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Google Maps Adds Gemini AI-Powered 'Ask Maps' Feature and 3D Immersive Navigation

funkright said:
Apple Maps is good, but it isn't Google Maps, not even close, not yet. We may use it for road navigation on longer road trips, but in the city and walking around is where, for us, Google Maps outshines Apple's iteration.
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I don’t know. I used Apple Maps to get walking directions when I was in Switzerland and France last year. Worked fine.
 
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Does anyone actually have access to this yet? It doesn't seem to be available for me. Hard to say if it's really as good as it looks if no one has it yet.
 
WHAT is the use of publishing this????
US only.
I know most Americans THINK the whole world is US, but there are a few other countrys in the world 😂
 
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Reactions: cardfan
QuarterSwede said:
Be the change you want to see. Apple Maps makes it easy to report changes and they approve them (and add them) much quicker than Google does. I’ve done a bunch and Apple always approves them and adds them first, sometimes weeks ahead. Google took a few months one time for me.
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forums.macrumors.com

Google Maps Adds Gemini AI-Powered 'Ask Maps' Feature and 3D Immersive Navigation

The problem is Apple Maps support is non-existent. I've repeatedly reported route and navigation issues for years and most of them are still not fixed.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
It's cool until it drives you off a cliff at 90 miles an hour and the last things you hear before you plummet to you death are "You're right, as an AI, I occasionally make ..." **crash**
 
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This is all good but it's as only as good as the data. Google map's lane guidance in the UK is terribly bad, especially at roundabouts. Even with the streetview data they have most roundabouts I encounter the lane Google Maps tells me to use is wrong. It would be safer to turn this feature off in UK and just tell drivers which exit to take.
 
mashdots said:
while probably true, I will say that Apple Maps performed way better than Google Maps when I was in Italy a couple of years ago. And this included driving from Slovenia all the way around the boot and into Naples, with lots of small stops along the way. So I guess your mileage may vary.
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Absolutely. Apple Maps is not bad. But a lot of local road works are missing so you might end up at a road block. And business entries remain a big issue as well.
 
Dr McKay said:
I've tried multiple times to report issues on apple maps here in the UK and they either got ignored or rejected, eventually I just gave up. The last time I reported something on Google maps (an incorrect speed limit) it was approved within the hour.
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In my experience, Business entries usually get fix within weeks. Road corrections are indeed ignored. I guess they are taken into account when entire maps are updated, which might take years.
 
cmiller4642 said:
Sweet it'll track you while you're driving and send you intrusive notifications based on where you frequently drive by. Then Facebook will pick up on your Google shared data and show you content from the stores you drive by on the way to work.

AI could change the world for the better but nope it's a 24/7 advertisement algorithm.
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You are using Google Maps and are worried they may track you???? Good lord! LOL!
 
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tennisproha said:
forums.macrumors.com

Google Maps Adds Gemini AI-Powered 'Ask Maps' Feature and 3D Immersive Navigation

The problem is Apple Maps support is non-existent. I've repeatedly reported route and navigation issues for years and most of them are still not fixed.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
Good for you/them?

That simply isn’t true for my own experience. Adding picture proof usually gets them to approve anything quickly (well, for Apple at least).

There is a brand new multi-lane divided parkway near where I live. I reported it a few months ago when it opened as connecting to a major highway. While I sat at the new light I took pictures of each direction and zoomed in shots of the street signs. Within a few days both Apple and Google had added it.

I’ve also added a new public restroom in a mountain town to both and it took AGES to get added to Google (like a full year). Apple added it within 2 weeks.

The only difference is that I took 1 picture of it (and wide overview of where the restroom and where it was) and that I live in a rapidly growing area and that mountain town is well established. My city is also 3D mapped on Apple Maps (no idea if that makes a difference).

🤷‍♂️
 
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mikeack said:
I've had the Ask Maps feature for a few weeks now and it's actually been pretty handy. My partner is vegan and it being able to pull info from reviews has been really helpful.

Ninja edit: I still use Apple Maps for all of my navigation. Can we do something about Yelp being it's image and review source?
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Lol, that’s hilarious, Yelp is still around?
 
To the guy worried about tracking… You’re a walking contradiction if you’re worried about this yet still use Google AND Facebook at all!
 
The Only thing I don't like about the update is when I'm in my Fun car it doesn't have car play or a big center screen, So i have my iphone on a magnet mount and the miles to goes used to be nice and big, now its nice and small and just harder to see with my peripheral vision
 
harriska2 said:
I, for the first time in my life, just started using AI in the form of Claude. With upcoming WCAG federal rules that require government websites to adhere to accessibility rules (plain language, proper headers, descriptive links, etc), Claude is saving my sanity. I will also use it to clean up our Annual Report as that will be online and will require the same plain language, etc. I try not to overuse it, but it is definitely a tool that I require. Best $200 I’ve ever spent (of my own money 🙄).
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I’ve been playing with AI for software development for a while now. The bloom is off the rose for me. There are things it does well, but it can also be a completely frustrating experience. I’m at a crossroads with AI at the moment in trying to figure out how to incorporate it into my workflow. I’m glad you’re enjoying it, but not everyone is having a great experience with it.
 
QuarterSwede said:
Good for you/them?

That simply isn’t true for my own experience. Adding picture proof usually gets them to approve anything quickly (well, for Apple at least).

There is a brand new multi-lane divided parkway near where I live. I reported it a few months ago when it opened as connecting to a major highway. While I sat at the new light I took pictures of each direction and zoomed in shots of the street signs. Within a few days both Apple and Google had added it.

I’ve also added a new public restroom in a mountain town to both and it took AGES to get added to Google (like a full year). Apple added it within 2 weeks.

The only difference is that I took 1 picture of it (and wide overview of where the restroom and where it was) and that I live in a rapidly growing area and that mountain town is well established. My city is also 3D mapped on Apple Maps (no idea if that makes a difference).

🤷‍♂️
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Not my experience. I have plenty of examples of reported issues not being fixed even with added pictures.
 
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hagar said:
Absolutely. Apple Maps is not bad. But a lot of local road works are missing so you might end up at a road block. And business entries remain a big issue as well.
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I think I agree there. I did have a somewhat bad experience in Norway last year with not knowing about construction blockages, but I'm unsure if it was Apple being unreliable or if it was my location, since I was in rural Senja.
 
letsGoOn2 said:
looks like you would immerse your vehicle into the building if you followed the path shown in the map. but it would have to be a flying car and at least the last I checked we don't have those yet.
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Zoom in. It is indeed following a road that merges and goes behind the building. There’s no bug here that I can see.

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Not a big map user, but after numerous comparisons between Apple Maps and Google in both New Zealand and Vietnam, I can a test to Apple Maps being far more accurate with estimated commute times. I expected the opposite but Apple Maps has consistently delivered the most accurate timings, with Google almost always estimating a longer time. I also find Apple Maps much nicer to use, but then I find most of googles user interface designs to be ugly
 
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MacRumors said:
There is a new Ask Maps button where Google Maps users can get answers to specific questions like "is there a public tennis court with lights on that I can play at tonight?"
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The new Siri & Ads in Apple Maps will outshine Google Maps:

“The closest public tennis court with lights on tonight is 35 miles from your current location. There is one just 5 miles away with lights off but the light cast by the Apple Store across the street is sufficient for nighttime play. Tennis outfitter Center Courthouse located to the immediate south of the public court currently has a 2-for-1 sale on glow-in-the-dark balls … “.
 
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