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Apple Reportedly Had Over a Year Left on Maps Contract with Google
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Great... another "Steve would have never..." assertion.
How about "Steve would have never released Ping"
"Steve would have not allowed iPhone 4 to be released with antenna problems"
or one of my favourites "Steve would have never screwed up MobileMe so much".
From the timing of the initial decision, I would say that the person responsible for dumping Google maps was likely your Steve. Unfortunately, he is unavailable for close questioning.
So sick of these type of remarks.
1. The man is dead.
2. Yes he could have done so, he made some boneheaded decisions based on personal bias and "because he wanted to". (lookup "hindsight-bias")
3. You did not know him.
... Apple developed that app, google isn't just going to take what Apple made Google maps into and release it they have to make their own, just like youtube.
AAPL has been dropping for a few days now, but I doubt it has much to do with Maps. People are still buying iPhones faster that Apple can make them.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=AAPL
The article says that apple could have stayed for one more year before switching.
You don't switch products at the last day of the contract. That would be foolish. You try to get off a product as soon as possible before the license terminates so that you don't get cornered and are forced to renew the license and that's why Apple chose to switch the products right away. That's smart thinking on Apples part. Never let a vendor squeeze you to the last minute forcing you on the negotiation table!
So, Google did not provide the same features as the android version and purposely let google maps on iPhone leg behind. They try to force Apple to integrate more Google services. And try to force apple to accept new conditions on the contract. And people wonder why Apple dumped Google Maps!!!
Exactly if iOS take up rates are anything 5-10% of devices will be running iOS 5 or less one year from now when the contract runs out. Which is pretty bad depending on what happens when the contract ends.
If iOS 6 was still Google maps then maybe +70% could be effected by contract end. Well assuming Contract end is a few weeks after iOS7 release.
They are saying a year from now but what if that date is closer to July ie. original phone release date, not after the release of iOS7 like most comments assume.
There was going to be teething pain either way, at least this way people can hold off upgrading if they need to. Apple needs that time to create the market drive that will make Apple Maps to me a better solution 12months from now.
I appreciate your thoughtful answer to my post ... but with all due respect... do you know how much a trillion dollars is? I think the entire US economy is only something like 15 trillion. The entire national debt is like 16 trillion. We are talking about ONE COMPANY. Believe me ... please take this one to the bank... this "apps issue" will be virtually forgotten a few months from now and only people on MacRumors and Engadget will even recall it.
Bottom line: a trillion dollar company with a massive trove of patents is not going to be phased by this. Besides, I believe that with Apple's resolve to beat Google and their cash reserves that make it possible ... Apple will create a better Maps product in due time.
Am I the only one who actually prefers the Apple Maps to the Google Maps application? I haven't had an issue with it yet. I know some have........and that sucks for them and puts a bad image on Apple, but it's a HUGE undertaking by Apple and it'll get sorted.
No use whining over what's already done. All Apple can do now is continue to work on it diligently until people stop whining. (I swear Apple people whine more than the rest......and I'm an Apple person.)
No use whining over what's already done. All Apple can do now is continue to work on it diligently until people stop whining. (I swear Apple people whine more than the rest......and I'm an Apple person.)
On the fence
Feeling like I need to voice my opinion, I agree with most of the comments I have heard about Apple's change to the native maps app.
Personally I dont really like the new maps app, I have an ageing 3GS that worked just fine with the old app. I could search for things and 9 times out of 10 I would be able to find what I wanted, and if I needed turn by turn I would use navfree (Awesome app btw), and then I had myself a full GPS that didnt even need a data connection for downloading the maps. This new one was trying to take me to a Hospital in Australia when I know it was 2km up the road. Not to mention the new app only really changes the way I used to see the whole thing anyway. I dont get the fancy new fly over view and the nice 3D effects.
Now I think more could have been done by both Google and Apple to bring Google's turn by turn feature over to iOS, which would have been great, and im sure it would have meant some great integration features could have been included.
Apple does make some good products and perhaps they have rushed this through a bit by replacing the app altogether.
My feeling is that Apple should have thought this through a little more thoroughly. They shouldn't have replaced the app in one hit. They should have made it available for us so it could begin to collect the information it obviously so desperately needs. Slowly changing the native maps app. Or at least allowing users to choose which they prefer.
Feeling like I need to voice my opinion, I agree with most of the comments I have heard about Apple's change to the native maps app.
Personally I dont really like the new maps app, I have an ageing 3GS that worked just fine with the old app. I could search for things and 9 times out of 10 I would be able to find what I wanted, and if I needed turn by turn I would use navfree (Awesome app btw), and then I had myself a full GPS that didnt even need a data connection for downloading the maps. This new one was trying to take me to a Hospital in Australia when I know it was 2km up the road. Not to mention the new app only really changes the way I used to see the whole thing anyway. I dont get the fancy new fly over view and the nice 3D effects.
Now I think more could have been done by both Google and Apple to bring Google's turn by turn feature over to iOS, which would have been great, and im sure it would have meant some great integration features could have been included.
Apple does make some good products and perhaps they have rushed this through a bit by replacing the app altogether.
My feeling is that Apple should have thought this through a little more thoroughly. They shouldn't have replaced the app in one hit. They should have made it available for us so it could begin to collect the information it obviously so desperately needs. Slowly changing the native maps app. Or at least allowing users to choose which they prefer.
Oh, wow. If this is true, then Apple really screwed us over. What on earth were they thinking?
Who cares about turn-by-turn directions or fancy 3D-buildings when your core data is so broken?
Haven't seen anything broken. I've used Maps in DC and Dallas so far and it wroks perfectly.
All of this is speculation of course, but I can totally see how this all played out.
Google: Of course we put more features on maps for Android...that's our baby.
Apple: If you don't play fair we will go thermonuclear war on your ass just like Steve-o threatened.
Google: Oh yeah? Well guess what? The price for the next version of Google Maps is 1 Bazillion dollars. Take it or leave it!
Apple: F-U, we'll write our own damn mapping app!
Google: Go ahead, I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU to do it!
...and the rest is contained in iOS 6.
People keep looking for logic in stuff like this, but there are ego's involved here between the two elephants in the room. Some things just really boil down to tempers and boys being boys.
Google: Of course we put more features on maps for Android...that's our baby.
Apple: If you don't play fair we will go thermonuclear war on your ass just like Steve-o threatened.
Google: Oh yeah? Well guess what? The price for the next version of Google Maps is 1 Bazillion dollars. Take it or leave it!
Apple: F-U, we'll write our own damn mapping app!
Google: Go ahead, I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU to do it!
...and the rest is contained in iOS 6.
People keep looking for logic in stuff like this, but there are ego's involved here between the two elephants in the room. Some things just really boil down to tempers and boys being boys.
So, why did Apple just hire an ex-Google employee.?
I believe because Apple KNEW they were no match for Google.
This is not a coincidence...
Apple left Google maps early...
They need to think about leaving China. To Hell with Chinese workers pay and work hours! How about life?!
Warning: Not so nice pictures...
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They need to think about leaving China. To Hell with Chinese workers pay and work hours! How about life?!
Warning: Not so nice pictures...
/
/
Not at all. This is Steve's style all the way. Remember Bluray? Apple has spread a lot of bad karma. It's good to see it come back and bite them. Hello, Big Brother?
My .02 iOS6 maps is a much better service than Google maps, and Google Nav is way a way better service than Google maps. Apple has created a service that rivals Google Nav now, which is a major feat considering the head start Google had with maps and navigational services. Perhaps we could cut Apple some slack here as Google Nav had a maturation process as well, plus a way better infrastructure compared to Apple.
When I switched from android to Apple I was shocked at how poor and how big a step down Google maps was compared to Google Nav.
When I switched from android to Apple I was shocked at how poor and how big a step down Google maps was compared to Google Nav.
That article is saying there was more than a year left on the existing contract for using Google data for the Apple Map App. They could have kept the existing app, brought out the new non Google data sourced one as a beta and asked the users to help build that up for a complete switchover with iOS 7 with no issues and no damage to the iPhone brand.
All of this distraction (and continuing) for the iPhone 5 launch and sales into the holiday was completely unnecessary.
I had no idea everyone on the planet was so passionate about maps until the media told them they were passionate about maps.
I'm personally pleased with the new maps. Turn by turn has been lawless for me and I'm sure everything else will just get better and better.
I'll be relaxing while everyone else is foaming at their passionate map mouths.
I'm personally pleased with the new maps. Turn by turn has been lawless for me and I'm sure everything else will just get better and better.
I'll be relaxing while everyone else is foaming at their passionate map mouths.
Apple Maps has been perfect...
here in NYC. It's extremely accurate. I haven't had any problems thus far, except for maybe the 3D feature.
here in NYC. It's extremely accurate. I haven't had any problems thus far, except for maybe the 3D feature.
I use Streetviewer http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/streetviewer/id491629584?mt=8
For $.99 you have everything you want back. Pocket change honestly.
For $.99 you have everything you want back. Pocket change honestly.
You know, here's the thing... while the old maps Apple used was more accurate, it did not do turn by turn instruction nor was it good at the math (at least when I bought a turn by turn app) to make sure it was accurately keeping you on the right road.
So, even before they put out their own maps, it was worth buying a turn by turn app anyways (I have Navigon and one reason why I wasn't too worried about Apple maps, I've had it for a while cause it was worth buying cause it was much more useful than Apple's old app).
So if you need turn by turn map, really nothing has changed. The old app didn't do turn by turn nor did I find it kept itself accurate enough up to the second to be very useful in that regard (ok, at least on the 3G iphone, the 4's iphone GPS got better so it didn't need to try so hard). And yes, some of that is up to the app (to be able to realize when the GPS suddenly has a small inaccuracy to be able to guess where you really should be and to snap you back on the road on the display).