on iOS was way behind Android at the time. Apple releasing Apple maps drove Google to release a stellar app for iOS with things like Turn-by-Turn.

They are mapping the whole of the UK and not just a few cities? UK being England, Scotland, Wales and NI. Apple maps have been a disaster so why they are bothering I really don't know. Google have a huge lead on Apple in this sector of mobile maps.

Why is it a disaster? I've used it pretty much exclusively since launch in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and London without issue. Any examples?
 
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Oh, all the naysays are out early. Switched from google maps to Apple when it first came out. Sure it was not that good. But to not realize that it has improved seems silly. It has. By a lot. I like it better and the integration with everything else on my phone means there is no way I am using google (and that is before we talk about privacy). Yes google on paper is ahead of Apple. But integration counts. To use Google stuff that integrates with everything else, the best case is to get a google phone. On an Apple phone, what apple is doing with their apps means I will keep using it. (deep integration through out -- mail, safari, etc. Hand-off. Siri.)

Personally, I'm glad Apple Maps exists. It increases competition and makes everyone else step up their game. No one can rest on their laurels. Maps has improved and I hope it continues to do so. It's close to gaining parity with GMaps. When it does, one or the other company is going to have to go the extra mile to differentiate. Better for everyone. Same with Siri gaining Google Now/Cortana-like capabilities. Can't wait to see what's next from these companies.

You're an all-in Apple fan so our philosophies differ . I would never use a product, knowing it's not that good, simply because I like the company that makes it. Like most people, I have no loyalty to a particular brand of electronics. Google products work well with pretty much all brands, including Apple. It's the same thing with the new and improved Microsoft. They've made a concerted effort to play nice with Android and even nicer with iOS. My MBA and iPad are filled with Google and MS software. I rarely use Apple's stock software for anything. I feel no less integrated or efficient. That's not to say my way is right. I just see so many people quoting this generic integration that lacks meaning. Meaning to me that is. To each his own.
 
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I saw this apparent Apple van in the parking lot of Lucky's supermarket by Lake Merritt in Oakland on Sunday.
 

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Classic misdirection. Apple Car confirmed! :)

A lot of people may now think Apple abandoned the self driving car but mapping streets with cameras give a very accurate picture of where a self driving whatever has to operate. It's not just about sensors or near field radar.
I'd say this whole mapping thing is one step in the direction of a upcoming self driving car business in the future. Electric cars are not that complex as some people think. Just Get rid of the combustion engine already.
 
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Note that FlyOver only lets you fly down to a particular level, above the buildings. This may allow you to fly down to street level. A very natural enhancement. FlyOver --> FlyInto?
 
To keep your usage data anonymous.
God, that again.

  1. You do realise that google do not sell your identity to the highest bidder right? You also realise that the data they do sell is anonymised?
  2. You also realise that the Apple privacy policy states that they will share your data amongst their group and with their agents?
  3. Also that they don’t tell you who the agents are?
  4. Or tell you the extent of the sharing right?

Don’t bother, I’ll answer for you……
  1. No.
  2. No.
  3. No.
  4. No.
Did I get any of your answers wrong?
 
They are mapping the whole of the UK and not just a few cities? UK being England, Scotland, Wales and NI. Apple maps have been a disaster so why they are bothering I really don't know. Google have a huge lead on Apple in this sector of mobile maps.

And that's an excellent reason to let them keep that lead. Not.

Look, Google is doing it longer, but Google has its embarrassing moments just like Apple. And any lead is temporary, because maps change. Todays maps will be useless in five years time. I used Google's streetview to look at the location of a restaurant that I might want to visit, and it had a different name on the windows, plus the front door locked up. Turns up the restaurant opened under a new name a few months ago. Google has to do the same thing as Apple, continuously update their maps.

Is it me or the UK has suddenly become the second priority for Apple instead of Canada?

Check the population and the size of the countries. In the UK, they can improve maps for more people with less driving.

You do realise that google do not sell your identity to the highest bidder right? You also realise that the data they do sell is anonymised?

Absolutely; they don't sell to the highest bidder. Instead they rent out their services to anyone, in order to maximise the monetization of my data. As far as the anonymisation goes, how come the advertisers put ads on _my_ computer if it is all anonymous? I don't care if the advertiser knows my name; they know how to reach me, and that's enough. The advertisers are not told "these 100,000 people looked at a website related to your product", but "let use put an advert on the websites of these 100,000 people who looked at a website related to your product".

A lot of people may now think Apple abandoned the self driving car but mapping streets with cameras give a very accurate picture of where a self driving whatever has to operate. It's not just about sensors or near field radar.
I'd say this whole mapping thing is one step in the direction of a upcoming self driving car business in the future. Electric cars are not that complex as some people think. Just Get rid of the combustion engine already.

While maps are useful for a self driving car, a self driving car can never rely on maps, because roads change, making maps wrong. A self driving car must be able to see the road, other cars, and traffic signs, and be able to drive safely without any map data.

On the other hand, maps are obviously useful to find the best way. Huge numbers of videos taken could be used to test and optimise driving algorithms, you don't need self driving cars on the road for that. Noticeable items on the video could be used to improve GPS accuracy. I would think that Apple is doing this with the immediate idea of improving maps for everyone, and helping with a self driving car is somewhere back in their mind.
 
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Personally, I'm glad Apple Maps exists. It increases competition and makes everyone else step up their game. No one can rest on their laurels. Maps has improved and I hope it continues to do so. It's close to gaining parity with GMaps. When it does, one or the other company is going to have to go the extra mile to differentiate. Better for everyone. Same with Siri gaining Google Now/Cortana-like capabilities. Can't wait to see what's next from these companies.

You're an all-in Apple fan so our philosophies differ . I would never use a product, knowing it's not that good, simply because I like the company that makes it. Like most people, I have no loyalty to a particular brand of electronics. Google products work well with pretty much all brands, including Apple. It's the same thing with the new and improved Microsoft. They've made a concerted effort to play nice with Android and even nicer with iOS. My MBA and iPad are filled with Google and MS software. I rarely use Apple's stock software for anything. I feel no less integrated or efficient. That's not to say my way is right. I just see so many people quoting this generic integration that lacks meaning. Meaning to me that is. To each his own.

You know, I have a co-worker that has the iphone/ipad, but uses only google apps. As I understand it, those tools integrate well among themselves. So I hear what you are saying. But using them still has a cost in terms of privacy. Apple is not perfect, but I think we can all agree that they are much better on the privacy issue than Google.

You are correct that I am pretty much all in when it comes to Apple. But, I do not think that I am sacrificing anything. Everything I need to do, can be done through the Apple apps with no compromise. Well, with the exception being pixelmator now that aperture is dead. And for work I do use Excel for pivot tables. Otherwise, I prefer the look and feel of Apple Apps over google. But as you rightly said, to each his own.
 
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No joke, I was in the car with someone who used Apple maps to drive to a restaurant.

it sent it to the wrong one.

So No, Apple should focus on things they do well, they are 10 years too late in the 'map' industry


Can you imagine today's world if Apple had just focused on the things they do well instead of just jumping into the phone, MP3, tablet, Music Store industries that they were 'late' to?


I'm not so sure Apple would even exist any more.
 
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If I'm late to a meeting because Apple Maps has sent me to the wrong place, I honestly couldn't care less in that moment about being "anonymous". If Apple Maps sends me to the wrong place (as it has done several times), I immediately pull up Google Maps to head to the correct location. Also, Apple Maps is missing another key feature that Google Maps has -- rerouting automatically based on how traffic conditions are changing while you're driving to the destination.

Privacy is important to many; but giving the user a subpar experience in exchange for privacy is not something Apple should be doing to its customers. I'm not hopeful that the latest incarnation Maps in iOS 9 will be any better because all they talked about with regard to Maps was adding transit directions for several dozen cities around the globe. Maps needs a lot more work than adding transit directions.
 
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Those Apple vans are coming to Detroit, huh? Hope they bring a good amount of spare tires.

What if all this street data was used more for than just "street view"? What if they created a navigation mode that took you through actual images of the roads you were on? I can dream!
 
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