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Apple Moving to In-House Mapping Service with 3D Views in iOS 6?

This is a bad move for Apple. I use Google Maps to check bus times in Perth, Audtralia and google maps can often find a faster route than the public transport providers own website, and is also on top of route change within 24 hours, most times it seems.

Will Apple be able to do that on release, or even ever? I reserve the right to be wrong, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Don't choose the wrong product for vanity reasons Apple. If you have the better product, roll on ahead, otherwise you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.
 
androiphone said:
this is what I fear, I wouldn't put it past apple to release it with only with full map support in the US and the rest of the world will be stuck with either nother or low quality maps and only have detailed maps in the major cities like London.
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There are specialized companies such as TeleAtlas or Navteq that provide road maps and Google licenses the maps from them, so I am not worried that all of a sudden road maps will become outdated.

Google most likely owns Street View and it may be collecting the transit data through some kind of in-house proprietary method, so those parts may not work as well if Apple switches over completely.
 
I hope Apple knows what they are doing.

Maps is not gimmick like Siri, it is actually an app and a feature people use often and it's going to be super hard to compete with Google Maps, does anybody have a bigger and a better database of street view, POIs and reviews?

Also as others have said 3D as showed in those C3 videos, is a gimmick! What I want is good, fast maps, POIs, navigation, voice guidance, day/night modes, 2D/3D(like in third party GPS apps) etc...
 
My request would be for better control over caching of maps - to load up and store maps on the device whilst at home for use in areas without signal, or abroad, etc.
 
imthenachoman said:
Really? All that money and they are working on 3D? 3D is a gimmick. I want to see voice guided GPS. Is that too much to ask?
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This is quite literally the only thing I want. Google Maps on Android is far superior and it really shouldn't be. Not only that, but Google Maps on Android gets updated frequently. Apple needs to up their game with iOS 6. I hope 3D maps are not the only thing they're adding. I'm happy with TomTom for the time being, but I would much prefer a better integrated stock GPS solution from Apple.
 
ralphdaily said:
This is a step backwards. Replacing Google Maps with OpenStreet. Ugh.
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That's not what the story suggested. It suggested a new Apple specific piece of software.

Personally I don't care. I got a Garmin 3790LMT. Bigger screen, traffic updates, text to speach, lane assist, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I only use the Maps feature on my iPhone to look places up, or when I'm walkin'.
 
Kilamite said:
They used to. But I've been using them a lot when abroad (you can save the maps on your iPhone using 3rd party apps), and found them to be on par with Google in most areas.

Google is cleaner, but Open Street Maps certainly don't suck anymore.
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Open Street Maps is insanely detailed, much more than either TeleAtlas(Google, TomTom, Sygic) or NAVTEQ(Nokia, NAVIGON, Garmin, CoPilot) you can also overlay any skin you want and have I mentioned it is open, free and community maintained?

If done right, OSM can be very, very good.
 
djdover said:
Will Apple be able to do that on release, or even ever? I reserve the right to be wrong, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Don't choose the wrong product for vanity reasons Apple. If you have the better product, roll on ahead, otherwise you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.
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Indeed.

I think that the big problem will be that Apple's solution is simply not going to be as good as what Google has been doing since 2005.

They have access to so much data and offer so many features in different places.

I can see the rumoured 3D mode being limited to the US with everyone else getting a cut down version of a weak imitation of the current App.

If they're going to do this, then they need to allow Google to put "Google Maps" on the App Store. I fear that they won't, simply because it will make their own App look terrible.
 
djdover said:
This is a bad move for Apple. I use Google Maps to check bus times in Perth, Audtralia and google maps can often find a faster route than the public transport providers own website, and is also on top of route change within 24 hours, most times it seems.

Will Apple be able to do that on release, or even ever? I reserve the right to be wrong, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Don't choose the wrong product for vanity reasons Apple. If you have the better product, roll on ahead, otherwise you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.
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You can still use maps.google.com in Safari.
 
Yes let the google-crap go away. Every piece of less google on my devices is good.

And to all whiners who want turn by turn: Buy TomTom, Navigon, Sygic, or one of the other available nav-apps. It's here for years and all have much better mapdata then google-maps...
 
I, too, sure hope we get turn-by-turn Maps ... from whatever source. Androids have had this with Maps from the get-go. Our alternatives are very expensive and 3rd party.
 
Test Drive C3 3D City Maps @ Yell.com

Has anyone checked out http://www.yell.com/map/london.html? If you go to this page and then click on the "3D city" button in the map window you can see C3 Technologies in action. They have some 3D city maps in the UK.

The 3D maps look pretty good! The models seem a bit "rough" in parts but considering that they are done in bulk its not bad.

I definitely think this is better than what Google has shown so far.
 
Largely pointless as the GPS built into my cars is far superior to anything offered from Apple, Google, ect.
 
kayloh20 said:
The problem with this is that it makes the Maps application completely and utterly useless for non-US users, which is terrible given that it worked perfectly fine for them before...unless you mean the other markets will still use Google Maps and Apple will simply flip a switch on their server when the time comes.
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I would be very surprised if it was US only. Could it be that it's taken Apple 5 years to produce its own map app because it wanted to be able to do it all at once and (hopefully) right the first time? They did delay push notifications despite the pundits and bloggers whining until they had a system that was reliable and would not eat the battery the second you turned it on.
 
wizard said:
As for the possible quality of the package, I'm not one to prejudge something that hasn't been released. So I simply remain hopeful. Further knowing this will be an initial release I don't expect perfection right out the door.

For Apple I believe this is something they feel they have to have control over. Frankly I think they are right as they can provide services to developers and developers will know that those services will be around for awhile. Simply by replacing Google maps Apple has an opportunity to do the UI right too.

By the way I suspect that Apple will stay away from turn by turn forever. Why? Because of liability, if somebody drives into the ocean it is a certainty that someone will find a way to sue them. Unless of course they could get legislation passed worldwide that relieves them of any liability when some idiot drives off a cliff or whatever.
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They have product liability insurance. Just like Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellen, etc.
 
JHankwitz said:
I recently purchased a whole house generater via the web. Now I get an ad for the same generator I bought on most every page I visit through a search. It's enough to make one stop using Google altogether.
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That's actually kid of funny. Annoying for you, for sure. But what's the point in advertising a generator to you, who has already bought one? It's not like the wear out quickly and need to be replaced every year. Shouldn't they be advertising to someone who's looking for a generator now??
 
Vitruviux said:
I hope Apple knows what they are doing.

Maps is not gimmick like Siri, it is actually an app and a feature people use often and it's going to be super hard to compete with Google Maps, does anybody have a bigger and a better database of street view, POIs and reviews?

Also as others have said 3D as showed in those C3 videos, is a gimmick! What I want is good, fast maps, POIs, navigation, voice guidance, day/night modes, 2D/3D(like in third party GPS apps) etc...
Click to expand...

I don't think Siri is a gimmick. It comes accross that way because of it's relatively limited usefulness and the hype made about it by Apple and others. I think the app will advance. Rapidly. And like the mouse will become the universal input method of it's generation.
 
Australia

Well it had better be as good or better than Google maps for AU users. I love google street view , very helpful when trying to find a place you have never been.

If Apple dump Google Maps for something with less content for non US users its a mistake.
 
Dranix said:
Yes let the google-crap go away. Every piece of less google on my devices is good.

And to all whiners who want turn by turn: Buy TomTom, Navigon, Sygic, or one of the other available nav-apps. It's here for years and all have much better mapdata then google-maps...
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...but the Android version is free...

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ptysell said:
Largely pointless as the GPS built into my cars is far superior to anything offered from Apple, Google, ect.
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My mom bought her current car with GPS built-in. It has a glorious, huge easy to use screen.

And a $300+ price tag to upgrade the maps!! :eek:

More than my Garmin cost with lifetime map upgrades.

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laserbeam273 said:
beautiful, realisitic graphics based on de-classified missile target algorithms.[/QUOTE/

What a great line.
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I loved that to...

<snicker>
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