Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Reportedly Had Over a Year Left on Maps Contract with Google
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Nokia Maps is great - i used it previously on Symbian - but I've doubt you've used it at all. It uses Nokia's mapping company Navteq, the same maps that Navigon and Garmin use.
Likewise, what mapping application doesn't allow you to download maps onto your device, in 2012? A necessity if you travel abroad. Roaming data is expensive. Google Maps allows this to a certain degree.
Yes, this is a almost good solution but it doesn't allow for Street View. Unfortunately.
---
Apple is going to get Maps great over time.. but people really need a worthy replacement now for Google Maps, not in 6 months time and longer.
Never liked Eric Schmidt, on that we can agree - the rest of your post is delusional... If you think Apple won't start to look into everything you do with your iPhone and where you are at all times - you are clearly in la-la land.
There has never been a map app on iPhone by Google. The old app was Apple's own app, only the map data was coming from Google.
Machine Learning has got nothing to do with software development and people sitting in their offices coding stuff.
It has all to do with data.
And the data is dependent on all of us; our gps cell tower triangulation info, crowd sourcing and tens of other parameters. The more Apple delays, the more it gets bad for them.
I've worked with Google on Maps before as part of Stanford Research itself in Machine Learning. This thing is really hard and requires unlimited data. Apple should've done this earlier IMHO.
It has all to do with data.
And the data is dependent on all of us; our gps cell tower triangulation info, crowd sourcing and tens of other parameters. The more Apple delays, the more it gets bad for them.
I've worked with Google on Maps before as part of Stanford Research itself in Machine Learning. This thing is really hard and requires unlimited data. Apple should've done this earlier IMHO.
Thank you. So glad to hear other people speak to Eric Schmidt's "sleaze" look. People are serving life sentences for doing 1 / 1,000,000 of the level of theft that Schmidt has committed.
--- but I'm sure some idiot on here will say something about how the theft of Apple's ideas are just competition.
So I seen this story on a couple of sites now. Was Apple expected to wait until the last min to give an OS update that removes Google maps? I think this timeline works well... People have plenty of lead time to upgrade to a replacement and Apple has them to beta test on... 
But seriously I don't see anything wrong with the way they are going about it.
But seriously I don't see anything wrong with the way they are going about it.
I prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps.
as would any fanboy say - that's not an insult just fact.
so find my friends or Latitude
hmmm
I've encountered far fewer errors, even when just playing around, than I did after starting to use Google maps. At least Apple isn't telling me to drive past backyards and over sidewalks.
Why didn't Apple create their own maps when they first release their iPhone? It woulda been more acceptable then.
Google didn't know Apple was going to release their own maps even though the rest of us knew for months? are you serious?
What scale of disaster? Hindenburg, Titanic, Bruce Willis Asteroid Movie? How bad is this disaster for the poor iPhone users in the American Heartland?
i couldn't give an educated guess really,
but ill try, seems to me there may be a purpose to releasing it early... more than likely the WIDER consumer base, ones who aren't members here primarily. the real sheep or whatever u want to call them. Will probably never bother to switch back to the google app. Theres alot of people who wouldnt know what exactly makes a good phone just sorta get spoon fed by whatever is popular. SO Those People, who arent POWER USERS, or more saavy with electronics. will more than likely support their new maps, intentionally or unintentionally and help prime its success regardless if its a good application. i havent used the apple maps too heavily. but i prefer googles due to its wealthier options
but ill try, seems to me there may be a purpose to releasing it early... more than likely the WIDER consumer base, ones who aren't members here primarily. the real sheep or whatever u want to call them. Will probably never bother to switch back to the google app. Theres alot of people who wouldnt know what exactly makes a good phone just sorta get spoon fed by whatever is popular. SO Those People, who arent POWER USERS, or more saavy with electronics. will more than likely support their new maps, intentionally or unintentionally and help prime its success regardless if its a good application. i havent used the apple maps too heavily. but i prefer googles due to its wealthier options
It's better for people who want turn by turn and also better for people in many other countries. Google has an interest in blowing this out like they did with antenna gate. It's being blown out. I live in Washington DC and I keep seeing how Maps got the location of the monument wrong. Actually it takes you to the parking lot. It's right for turn by turn...
I never thought about the turn-by-turn... wow ... just how hard would it have been to give iOS that maps feature? They were leaving it out on purpose to give Android more of an advantage. Personally, I'm a standalone Garmin guy, but it should piss iPhone users off to know that Google was slow-footing Turn-by-turn.
They have no choice... kinda
The maps will be useless without data and lots of it. They need users to build up the data. Waiting a year would not help this need. Google maps has years and years worth of data, thats why their maps are so good. Apple maps will get better in time.
The maps will be useless without data and lots of it. They need users to build up the data. Waiting a year would not help this need. Google maps has years and years worth of data, thats why their maps are so good. Apple maps will get better in time.
Their stock is definitely going to take a hit temporarily. People have high expectations. One iPhone feature not working creates total chaos.
You're probably too young to remember that Apple had no idea about what sort of success the iPhone would become when it was first launched in 2007.
To summarize, the original iPhone was crushingly expensive as an unsubsidized device from a company that had zero experience as a cellular handset manufacturer. When Apple reduced the price just a short while after its debut, a large brouhaha ensued, and Apple ended up offering refunds (or store credit, I forget which).
At the time, Google Maps was one of several candidate mapping partners (the others would have been Yahoo Maps and Mapquest), and Google had yet to emerge as a smartphone competitor.
I prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps.
In my neighborhood the results are better. Several things were missing from the google map.
as for this Verge report, sorry but I have trouble believing "sources" especially when they turn up to paint google as a victim AFTER the moaning started.
Steve Jobs is the reason that Maps was released before it was ready. If he were still in charge, Google Maps might have been gone even sooner than it was.
That is really sad if Google Maps is still months away from being released
maps.google.com
The Most Terrible Implementation I've Seen
I had to create an account to voice my opinion on this one.
Apple could have avoided this entire backlash of angry customers while still achieving its goals of effectively competing with Google.
1. Apple would have gained more by keeping the Google Maps app because an iOS user, I believe, would be more inclined to use voice turn by turn directions while traveling to unknown territory due to Google not offering this feature.
In turn, this user would be more gracious in providing voluntary feedback to improve an app that they voluntarily chose and not one that was forced upon them.
2. With Google Maps still on iOS, an user would be less inclined to trash Apple on forums because the deficiency of Maps would not have been as hard felt with Google Maps still available to the user.
In turn, they could then report problems to Apple more accurately when needed.
3. Apple prides itself in providing the BEST user experience available. When you take away an app that millions of customers were satisfied with and force on them a far inferior experience, customers have a right to be upset. In other words, Apple forced customers to rely on an app that Apple knew was an inferior experience.
4. Not a smooth transition at all. Lastly, Apple could have kept Google Maps simultaneously with Maps and allowed users to contribute to Maps (by reporting problems) for at least one year of use. This would have permitted Apple with more time to improve the app based on user feedback and would have created a smoother transition for the user.
Lastly, I never considered an Android phone until now. We customers choose our products with our purchases. Companies that think they can bully their customers pay a steep price ala Netflix. If Google submits an app and Apple does not approve it, I will definitely switch to Android on principle alone.
I had to create an account to voice my opinion on this one.
Apple could have avoided this entire backlash of angry customers while still achieving its goals of effectively competing with Google.
1. Apple would have gained more by keeping the Google Maps app because an iOS user, I believe, would be more inclined to use voice turn by turn directions while traveling to unknown territory due to Google not offering this feature.
In turn, this user would be more gracious in providing voluntary feedback to improve an app that they voluntarily chose and not one that was forced upon them.
2. With Google Maps still on iOS, an user would be less inclined to trash Apple on forums because the deficiency of Maps would not have been as hard felt with Google Maps still available to the user.
In turn, they could then report problems to Apple more accurately when needed.
3. Apple prides itself in providing the BEST user experience available. When you take away an app that millions of customers were satisfied with and force on them a far inferior experience, customers have a right to be upset. In other words, Apple forced customers to rely on an app that Apple knew was an inferior experience.
4. Not a smooth transition at all. Lastly, Apple could have kept Google Maps simultaneously with Maps and allowed users to contribute to Maps (by reporting problems) for at least one year of use. This would have permitted Apple with more time to improve the app based on user feedback and would have created a smoother transition for the user.
Lastly, I never considered an Android phone until now. We customers choose our products with our purchases. Companies that think they can bully their customers pay a steep price ala Netflix. If Google submits an app and Apple does not approve it, I will definitely switch to Android on principle alone.