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

[Bluefusion]

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?

Oh, gee, I don't know, maybe:
- find PUBLIC TRANSIT stations - no longer works at all
- ability to see specific POI in a new city or foreign country - almost useless now
- ability to navigate a new place BY WALKING (see small street intersections, alleyways, etc.) - almost useless now
- ability to determine which public transit route is fastest = no longer works at all
- ability to find a specific hotel, restaurant, or store by searching - almost useless now

But I sure am glad that if you drive a car in the US, you can be smug about how "turn by turn works great"!
(I'm from the US, and I travel extensively. Next time you head over to Kapaliçarsi in Istanbul, let me know how the Maps app works out for you. Or try using the NY subway. Or finding a store in Prague. Or try figuring out how to get from one place to another using public bus service in my tiny town in Massachusetts. All of these things worked fine before Apple got into their little pissing match, and none of them work now.)
Sure sounds like progress to me... take something that works great and is missing a feature (already supplanted by other GPS software), then ruin every existing feature in order to make a sub-par, limited and downright inaccurate service that no one can opt out of.

 

[duffman9000]

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.

But we won't be better off. Yes, we'll have navigation, but we will lose everything else. It's like asking Apple to out-Google Google in search. Do people honestly believe that's going to happen?

 

[KnightWRX]

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.

OS 9 to OS X transition.

 

[nico33]

New Apple Maps app is quite ok for me. Search in maps is not (yet) ok.
Google is really good to figure out what you meant to say but you spelled it wrong. Apple's still far to that point.

 

[0098386]

That's a shame.
Well I hope Google speed up their own maps app so I can bury Apple's own in my unused and undeleteable apps folder.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Presumably apple:
- knows both the length and terms of its map contract with google;
- knows it's iOS roadmap;
- benchmarks both the free and paid features available through competitors and potential suppliers;
- practices "futuring", or as Steve said, "skating to where the puck will be" (and these days apple is, arguably, the puck;
- has unlimited resources to create, expand and defend a product or crush a competitor;

So why launch an immature product (having, yes, one nice unique feature) which is inept at its basic function (clear maps) and missing many if the basic function and interface features found in products of this type (I'm in Europe, and, even set to english, Siri can't even reasonably pronounce street names or avoid a bizarre sentence structure ).

If they really needed to dump google like a hot potato(e), they have more than enough money to have either bought tomtom or mapquest, or licensed them for the next year as a transitional solution until a home-grown map feature was ready for prime time.

If the facts surrounding the situation are reflective of the true nature of things, then the whole situation is endemic of a lack of clarity of purpose, and ignorance of or indifference to customer-oriented decision-making.

Maybe this is why the maps feature, to me, feels less like "surprise and delight" and more like "shock and disappointment"... I feel embarrassed that since WWDC I have been talking-up this product and software release, with intent to replace my 4s, as well as convincing several family members and friends, that the 5w/6 was going to be the Bee's Knees, and now all this mediocrity.

 

[Macist]

Oh, gee, I don't know, maybe:
- find PUBLIC TRANSIT stations - no longer works at all
- ability to see specific POI in a new city or foreign country - almost useless now
- ability to navigate a new place BY WALKING (see small street intersections, alleyways, etc.) - almost useless now
- ability to determine which public transit route is fastest = no longer works at all
- ability to find a specific hotel, restaurant, or store by searching - almost useless now

.

What this guy said. I dunno what app some of you are using that suggest it's not too bad'.

It's a horror show. A completely broken bit of junk. It's not 1% ready for prime time.

 

[Vorst]

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.

i used the Apple Maps in Paris, Antwerp en Brussels. The traffic info presentation and accuracy for traffic is better then anything have seen before.
I find it better then Google Maps.

Many people are complaining about why changing the MAP software.
This looks like the same story as the Flash support for the browser in iOS; take a step back to get the benefit in the future. Think different

 

[The Phazer]

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



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.

The Google Maps TOS are completely irrelevant, given Apple weren't subject to them and had their own agreement.

I have no doubt that Google wanted some concessions for extra features - we've heard they wanted native Latitude integration for example. As long as I can turn it off, that would have been fine.

But all the evidence suggests that Apple had no interest in negotiating, and decided to screw customers over in some stupid crusade against Google in in the very worst traditions of "not invented here" syndrome.

 

[The13thDoctor]

Honestly I don't care which company codes the Maps app... I just wants one that works well.

 

[tatonka]

The "folks trying to change something to the better," are complaining on a blog about what Imaginary Steve would have done, and suggesting things that are never going to happen.

This is Apple's Maps app going forward, and if the data it is giving you is not right, there's a process for reporting it to the people who really can do something about it.

Or you could keep telling me, your fellow blog reader, and I will tell you you that your feelings are valid and you should have yourself a good cry. There, there, now.

First off, I do believe Apple employees are actively reading these pages and have in the past reacted to media *****torms like this one. Think Antennagate, which lead to free bumpers or the initial iPhone release price drop, which lead to paybacks for the early adopters.

That said .. I agree, whining on the internet is not a very productive way of changing things. The guy I was replying to however suggested that simply accepting the enormous task ahead of Apple and trusting in them fixing it .. I am quite sure, that does even less then whining on the internet.

T.

 

[bearda]

i used the Apple Maps in Paris, Antwerp en Brussels. The traffic info presentation and accuracy for traffic is better then anything have seen before.
I find it better then Google Maps.

Many people are complaining about why changing the MAP software.
This looks like the same story as the Flash support for the browser in iOS; take a step back to get the benefit in the future. Think different

The problem is that the flash comparison isn't really valid, because we never had flash support. Not giving you a feature is different than taking away a feature you had that worked perfectly well. If the iPhone was released without transit directions, or any other feature people are complaining about now it would be a different story. As it stands the iOS update has made a lot of devices less useful than they were last week, though. That's hard to defend.

 

[duffman9000]

Honestly I don't care which company codes the Maps app... I just wants one that works well.

I would agree if we could change the default map application, but we can't.

 

[Boatboy24]

In my eyes, this is a very good competitive move on Apple's part. Do consumers suffer? Maybe in the short run. But long term, I've got to believe Apple will have a competitive (if not superior) product. If you really want google maps on your iPhone 5, you can probably get it. In the meantime, people are using Apple Maps. Here are the two possible scenarios that Apple was facing (in my feeble eyes)

Scenario 1: Apple stays with Google until the end of contract. Google and the rest of the world know Apple is working on a mapping project. Google releases Maps app prior end of contract. 80% of Google Maps users download app and continue to use it. Apple Maps has a 20% share and possibly suffers slow, painful death.

Scenario 2: Apple surprises Google, cuts off contract and removes Google Maps from phones. Releases product with bugs. Consumers whine and complain, but use Apple's map app and it gets better while Apple simultaneously makes improvements. This goes on for months while Google, caught off guard, scrambles to release standalone app. By the time Google app comes out, consumers have gotten used to Apple's maps and have noticed improvements. Rumors are leaked regarding upcoming improvements. 50% or more stick with Apple and the Apple maps app is now off and running.

 

[11thIndian]

This is just an unfortunate situation. Apple couldn't continue to allow it's arch nemesis to control a key component of it's platform, but at the same time it seems that there was no way to perfect a service like this without the crowdsource data that comes with people actually using it.

After reading this article, my pet theory would be that Apple did jump the gun, but intentionally so. Even if maps weren't where they wanted them to be- the fastest way to grow the map data is to get it out there an have people use it. And if Google had lots of notice, they might have had a maps app ready for release on day 1. The result would have been that many people, after ANY initial frustration with iMaps, would have jumped over to Google's app, and so Apple's maps would have had a much more challenging time building the data it needs. With the way things are, iMaps will be many people's only option for months. If Apple can throw enough people at the problem, we could see lots (but certainly not all) of iMaps deficiencies addressed before Google's response can make it to the appStore. In the end, this way iMaps gets better faster. But there will be some short term pain for users.

It is unquestionably a crummy situation, but in the near term, Apple users will win out. Probably less than 6 months from now we'll have 2 very competitive mapping applications on iOS. That's great for users.

Just not yet.

EDIT: wow, apparently the guy above and I share the same theory!

 

[duffman9000]

In my eyes, this is a very good competitive move on Apple's part. Do consumers suffer? Maybe in the short run. But long term, I've got to believe Apple will have a competitive (if not superior) product. If you really want google maps on your iPhone 5, you can probably get it. In the meantime, people are using Apple Maps. Here are the two possible scenarios that Apple was facing (in my feeble eyes)

Scenario 1: Apple stays with Google until the end of contract. Google and the rest of the world know Apple is working on a mapping project. Google releases Maps app prior end of contract. 80% of Google Maps users download app and continue to use it. Apple Maps has a 20% share and possibly suffers slow, painful death.

Scenario 2: Apple surprises Google, cuts off contract and removes Google Maps from phones. Releases product with bugs. Consumers whine and complain, but use Apple's map app and it gets better while Apple simultaneously makes improvements. This goes on for months while Google, caught off guard, scrambles to release standalone app. By the time Google app comes out, consumers have gotten used to Apple's maps and have noticed improvements. Rumors are leaked regarding upcoming improvements.50% or more stick with Apple and the Apple maps app is now off and running.

You honestly think this could have taken months? It's like asking Apple to out-Google Google in search. Microsoft has thrown a huge pile of money at the problem. So has Yahoo. Google is still the most popular choice. It's the most popular choice because it is the best choice.

 

[nizzard]

What a frigging boneheaded move. The person responsible should be questioned closely. And I daresay that Steve would never have released a new service that was worse than the old.

How about mobileme?

 

[bigcat318]

But I sure am glad that if you drive a car in the US, you can be smug about how "turn by turn works great"!
(I'm from the US, and I travel extensively. Next time you head over to Kapaliçarsi in Istanbul, let me know how the Maps app works out for you. Or try using the NY subway. Or finding a store in Prague. Or try figuring out how to get from one place to another using public bus service in my tiny town in Massachusetts. All of these things worked fine before Apple got into their little pissing match, and none of them work now.)
Sure sounds like progress to me... take something that works great and is missing a feature (already supplanted by other GPS software), then ruin every existing feature in order to make a sub-par, limited and downright inaccurate service that no one can opt out of.

You're traveling it wrong

 

[samcraig]

You honestly think this could have taken months? It's like asking Apple to out-Google Google in search. Microsoft has thrown a huge pile of money at the problem. So has Yahoo. Google is still the most popular choice. It's the most popular choice because it is the best choice.

While I do think Google is the best search - I think the fact that it's ubiquitous with search makes competition difficult. There might, indeed, be better search engines (depending on what results you want and need) - but the first "go to" search engine is google. Every once in awhile I go to bing or yahoo or some smaller web crawlers - usually because I've issued a press release and they often appear faster on some other engines. But that's an exception to the "rule."

 

[hamkor04]

i used the Apple Maps in Paris, Antwerp en Brussels. The traffic info presentation and accuracy for traffic is better then anything have seen before.
I find it better then Google Maps.

Many people are complaining about why changing the MAP software.
This looks like the same story as the Flash support for the browser in iOS; take a step back to get the benefit in the future. Think different

we don't have to be a brain washed
Flash is different business, it had too many negatives (energy efficiency, security and etc) we can't compare with flash with like map app
google map had a any security issues ?
google map had a battery problems?
google map pissed millions of users off?
what exactly google map done, customer experience point of view?
we need to be sceptical about even apple then we get better products and services

 

[polterbyte]

But we won't be better off. Yes, we'll have navigation, but we will lose everything else. It's like asking Apple to out-Google Google in search. Do people honestly believe that's going to happen?

Yeah, it's not like Apple has outgunned Microsoft and unleashed the Post-PC era, or as if they have outgunned Nokia in smartphones, or as if they have outgunned Creative (does anyobody even remember the Nomad) and everyone else in the MP3 player arena.

It may not work this time, but Apple certainly has the track record to try.
________

[EDIT] And of course they are not going for the search engine, but for the maps. A different ball game, and one that—differently from the search engine field, I believe—there is still room for competition.

 

[duffman9000]

Yeah, it's not like Apple has outgunned Microsoft and unleashed the Post-PC era, or as if they have outgunned Nokia in smartphones, or as if they have outgunned Creative (does anyobody even remember the Nomad) and everyone else in the MP3 player arena.

It may not work this time, but Apple certainly has the track record to try.

Look at how bad "search" is in Apple Maps. End of story.

 

[Bezetos]

Maps will be improved much faster with customer feedback than they could have been in private.

If that's the case then what you do is release the new Maps app along with the old Google Maps (rename the new one to iMap or something) so that people can test the seriously lacking new map app and still be able to actually get somewhere using the old map.

 

[samcraig]

Yeah, it's not like Apple has outgunned Microsoft and unleashed the Post-PC era, or as if they have outgunned Nokia in smartphones, or as if they have outgunned Creative (does anyobody even remember the Nomad) and everyone else in the MP3 player arena.

It may not work this time, but Apple certainly has the track record to try.

There's a big difference between creating a better physical product vs the enormity of having great data.

I don't think anyone is saying Apple can't do it (in time). But it's not going to be anytime "soon" and in the meantime, Google is also progressing as well.

The issue of Apple maps isn't one of the future. It's one of "today." And the irritability towards Apple maps today is because when people upgrade/update their OS or device - they expect a superior experience. It doesn't even have to be "exponential." But a regression isn't acceptable.

 

[KnightWRX]

In my eyes, this is a very good competitive move on Apple's part. Do consumers suffer? Maybe in the short run. But long term, I've got to believe Apple will have a competitive (if not superior) product. If you really want google maps on your iPhone 5, you can probably get it. In the meantime, people are using Apple Maps. Here are the two possible scenarios that Apple was facing (in my feeble eyes)

Scenario 1: Apple stays with Google until the end of contract. Google and the rest of the world know Apple is working on a mapping project. Google releases Maps app prior end of contract. 80% of Google Maps users download app and continue to use it. Apple Maps has a 20% share and possibly suffers slow, painful death.

Scenario 2: Apple surprises Google, cuts off contract and removes Google Maps from phones. Releases product with bugs. Consumers whine and complain, but use Apple's map app and it gets better while Apple simultaneously makes improvements. This goes on for months while Google, caught off guard, scrambles to release standalone app. By the time Google app comes out, consumers have gotten used to Apple's maps and have noticed improvements. Rumors are leaked regarding upcoming improvements. 50% or more stick with Apple and the Apple maps app is now off and running.

Scenario 3 : Apple releases a preview of Apple Maps with all the new features. Leaves the default app to use the old infrastructure until the contract runs out, makes the new preview optional. This doesn't break MAP KIT (why do people keep forgetting about Map Kit ? Don't you guys buy homes, stay fit, have "store location" apps or any other Map Kit enabled app ?). Uses the preview time to start crowd-sourcing and fixing their Maps solution with the bleeding edge crowd that's really into helping them, leaves the other consumers with a functional solution in the mean time.

Of course, that's a win-win scenario, and again, I'm pretty sure it's the one Apple would've picked had they known prior to WWDC that their mapping solution had the problems it has. Has as been pointed out though, Apple probably didn't even know their data was in such a bad state before it got into the hands of users.

----------

If that's the case then what you do is release the new Maps app along with the old Google Maps (rename the new one to iMap or something) so that people can test the seriously lacking new map app and still be able to actually get somewhere using the old map.

Bingo. Exactly like they did with Mac OS X before transitionning away from Mac OS 9. And again, this all boils down to Apple's lack of expertise in mapping causing "noob error" on evaluating the readiness of their solution. They probably genuinly thought it was really close to being perfect, at least as far as mapping/POI goes.