Apple Moved Location Services In-House With iPad and iOS 4

[whatever]

IMO yes, Google have show ME (again, me, personally, my own opinion) more freedom, information and choices than Apple.

Google, who has absolutely no commitment to you.

Apple has paying customers who it tries to keep happy.

Google's customer is not you, it's the advertisers who want your information.

Google has not shown you freedom, they give you something free and if you complain, you're told that you get what you paid for.

 

[bazaarsoft]

iPad WiFi has never been able to geolocate

This totally explains it. Maybe they need to switch back...

 

[GamecockMac]

Apple separating from Google is not a good thing for iPhone users. It's not just about WiFi location database. It's Google Earth, it's a huge database of businesses and all kinds of things where the search engine is of paramount importance. Going forward we can expect that iPhone users will have inferior experience in many regards. iPhone Google Maps application is very inferior to Android counterpart already. No Google Navigation on iPhone. The trend is not good.

Pure unadulterated FUD.

If history is any indication, Apple will not cooperate with Microsoft either so no Bing Maps for you

Bing was just added as a built-in search option in Safari 5. Care to try again?

 

[maturola]

Google has not shown you freedom, they give you something free and if you complain, you're told that you get what you paid for.

Not sure why you are so angry, I am super happy with Google services, including advertisement with I personally use for my business.

So yes I am Google customer, and I am a google Customer and yes. they give me Freedom and choices.

 

[flowney]

Apple Moves Location Services In-house

I noticed this as soon as I got my iPad and couldn't get my location at home (rural with no WiFi hotspots except my own). My iPod touch worked fine because I had given Skyhook my coordinates and the MAC address of my Airport Extreme router. After updating the iPod touch to iOS 4, it no longer gets my location at home.

I would like to be able to provide Apple with the same data so that, once again, I might be able to get my location at home as well as other places.

 

[malachiman]

I wonder if this explains why the "Locate Me" button is noticeably more accurate than it was before iOS4 on my 3g (which works perfectly with 4, btw, 'cos I had the patience to wait for it to finish the install properly)

I have found that too, it now places me at my house rather than a couple of streets over. Its way more accurate now.

On a side note one trick for getting iOS4 to play nice with the 3G is turn spotlight off, worked wonders.

 

[whatever]

Not sure why you are so angry, I am super happy with Google services, including advertisement with I personally use for my business.

So yes I am Google customer, and I am a google Customer and yes. they give me Freedom and choices.

Sorry if I came across angry.

Not sure how you can say Google gives you "the freedom of choice".

Freedom of choice is not something offered by any company. It's something that you have.

If that was the case then Apple too, gives you and everyone else "the freedom of choice."

You can choose their products the way they feel is best or you can choose to use someone else's product.

I do have concerns with Google. In time maybe these concerns will be unfounded (hopefully), but only time will tell.

 

[wreckshop]

Google, who has absolutely no commitment to you.

Apple has paying customers who it tries to keep happy.

Google's customer is not you, it's the advertisers who want your information.

Google has not shown you freedom, they give you something free and if you complain, you're told that you get what you paid for.

Google's stuff is free. So its commitment to you is to try and provide the best product it can (because when something is free people have no loyalty whatsoever), and for the most part it does. Gmail is arguably the best webmail service around. Google search and maps are #1 in their respective categories as well too. Google voice is free. Google docs is free.

These arent crapware we're talking about. These are actual very good services that people can depend on. In exchange all google wants is some info so it can show you targeted ads. In my mind, that's a pretty fair exchange.

 

[swagi]

This maybe explains why my home location is now about 5 miles away with iOS4. Since they obviously never tested the OS on a 3G phone, I wonder if they tested this too.

Actually - well I guess they tested it. First on campus. Then they let some engineers with iPhone 4s out on a walk in Cupertino with Location Services on.

I guess you have pretty accurate tracking over there now.

You want to fix your problem? Grab a bunch of your iPhone loving friends. Turn on Location services. Have a nice walk along the roads in your neighborhood. Play around with some location based App while walking. Do that for a week.

I guess, your neighborhood will then be mapped pretty accurately and every other user coming close to your house will benefit.

Seriously, Apple is just building their database. And all that media fuzz about 'data mining' was just a distraction. I mean, seriously, I think there is some heavy computing to do, to build up a WiFi-based and GPS-corrected map. Hundreds of WLAN-access points have to be put into correlation - and that correlation has to be tested.

Half a year from now you will have some nice nifty maps on your phone, given that there are at least 1 million data collectors out there

 

[true777]

I noticed that a while ago my 3GS suddenly got a LOT less accurate. It is inaccurate by something like a mile now, was fine before. So now I understand...

 

[whatever]

Google's stuff is free. So its commitment to you is to try and provide the best product it can (because when something is free people have no loyalty whatsoever), and for the most part it does. Gmail is arguably the best webmail service around. Google search and maps are #1 in their respective categories as well too. Google voice is free. Google docs is free.

These arent crapware we're talking about. These are actual very good services that people can depend on. In exchange all google wants is some info so it can show you targeted ads. In my mind, that's a pretty fair exchange.

Their services are free today, but just wait. As the Ad revenue starts to disappear they will need to start charging for their services.

And as they continue to drive good companies out of various markets, their customers will be left with no choice but to pay.

I personally don't want Google having any more of my personal information.

 

[wreckshop]

Their services are free today, but just wait. As the Ad revenue starts to disappear they will need to start charging for their services.

And as they continue to drive good companies out of various markets, their customers will be left with no choice but to pay.

Everyone else charges for software. Why is it a problem if google decides to charge like everyone else?

I personally don't want Google having any more of my personal information.

*shrug* are you worried google is keeping tabs on you?

 

[ccoltmanm]

They should just use Bing Maps for their default mapping software. The traffic re-routing is soo much better on the iPhone.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

I hate google maps, it's too inaccurate for me.

 

[The Phazer]

Apple separating from Google is not a good thing for iPhone users. It's not just about WiFi location database. It's Google Earth, it's a huge database of businesses and all kinds of things where the search engine is of paramount importance. Going forward we can expect that iPhone users will have inferior experience in many regards. iPhone Google Maps application is very inferior to Android counterpart already. No Google Navigation on iPhone. The trend is not good.

Exactly. Apple looking after the native maps app so far has just lead to it falling desperately behind as they starved it of development time.

Apple will not produce a database that is anything other than vastly inferior to Google's. There's simply no question of that - Google has far too many more outlets for people to submit updates and collate that information, and being the world's default search engine means it's the one that people make sure is correct.

Apple's database is doomed to forever be a very, very distant second or third in that race, and hence will be completely rubbish in comparison.

This is very worrying news. I'd hate for Maps to continue to go down the pan in the same was as the YouTube app has.

Phazer

 

[The Phazer]

They should just use Bing Maps for their default mapping software. The traffic re-routing is soo much better on the iPhone.

In the US? Maybe. Ex-US, Bing Maps generally sucks.

Phazer

 

[maturola]

Sorry if I came across angry.

Not sure how you can say Google gives you "the freedom of choice".

Freedom of choice is not something offered by any company. It's something that you have.

If that was the case then Apple too, gives you and everyone else "the freedom of choice."

You can choose their products the way they feel is best or you can choose to use someone else's product.

I do have concerns with Google. In time maybe these concerns will be unfounded (hopefully), but only time will tell.

I must not be using the right word, please explain me how Apple offer me freedom of choose??? let's say If i want Android what are my options?? Carriers..... PHones...... Size...... COlors....... payment...... and many more...

IF i want IOS..... what are my choices ...hmmm 1 carrier, 1 phone, 2 colors (1 not available yet), 1 payment system, ...and so on. all of those pick by Apple and not me..

Sorry but that is not freedom, Apple doesn't trust me with the decision as consumer (and thread me like I am mentally challenge) to pick what App runs in the background, If run WebOS or Android or any other OS the trust me to make my picks between what to run and my performance/battery life.

Not only on the phone, on web services, hardware, and so on.

 

[pika2000]

I must not be using the right word, please explain me how Apple offer me freedom of choose??? let's say If i want Android what are my options?? Carriers..... PHones...... Size...... COlors....... payment...... and many more...

Huh? Android gives you choice of carriers? Show me an unlocked Android phone in the US (sans the Nexus One). Nada. Each phone is locked to their respective carriers. No different than the iPhone. That is not choice.

 

[maturola]

Huh? Android gives you choice of carriers? Show me an unlocked Android phone in the US (sans the Nexus One). Nada. Each phone is locked to their respective carriers. No different than the iPhone. That is not choice.

I did not said "unlock" i said choice of carrier, if i want an android phone i can go to any carrier i want (didn't mention any specific phone i was compering Apples to apples - pun intended - compering OS to OS) and even them at lease one phone is available unlock (nexus one) as you mentioned, Even them (which is not what i was saying initially) 1 more chose is more them 0

 

[whatever]

I must not be using the right word, please explain me how Apple offer me freedom of choose??? let's say If i want Android what are my options?? Carriers..... PHones...... Size...... COlors....... payment...... and many more...

IF i want IOS..... what are my choices ...hmmm 1 carrier, 1 phone, 2 colors (1 not available yet), 1 payment system, ...and so on. all of those pick by Apple and not me..

Sorry but that is not freedom, Apple doesn't trust me with the decision as consumer (and thread me like I am mentally challenge) to pick what App runs in the background, If run WebOS or Android or any other OS the trust me to make my picks between what to run and my performance/battery life.

Not only on the phone, on web services, hardware, and so on.

There is no such thing as an Android phone.

Android is just the OS that runs on a phone.

Let's take a look at the Droid X, which runs Android OS. Can I run this phone on the Sprint? No. How about AT&T? No. T-Mobile? No.

Okay, maybe it's just that phone. What about the HTC EVO 4G? Can I use that on AT&T? Nope. On Verizon? Nope?

Next question can I put Apple's iOS on those devices? No.

Can I put Windows Mobile on them? No

How about Blackberry? No

WebOS? No

I must be able to install Symbian since it's open-source, right? Nope.

Bottom line is that companies create things to run a particular way. If people like them, then they will buy them. If they do not then they will not and the product will fail.

Apple must be doing something right, because people are buying their products.

 

[maturola]

There is no such thing as an Android phone.

Android is just the OS that runs on a phone.

Let's take a look at the Droid X, which runs Android OS. Can I run this phone on the Sprint? No. How about AT&T? No. T-Mobile? No.

Okay, maybe it's just that phone. What about the HTC EVO 4G? Can I use that on AT&T? Nope. On Verizon? Nope?

Next question can I put Apple's iOS on those devices? No.

Can I put Windows Mobile on them? No

How about Blackberry? No

WebOS? No

I must be able to install Symbian since it's open-source, right? Nope.

Bottom line is that companies create things to run a particular way. If people like them, then they will buy them. If they do not then they will not and the product will fail.

Apple must be doing something right, because people are buying their products.

Is pointless to argue with a fanboy and close minded people.

If i want to run Android (as i said, it is an OS not a phone) ... I can pick which carrier i want, then see what phones they have available and them what services i want.

IF i want a blackberry,,,the same way. I never spoke about specific phone, i said OS...

 

[*LTD*]

The change is a subtle one essentially invisible to users, but marks yet another example of Apple's desire to control as much of the top-to-bottom user experience as possible.

Good. The more we see of this, the better.

Sorry if I came across angry.

Not sure how you can say Google gives you "the freedom of choice".

Freedom of choice is not something offered by any company. It's something that you have.

If that was the case then Apple too, gives you and everyone else "the freedom of choice."

You can choose their products the way they feel is best or you can choose to use someone else's product.

I do have concerns with Google. In time maybe these concerns will be unfounded (hopefully), but only time will tell.

I'd trust a for-pay model over freeware any day. At the end of the day, free = no accountability to the user.

 

[satcomer]

I hate google maps, it's too inaccurate for me.

Have you noticed the satellite pictures are more than 5 years old on Google Maps. Plus have you noticed the Traffic indicators are at least an hour old when Google Maps shows Traffic conditions?

 

[pika2000]

If i want to run Android (as i said, it is an OS not a phone) ... I can pick which carrier i want, then see what phones they have available and them what services i want.

IF i want a blackberry,,,the same way. I never spoke about specific phone, i said OS...

Fair enough. However, in other countries, this is the case with the iPhone too, where it's offered by multiple carriers and/or sold unlocked. The flaw of US wireless market != disadvantage of iOS.

 

[maturola]

Fair enough. However, in other countries, this is the case with the iPhone too, where it's offered by multiple carriers and/or sold unlocked. The flaw of US wireless market != disadvantage of iOS.

It's a very complex issue I don't think you can just narrow it to market flaw, since Apple was not force to sign such a contract. they chose to make it that way, and that is also one of the aspet, I still can install the apps I want, or access my phone to use it as USB hardrive, or something as simple as to chose which app i want running on the background.