Apple's Split with Google Over iOS Maps Driven by Turn-by-Turn Navigation Dispute

[mrial]

At least in my area, Maps made dramatic improvements since ios6 beta 1. There is no doubt that Maps will get much better overall ... and rapidly.

 

[thasan]

The question is when do they dump Google as the default search engine for iOS.

amen to that. google, i company once i loved, has long ditched its "dont be evil" motto...it started with stealing wifi info and then went on and on...and on.
anyway, personal opinion. if someone is inflamed by it, sorry

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At least in my area, Maps made dramatic improvements since ios6 beta 1. There is no doubt that Maps will get much better overall ... and rapidly.

really? so thats in a space of three months? what sort of improvement you see? can you please explain/give more info?

 

[dv8r]

If I was having issues, there's no doubt that I'd be put off by the new Maps app, but I would certainly also have confidence and a little patience that the user corrections and updates would happen at a pretty good rate.

Why would "I" have that (confidence)?

 

[Terrified]

All those people suggesting that Apple should have had both Apple and Google maps side by side - have you ever considered that maybe the agreement they had with Google was exclusive? That providing another mapping solution which came bundled with the OS was maybe against those terms?

 

[dv8r]

At least in my area, Maps made dramatic improvements since ios6 beta 1. There is no doubt that Maps will get much better overall ... and rapidly.

What are you basis for this statement - what rate are you seeing?

 

[thasan]

LOLOLOLOLOL!!!

So you've used it "multiple times" over the last week and ONLY had 1 major problem and a bunch of minor ones?

Yep, great product there.

keep drinking the Flavor-Aid

sorry..i dont like the map but that exactly my experience too.

 

[UnfetteredMind]

GIVE US BOTH.

Jesus. Why is it so hard? Let us have access to both apps. Done. Problem solved.

Apple has too much pride sometimes.

Remember that both maps apps are Apple's (the original getting data from Google and the new one from other sources). What would they name them, Maps and The New Maps?

 

[faroZ06]

Isn't this obvious and already well-known?

 

[thasan]

Well, that's a big loss for Apple.

One day they will realize that they simply can't bully people into doing what they want and that they can't do it all by themselves.

But hey, who needs accurate maps?

as if accurate maps are only provided by google maps
i wonder who was bullying whom here. clearly apple was at disadvantage and samsung/htc and all other androids were getting turn by turn navigation. what else do u expect apple to do? twiddle thumb???????

 

[Taz Mangus]

I've been looking for a replacement app for days now, but haven't found one yet. A global mapping service on par with Google Maps, with a comprehensive POI database. If you know one, then please let us know. Of course all the other apps would still use Apple Maps, but I guess there is no a perfect solution anymore.

And before you suggest it, MapQuest is not available outside the USA.

Have you tried google.maps.com?

 

[HMI]

This

The question is when do they dump Google as the default search engine for iOS.

This is one of the main reasons I don't use safari as my main browser on iOS.
Google's services are cheap and convenient, but I absolutely HATE them as a company, and refuse to use their services as much as possible.

I kind of wish Steve had finished opening his can of Thermo...! It would have made me happy to see Google get screwed after screwing so many people.

 

[koruki]

They didn't listen and were trying to guess what Steve would of done.

 

[Revivalution]

What's the deal?

I'm trying to figure out what people are upset about here. If you compare the old map app to the new map app you have to agree that the new app is a million times better.

So my guess is that people are comparing this app to googles android app that they simply would not make available to Apple with out some pretty big concessions.

To this point the app has worked great for me. My car no longer looks like it is driving sideways down the road and it has great turn by turn navigation. Even better than my TomTom App.

 

[jontech]

THank you for taking Google spyware from my phone


Now please make Maps better

 

[genovelle]

And yet the embedded search engine in Safari is still Google - I'd imagine Google get far more information out of use of their search engine than they ever did out of iOS Maps.

Just pray that someone at Apple doesn't realise this and dump Google's search engine, replacing it with the all new Apple iSearch - I hate to think what the results would be like based on the quality of information in iOS6 Maps.

That is why they have the option of do not track. Google even hacked around this and ended up paying a huge fine.

 

[wkadamsjr]

As it stands, the 30 pin adaptor is still thinner than the current iPhone 5. Plus, it offers the structural rigidity to withstand the phone's weight on a dock.

I understand some people can argue that dock stands is "a thing of the past". But, Apple did not offer a competitive replacement option otherwise enjoyed by many.
My self, for example, like to dock my phone in a charging holder while I drive. I'm not moving over to the iPhone 5 till I see a viable alternative solution.

You said keep both. In order to keep both, the device would have to be thicker. To make two different models is unheard of.

 

[doelcm82]

LOLOLOLOLOL!!!

So you've used it "multiple times" over the last week and ONLY had 1 major problem and a bunch of minor ones?

Yep, great product there.

keep drinking the Flavor-Aid

Apple Flavor Aid is good. It's the grape you have to watch out for.

+1 for using the historically accurate brand, rather than blindly following the crowd and substituting "Kool-Aid".

-1 for everything else.

 

[phpmaven]

Apple could've kept both Google maps and added its own as an option. Just like how you can choose your own default search provider.

Same goes with the Lightening adaptor. They could've kept both and slowly phase out the 30 pins. Instead of screwing over every 30 pin accessory owner and Kickstart developers. Kind of like how MBP have both USB and firewire. Remember how awful it was to only have USB on MBP? Those MBP have the worst resale value of all MBP.

As far as maps is concerned, since none of us really know what has gone on behind closed doors, we have no idea what theycos or couldn't have done. As far as the connector is concerned, how exactly would they keep both and slowly phase out the other?

 

[nsayer]

Have you tried google.maps.com?

Yeah. It's not very useful.

Perhaps you meant maps.google.com.

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This is one of the main reasons I don't use safari as my main browser on iOS.

Oh, FFS!

Settings > Safari > Search Engine

and pick Yahoo or Bing, assuming you trust either of them more.

 

[Stella]

I'm trying to figure out what people are upset about here. If you compare the old map app to the new map app you have to agree that the new app is a million times better.

In what way are Apple Maps better than old google maps? Especially when functionality that used to exist no longer isn't? Lets ignore the many mapping errors that exist - far more than google.

 

[dv8r]

In what way are Apple Maps better than old google maps? Especially when functionality that used to exist no longer isn't?

Let it go - Apple apologists are a very special breed...

 

[Erwin-Br]

To this point the app has worked great for me. My car no longer looks like it is driving sideways down the road and it has great turn by turn navigation. Even better than my TomTom App.

How does Apple Maps work if you lose signal? Aren't TomTom maps on the device and doesn't Apple Maps (like Google Maps) rely on an internet connection? How can that be better?

 

[btcutter]

Still think they could have done both. They didnt need to kick google out before they launched Apple maps.

No sure you can do both.

Map app improves with user support and data submission. Fastest way to get better map dadta is have all iOS users update the map. Waiting another year just make the lead Google has wider.

As I had posted before Apple needs to incentivize iOS users to use Apple Map. $.01 per unique data point or correction. Apple with track this for you and for every 100 unique data submitted it will add $1 to your iTunes account!

 

[petsounds]

This is difficult because (one way) to start cleaning up the map solution, is to get a better data set from crowd sourcing. The more users that use a mapping solution, the better it will get (Google has been collecting from various sources for years). If Apple stayed on another year, it'll make Google maps even better - and when that year is over, Apple is back to the beginning.

And other ways to get a better data set are 1) license better data sources, 2) hire tons of contractors to go through the existing data sources and correct obvious mistakes. Apple has $100B in the bank; either one would have cost a tiny fraction of that money, and would've been much better than releasing something that makes Apple look like amateurs. Either of these would have been better than letting paying customers sort out all the mistakes (and suffer from them).

Your point about Google making their maps even better -- well that's going to happen regardless of whether Apple waited or not. But you only have once chance to make a good impression, and Apple made a very bad one.

 

[nevermind50]

In other words Apple wants everything but is not willing to give anything in return. They thought they could go thermonuclear on Android and still have the goodness that Google Navigation is for nothing in return?

Nothing? How do you know Apple offered nothing in return? Please tell, because I've not heard this reported.

Everthing? Apple certainly wants feature parity with Google Maps, that seems sensible from their point of view. I personally am glad that Google Maps is no longer on iOS. Good riddance Google, I for one won't miss you.