Apple Reportedly Had Over a Year Left on Maps Contract with Google

[KnightWRX]

More Apple bashing.

What does it matter to you if a satellite map of Nova Scotia or the Brooklyn bridge isn't great lookin in 3D yet?

Turn by turn directions work great, and honestly,
what the hell are you using the map for but to take you places?

Turn-by-Turn is navigation, it's not mapping.

And frankly, with cities being misplaced (sometimes by miles), what good is navigation if it takes out to places that aren't even your destination ?

Why must there always be someone that sees anyone who criticizes Apple is a "hater, basher, whatever".

 

[phillytim]

Kudos to Apple for demanding a higher quality Google Maps app, and for going on it's own when Google wouldn't give iOS users an updated experience. Google didn't necessarily have to go with iOS as far as it went for it's own Android OS app, but at least Google should have provided updates for iOS experience.

Now maybe Google will get some serious mapping competition; and if anything, it will make the map market more competitive and better for all. Google has been seemingly rather stagnant as of late with its own maps.

Plus I really do prefer Apple Maps. I think it's a gorgeous app, the turn-by-turn directions I have used has been flawless, and the Yelp integration for reviews is much better than the partnering Google uses with Zagat.

Apple made the right choice.

 

[Stella]

Now maybe Google will get some serious mapping competition; and if anything, it will make the map market more competitive and better for all.
/QUOTE]

You don't think TomTom, Navigon, Nokia Maps, Garmin, MapQuest et al aren't serious competition to mapping / navigation?

 

[golf1410]

I forecast Apple will get into crisis again in next 10 years (3 months from bankrupt) after Steve jobs is gone. There will be no hero name Steve jobs come and save Apple. They forgot their place to make the best product, not to beats competitors to the death like Apple vs Microsoft.

History is repeating.

It is getting messy since from MBP retina quality and how they deal with problems lately. Not sure who is in charge to make these decisions but it turns out that many people are angry and heading off from Apple including me. These people are convincing families and friends not to buy from Apple.

Will see how accurate this is.

 

[Stella]

I
It is getting messy since from MBP retina quality and how they deal with problems lately.

Apple have always had issues with their computers ( i.e., moo-ing sounds, dodgy touch pads ), displays ( i..e, especially yellow tinting ). Some issues Apple have never acknowledged to users frustrations.

 

[Macist]

I forecast Apple will get into crisis again in next 10 years (3 months from bankrupt) after Steve jobs is gone. There will be no hero name Steve jobs come and save Apple. They forgot their place to make the best product, not to beats competitors to the death like Apple vs Microsoft.

History is repeating.

It is getting messy since from MBP retina quality and how they deal with problems lately. Not sure who is in charge to make these decisions but it turns out that many people are angry and heading off from Apple including me. These people are convincing families and friends not to buy from Apple.

Will see how accurate this is.

That's the problem when you lose your core substance and become just another fashion brand. Fashion is fickle.

They just need someone to steady the ship. Get Mac Pros and iMacs out. Bring back Google Maps.

 

[Dcuellar]

And yet another thread about Apple Maps...

Give Apple time, people. They've already said it will get better and we all know Google didn't get to where they are at overnight. We also know that the relationship between Google and Apple has been strained, to say the least. Something had to be done in regards to Maps. The sooner Apple Maps was out the sooner teu could start collecting data to improve it. I don't think Apple Maps is THAT bad. It could be a lot worse. If you don't like it use the Google Maps on Safari and wait for Google to make their app.

On the plus side, all these threads are hopefully pushing Apple to make it the app you all want and to make it a priority.

 

[duffman9000]

I forecast Apple will get into crisis again in next 10 years (3 months from bankrupt) after Steve jobs is gone. There will be no hero name Steve jobs come and save Apple. They forgot their place to make the best product, not to beats competitors to the death like Apple vs Microsoft.

History is repeating.

It is getting messy since from MBP retina quality and how they deal with problems lately. Not sure who is in charge to make these decisions but it turns out that many people are angry and heading off from Apple including me. These people are convincing families and friends not to buy from Apple.

Will see how accurate this is.

I would never buy a 1st gen Apple anything. I'm going to wait until the 2nd or 3rd retina revision.

 

[Joel Belog]

It was apple fault that the map app sucked. It was Apple's job to update it.
With once a year updates to the map app that they did not do much with while android was improving there all the time.

Sum it up. Blame apple not google for the lagging of the map app.

Well, not entirely. Have you reviewed the Google Maps Terms of Service? Specifically,

2. Restrictions on Use. Unless you have received prior written authorization from Google (or, as applicable, from the provider of particular Content), you must not:

...

(f) use the Service or Content with any products, systems, or applications for or in connection with (i) real time navigation or route guidance, including but not limited to turn-by-turn route guidance that is synchronized to the position of a user's sensor-enabled device; or (ii) any systems or functions for automatic or autonomous control of vehicle behavior;

My guess, and this is tin foil hat territory, is that Google did not allow Apple to do these things so that the Android platform could have an advantage with maps.

 

[duffman9000]

Not so much Apple burning their bridges as burning ours.

OS9
Rosetta
iMovie
Final Cut
X11
Carbon64

This is nothing new, and neither is the screaming from the Apple customers and Android supporters that goes with it.
And as you say, a year from now, most of this will have been forgotten, along with the fuss over the Lightning connector.

I remember using OS 10.0 and OS9 had to die. Rosetta also had to die. How much longer did you expect Apple to keep it going?

 

[MacHiavelli]

Enough already with the maps stories.

It is great for Apple and its users to bin Google.

A few bumps along the road. So what?

Apple maps has worked really well so far and I'm glad to dump Google from my digital life.

If you want Google Maps, get an Android.

 

[duffman9000]

My guess, and this is tin foil hat territory, is that Google did not allow Apple to do these things so that the Android platform could have an advantage with maps.

I think the same. Unless Apple threw gobs of money and let Google run ads it wasn't going to happen.

 

[hamkor04]

I prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps.

yea, because you don't have a google maps anymore

 

[duffman9000]

Enough already with the maps stories.

It is great for Apple and its users to bin Google.

A few bumps along the road. So what?

Apple maps has worked really well so far and I'm glad to dump Google from my digital life.

If you want Google Maps, get an Android.

Forget about navigation, the worst part of Apple Maps is that it can't find points of interest. I can type "Apple" and multiple hits should appear in my area. Apple Maps points me to an Apple (something) much further way than Apple stores near me.

I type "Apple store" and you would think that I should see multiple Apple stores in my area (Costa Mesa, Brea, Cerritos). Nope. The app is stupid.

 

[Porco]

If this is true, I think it's one of the stupidest things Apple has done for quite some time. All the same arguments would apply in another year, except that Apple would have had another year to get their Maps app better in the meantime.

If they still have the licence, they should put out iOS 6.1, reinstating Google Maps. People didn't pay thousands of *insert your currency here* to be Apple's beta testers, and certainly not when they were being robbed of perfectly functional software to force them to do so.

 

[hamkor04]

we really need that down vote button,
is it Apple "request" or it is a new "feature" from MR
despite how long it's been without down button, still annoying

 

[polterbyte]

Not so much Apple burning their bridges as burning ours.

OS9
Rosetta
iMovie
Final Cut
X11
Carbon64

Actually that's what's great about bridges (or ships, for that matter, if you think of Cortés): they serve both the burners and the people these burners often lead. And if you look at the list you provided, how has their "burning" affected Apple's experience to the user today? In the long run, I believe we're much better off, although I have to concede that we will never know in what shape we would be in if those bridges weren't burned. I haven't been around that long as an Apple user, but from what I recall from X11 in university and OS9, my experience today is far better, and I believe it wouldn't have been if Apple had stayed those particular courses.

All in all, it was a move forward that cuts our ability to go back, even if the tool for moving forward is a lesser one than what we had at our disposal a while ago.

And this is precisely the incentive Apple needs to improve the maps app: they left us with no other choice either than giving up on their products entirely (and no, in an app world having to resort to running Google Maps on my browser is not a viable option, as it would be as sub-par and as inelegant a solution as keeping Apple Maps in the state it is now).

Onwards and forwards Apple: there's no other move possible. Please do it quickly.

 

[trunten]

Smart move

This actually makes a lot of sense to be fair. The new maps will only get better with people using them (like we did with google when they first started out) and the sooner that starts the better. Also, by taking google by suprise means that there isn't a google app waiting for all the disgruntled apple maps users that would no doubt have switched and never came back. This way by the time google is ready apple maps should hopefully be a lot better minimising the damage.

 

[duffman9000]

yea, because you don't have a google maps anymore

I don't think people realize what this means yet. I'm serious. For people who don't fully grasp this yet please change your default search engine from Google to Bing or Yahoo. Tell us how long you before you change it back. If Apple would ever prevent Google search from being an option I would never buy another Apple anything.

 

[Kebabselector]

So far with Apple maps I've found it's quite accurate with postcode (zip) searches, but fails quite a lot on addresses. Not overly impressed so far, but it can only get better.

 

[auero]

Kudos to Apple for demanding a higher quality Google Maps app, and for going on it's own when Google wouldn't give iOS users an updated experience. Google didn't necessarily have to go with iOS as far as it went for it's own Android OS app, but at least Google should have provided updates for iOS experience.

Now maybe Google will get some serious mapping competition; and if anything, it will make the map market more competitive and better for all. Google has been seemingly rather stagnant as of late with its own maps.

Plus I really do prefer Apple Maps. I think it's a gorgeous app, the turn-by-turn directions I have used has been flawless, and the Yelp integration for reviews is much better than the partnering Google uses with Zagat.

Apple made the right choice.

Google Maps was a great reference tool for me to see where places are accurately or to quickly get an idea of where I'm going. As far as navigation goes, TomTom is so much better in my opinion. No it isn't cheap but I can keep the maps on my phone and not worry about losing data or using data when driving.

 

[KnightWRX]

This actually makes a lot of sense to be fair. The new maps will only get better with people using them (like we did with google when they first started out) and the sooner that starts the better. Also, by taking google by suprise means that there isn't a google app waiting for all the disgruntled apple maps users that would no doubt have switched and never came back. This way by the time google is ready apple maps should hopefully be a lot better minimising the damage.

You don't get useful feedback from users that have been burned.

Again, I don't get why people can't fanthom that Apple could've released this side-by-side with the current App, as a "preview" "beta" whatever, without replacing Map Kit's back-end and not removing Google Maps.

They would have gotten less bad press and probably as much if not more feedback.

 

[duffman9000]

And this is precisely the incentive Apple needs to improve the maps app: they left us with no other choice either than giving up on their products entirely (and no, in an app world having to resort to running Google Maps on my browser is not a viable option, as it would be as sub-par and as inelegant a solution as keeping Apple Maps in the state it is now).

Onwards and forwards Apple: there's no other move possible. Please do it quickly.

Maybe some good can come of this. If we could choose the default maps app that would open the door to choosing the default email client, web browser, etc. Won't happen though.

 

[MuppetGate]

I remember using OS 10.0 and OS9 had to die. Rosetta also had to die. How much longer did you expect Apple to keep it going?

That was sort of my point. There are very few occasions where Apple has 'burned the bridge' that hasn't left the users better off in the long run.

 

[hamkor04]

I don't think people realize what this means yet. I'm serious. For people who don't fully grasp this yet please change your default search engine from Google to Bing or Yahoo. Tell us how long you before you change it back. If Apple would ever prevent Google search from being an option I would never buy another Apple anything.

it's obvious, you right
i understand what "relationship" they have, and what is a "marketing" for them.
but there are other options to get rid off google maps and make imap better.
simple Apple could announce imap with ip5 and they maybe include it on ip5 as a beta and removable app(keep google map), this helps apple to build their data faster and without any negative feedbacks from consumers