I somewhat wish Apple would release something akin to Google Map Maker to crowdsource the edits. (Granted, you then submit yourself to the immature people trying to make stupid edits like the Android bot urinating on the apple logo that was found in Google Maps.)
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Apple Maps Vehicles Collecting 'Street View' Data in US, UK and Ireland
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It's got more people and it's a smaller area to cover, so it makes sense.
A few years ago I worked as a developer for a vehicle-tracking firm (for businesses looking for efficiency rather than stolen vehicle stuff). We used Google Maps as the mapping engine. I hooked it into Streetview and you could follow the vehicle in real-time as it moved around, or replay a previous journey through it. The effect was so convincing that several customers actually asked us how come they couldn't see something they knew was there at that moment!
That's awesome!! I can't believe I've never heard of that, or better yet, why it hasn't been implemented by Google yet?
I actually saw the one is Salt Lake yesterday. Parked outside a Taco Bell.
Honestly, we can't agree they are much better than Google on privacy. Apple is much better at emphasizing select parts of their privacy. Apple is well known for "We don't share your personal data." The implication being that Google does. Google doesn't either. The ignorant among us say that Google sells your personal data for advertising purposes. Patently false. Apple and Google datamine, aggregate, and build anonymous profiles to sell targeted ad space. With Proactive, Apple will be mining even more data to augment Siri's capabilities. Apple gives customers a way to opt out of targeted ads. Ditto with Google. On either platform, advertisers have no idea who you are and where their ads were placed.
So unless you know something I don't, it's hard to see how you think Apple is somehow better than Google regarding privacy. I'd genuinely like to know what you think. You're an Apple fan but not a sycophant. You don't blindly say great when great it ain't. You travails with the
watch were painful but accurate. You leveled criticism where it was warranted without being hyperbolic. Btw, I'm glad you and the wife finally have your watches.
In what way has it been a disaster? It has never lead me astray.. I live in UK also have used maps to get me from London to Glasgow and back again.
Share your bad experience with us?..
I don't think Canada ever has been a priority for Apple - that said the fact that UK gets Pay and News, Australia, News while Canada gets neither is, to say the least, mind boggling.
But hey, they did have Drake on the stage.
Actually turns out it's not that much effort:
https://andersonmichael.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/on-roads-and-apple-cars/
Just a drop in the bucket of Apple's revenue.
well probably so they don't have to rely on google. last i checked google was a serious competitor of theirs.
I think it's amusing how every time there is a story about Apple Maps on MR that requires illustrating something with a map, it's done on Google Maps. Speaks volumes about the accessibility of Apple's Maps product.
Just saw a van that looked exactly like this, only it was blue, in Lakewood, a southern suburb of Tacoma, Washington. No way to know if it was an Apple owned van or not ... but I saw it!!
Honestly, we can't agree they are much better than Google on privacy. Apple is much better at emphasizing select parts of their privacy. Apple is well known for "We don't share your personal data." The implication being that Google does. Google doesn't either. The ignorant among us say that Google sells your personal data for advertising purposes. Patently false. Apple and Google datamine, aggregate, and build anonymous profiles to sell targeted ad space. With Proactive, Apple will be mining even more data to augment Siri's capabilities. Apple gives customers a way to opt out of targeted ads. Ditto with Google. On either platform, advertisers have no idea who you are and where their ads were placed.
So unless you know something I don't, it's hard to see how you think Apple is somehow better than Google regarding privacy. I'd genuinely like to know what you think. You're an Apple fan but not a sycophant. You don't blindly say great when great it ain't. You travails with the
I appreciate your kind words. In these threads it sometimes seems that people insult others for no reason. And even as we may disagree, I appreciate having a civil debate. I am also happy to see that you have been following my travails related to the watch (I was probably not very eloquent in my frustration
). So to your question, I have left all google products a while ago, even after having been a fan of theirs due to their privacy policy. This article from a year ago gives some details http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weinstein/apple-vs-google-the-priva_b_5898168.html. The bottom line is that they have two different business models. Apple make almost all of their money through hardware. They make very little on ads, services or even from their 30% cut on apps and music. Look at their balance sheet and it should be clear. Google makes most of their money through ad sales. They actually don't make money on Android, Chrome or any other software since they give it away for free. They can afford to do that because the more you use their stuff the more ads they can sell to advertiser to get in front of you. Neither of these models is bad, as both have been around in some form for a while now. But from a privacy perspective, I hope you would see one of these models provides more incentive to cross the privacy line over the other. As the article mentions, Google has been caught crossing that line more than once. And I am not aware when Apple has crossed the line. They were found guilty for the ibook thing, and they are constantly in court for Patent disputes. You may argue, even successfully, that Google has changed their privacy policy (multiple times I believe) since last year and that they are better now -- even on par to Apple. I guess for me, now that I am all in on Apple, there is no real incentive to go back. As I said in a prior post, I actually like the Apple software (which is free now as well, but the motivation is different) better than the google offerings. Additionally, I am not ready to trust them just yet, but that is just me.
The reason I still use Google most of the time is Street View. I have not found many problems with the Apple Maps when it comes to directions or details, in fact with the aerial shots often the Apple ones are more current than the Google ones. An example is the house I live in, it's only 5 years old but it still not on the Google Maps aerial view but is on Apple Maps.
The sooner we get street view photos on Apple Maps the better, just wonder how long the rest of the world have to wait, surely with all there money Apple could send out fleets of vans to do this and boost employment world wide! Where can I sign up?
The sooner we get street view photos on Apple Maps the better, just wonder how long the rest of the world have to wait, surely with all there money Apple could send out fleets of vans to do this and boost employment world wide! Where can I sign up?
I think it's amusing how every time there is a story about Apple Maps on MR that requires illustrating something with a map, it's done on Google Maps. Speaks volumes about the accessibility of Apple's Maps product.
Hilarious observation. You're so right. Google is still years ahead of Apple in all things map-related. But that's mainly because they got such a big headstart.
I have to imagine this whole Apple street view equivalent project didn't get underway until they realized just how hard of a task it is to rely on third parties for a lot of map data.
I really on Google Street View as well, especially when I'm traveling to/in a new place. But it's challenging for Google, Apple, or any other provider to keep the images up-to-date in rapidly-changing urban areas. Unlike satellite photos, which are relatively easy to acquire, street level imagery requires another ground-level pass to update. So it's interesting to speculate on the practical limitations of generating a street view perspective from images taken from space.
Just a friendly reminder, Apple, that Canada is accessible by road from the U.S...
I can almost swear that I saw a car with this kind of apparatus on its roof in Kensington market a few months ago. I know it wasn't a Google car as those are seen pretty regularly around here and are branded. Was it Apple? I hope so. Toronto was one of the original Flyover cities and one of those in the first wave of transit directions so it's likely that the street view mapping will be coming too.
The UK has always been Apple's second market. Way back in 2011, the UK got the iTunes Music Store before Canada did. Apple Stores were opened there first before Canada as well. There have been other examples of the UK being ahead of Canada in Apple's schedules.
The good news is that when the UK gets something, Canada isn't usually very far behind. I like to think that while the UK will be getting ApplePay in July, we'll be getting it later in the year around November (allegedly).
Canada is a large country with a relatively small population. California has more people than Canada and the UK has almost twice as many. If you thinking of the biggest bang for the buck, it might explain why the UK before Canada.
By no means am I saying Apple shouldn't invent new categories and push the envelop (iTunes, iPod, iPad, iPHone, even the watch), it's when they go and create the 'apple version' of things that already exist, and really add no real value to it.
Apple did not reinvent the maps market, they are barely a player
I think there's two sides to maps, one is a map as in where streets, roads lakes, rivers etc are, the other is a business location and the two are not the same. You don't buy an Ordnance Survey map to find a McDonalds, but you do rely on the excellence of accurate street information. Of course maps need updating but Apple seriously screwed up in being arrogant in their expectation of being good enough to go live with their maps. Even the big cheese himself said don't use Apple maps use Google or other sources. Once bitten is enough for most people.
This is going to be awesome. I wonder if they'll put it out in a point release or if we'll have to wait till iOS X?