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Do Maps still suck?

S

sakau2007

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 12, 2011
488
2
i'm not talking to the apple apologists who think apple can do no wrong. i am talking to objective people who know apple blew it with their maps app when they launched it a few years ago "it's in beta guys, you can't expect it to be great" (well, actually i can since i was using the great google maps for years before it)...

so now it has been several years and i have seen zero... i repeat ZERO improvement in the roads and POIs in my city through iOS 7. is it safe to say iOS 8 will also not have rejuvenated maps? and i don't mean a few bells and whistles... i am talking about straight up incorrect map data.
 
sakau2007 said:
i'm not talking to the apple apologists who think apple can do no wrong. i am talking to objective people who know apple blew it with their maps app when they launched it a few years ago "it's in beta guys, you can't expect it to be great" (well, actually i can since i was using the great google maps for years before it)...

so now it has been several years and i have seen zero... i repeat ZERO improvement in the roads and POIs in my city through iOS 7. is it safe to say iOS 8 will also not have rejuvenated maps? and i don't mean a few bells and whistles... i am talking about straight up incorrect map data.
Click to expand...

For me it improved a lot on the east coast. I did switch back to Waze 6 months ago, however, as it uses almost no data (compared to Maps and Google Maps) and works awesome.
 
For directions in large metro areas it is better. There is Google Maps as an alternative, though. If you are concerned just use Google Maps.
 
If you don't see improvements in iOS 7, you won't in iOS 8 either. The map cartography and data is all server side. Maps still sucks where I live, and throughout the entirety of the UK. It's showed very little improvement at all.
 
I'm currently on a road trip and I've been using it from NYC to various parts of Rhode Island. GPS has worked great. I haven't gotten lost and things are where it says they are supposed to be. I used it while I was traveling overseas in Dec/Jan as well. Google maps is better in that regard mostly because their database is bigger. Meaning if I did a search for a store name, there were times when Apple Maps couldn't find it but Google Maps did. But if you put in an address, it worked ok. I keep Google maps as backup but for the most part, I use Apple Maps now.
 
Personally, all of the smartphone app maps apps don't get it right. I've worked with GIS and survey departments for over 20 years, and parsing their data is a challenge I've hated more than anything. I don't envy any of the maps app makers, not one bit. For every rabid fan of one platform, I can point out flaws/holes/errors very quickly.

FWIW, Apple Maps is improving very quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing and using their new platform. And, FWIW, I've been surprised to see Apple updating their POI database fairly rapidly. I've submitted POI changes to Mapquest/OpenMaps, TomTom/Teleatlas, MS/Here, and Apple - Apple is the only entity that has effected changes, albeit recently.

Please understand, if you will, that my experience covers only WA/OR/ID/MT in the US and BC/AB in Canada - but I've built roadways, bridges, and parks and I have friends who own businesses in those states and provinces. It surprises me how out of date Mapquest is, how many errors Google Maps has since they've *supposedly* driven almost every mile of roadway on this planet, and how EU-centric TomTom is (especially having owned a GO 910 - a very expensive brick now).

To Apple, I made changes to a friend's hair salon, added a friend's B&B, and moved a restaurant and postal office on Apple Maps via their "Report an error" option - and within a few days the revisions and addition were effected. To Google, a pub that closed down 7 years ago near my office is still there - in the middle of a road, where it's always been on their map. So, there - if you can find it!
 
In a word -- NO. Judging by the tenor of your question, basically anyone who disagrees is less than objective?

From my point of view, Apple fixed the most glaring problems with Maps to a point that I don't even bother with Google Maps anymore. And it seems that their error reporting now actually works. Corrections that I submitted early last year took months to get fixed. But, the more recent ones I've submitted were corrected much faster.

Some things Google Maps does better, but it has its own share of data errors and IMO they're not as readable as Apple Maps on the smaller iPhone screen. Having Apple Maps integrated into iOS makes it more convenient to use, and like I said, it's now at a point where I have not had usability issues with it in well over a year.
 
Badrottie said:
Is there any public transportation on Apple Map? If not, I will stay with Goggle Map then. :apple:
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For transit directions, you can pull up an external app such as Hopstop (which Apple acquired and will likely integrate into the Maps app in a future revision) or even Google Maps, and a button will appear that takes you back to Apple Maps when you're done.
 
I noticed a few improvements here in the UK, mainly with train stations and major buildings being in the right place now, as my local station was a few hundred yards away from where it actually is.

As to navigation, it worked for me. Went from Southampton to the Lake District camping a few weeks ago, and had no problems with finding any destination, or even just seeing what POIs were near our location.

I have CoPilot as a backup, but with Apple Maps, i've found it uses way less power, so don't have to worry about plugging the iPhone in all the time.
 
Apple Maps is only good if you stay in New York. For rest of the world, use Google Maps. Not even a contest there.
 
Yes it does. So far Apple maps has gotten me to the right places however, my definition of suck is a little different than everyone else's. The inability to suggest alternate routes using options such as "Avoid Highways" or "Toll routes" makes it an inferior product. I can almost rely on Google Maps blindly as it has NEVER failed me. Not once.
 
sanke1 said:
Apple Maps is only good if you stay in New York. For rest of the world, use Google Maps. Not even a contest there.
Click to expand...

That may be true. Living on the US East Coast I find both Google and Apple maps to be very good. I use both regularly. That said, Google still has better POI, public transit and trends to be a bit ahead on new road construction. On the other hand, Apple has more accurate ETA, nicer UI (subjective) and tends to give a bit better directions.
The great thing is that you can use which ever suits your needs.
For as much flack as Apple gets for maps, keep in mind that the old Google-Apple relationship tied both companies hands and hurt users. If Apple had not made the decision to drop Google, we would not have ANY native turn by turn, and Google wouldn't have released their dedicated app. Apple dropping Google enabled Google to create a BETTER Google maps.
 
burgman said:
Do you even own an Apple product? Look for yourself.
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I think you don't understand what I mean. Anyway just forget it cuz nobody will ever understand. :apple:

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Woochifer said:
For transit directions, you can pull up an external app such as Hopstop (which Apple acquired and will likely integrate into the Maps app in a future revision) or even Google Maps, and a button will appear that takes you back to Apple Maps when you're done.
Click to expand...

Yes I did. But I wish Apple Map includes Bus transit directions so I will not depend on Google Map. Two map apps kills 32GB space. :apple:
 
I'll use Apple Maps on my iPhone 6, but without Street View Apple Maps will always be second fiddle IMO, and because of that I will always have Google Maps loaded on my phone.
 
Badrottie said:
But I wish Apple Map includes Bus transit directions so I will not depend on Google Map. Two map apps kills 32GB space. :apple:
Click to expand...

Home screen space maybe, but not storage space. They both use on demand data. The apps are among the smallest installed on your phone.
 
sakau2007 said:
i feel the same way... but i hate how whenever you click an external address or something it opens it up in apple maps.
Click to expand...
That is where Android wins this particular war. Don't like the default app? Then change the 'default' app to something you prefer.
 
matttye said:
It's gained a lot of POIs but some incorrect location POIs I reported when it first came out are still in the wrong place.
Click to expand...

Should be different now as they've had a while to improve map data, this isn't iOS 8 specific though, iOS 7 receives the exact same data, just not the same UI.
 
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