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Google Maps for iOS Now Live in App Store

Can somebody explain to me (nicely, please!) why, after I enter a start point and a destination, it gives me a map, with a button in the lower right hand corner with an arrow pointing to the right that says "preview" (leading to the old-fashioned list of turns) rather than the start button to give the voice navigation? Only 1 time did I get a "start" button with an arrow pointing upward that actually spoke the first turn for me. Can't seem to figure this out.

The whole UI seems kind of clunky and non-intuitive. It would be nice if we had the Apple interface with the Google map data!
 
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We should still give Google some time to improve the app's UI and feature set. Clearly, this was a rushed release, and all told it's a good start if imperfect, as any initial public release will be. Swipe-then-click is kinda weird for Street View, two-fingers-down is strange for 3D, and the lack of integration with Contacts is unfortunate. But they're pretty minor annoyances aside from the last one.

And unlike Apple Maps, which for my country has around half its POIs* in the wrong place, no transit (no public transit = no transit in Tokyo), no street view, awful contextual searches, etc., those UI issues are things that some competent programmers really can fix over time. Apple seems yet to have made any effort to clean up its Japan data issues, whereas Google is almost always perfect. For all the minor UI handicaps, I love it.

* Restaurants aside. But Apple Maps has a weird obsession with prioritizing fast food garbage like beef bowl chains.
 
brymck said:
We should still give Google some time to improve the app's UI and feature set. Clearly, this was a rushed release, and all told it's a good start if imperfect, as any initial public release will be. Swipe-then-click is kinda weird for Street View, two-fingers-down is strange for 3D, and the lack of integration with Contacts is unfortunate. But they're pretty minor annoyances aside from the last one.

And unlike Apple Maps, which for my country has around half its POIs* in the wrong place, no transit (no public transit = no transit in Tokyo), no street view, awful contextual searches, etc., those UI issues are things that some competent programmers really can fix over time. Apple seems yet to have made any effort to clean up its Japan data issues, whereas Google is almost always perfect. For all the minor UI handicaps, I love it.

* Restaurants aside. But Apple Maps has a weird obsession with prioritizing fast food garbage like beef bowl chains.
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Better be rushed than never, Apple Maps is such an abomination!

By the way, by "rushed" I think you mean the app interface only. The map data part is quite mature already.
 
8a22a said:
So Apple's plan to trick Google in to making a maps app better than Android's worked. ;)
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The bad press for Apple maps is very serious. If not, people would still be not able to get an iPhone 5 quickly before Christmas (ref. the iPhone 4 release). This Maps scandal is much bigger than Antennagate.
 
Sort of irritating when it's impossible to view tall buildings in their entirety.
If I zoom out anymore the 3D structures disappear.
I hope Google fixes this to allow a wider threahold for displaying stuff.
 

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mintier said:
Slow and unresponsive when compared to iOS 5 Google maps or iOS 6 Apple maps. Looks like it could be using inline browser/html based solution?

Whatever; finally rural towns in Australia are on iOS again. Hopefully Apple have archived all the POI / other problems reported over the last few months - dare say there won't be as many coming in now.
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Your not the only one. It's doing the same thing on my iPhone 4. I wonder if it could just be their servers or something with it being a new App, maybe they aren't all the way up yet or something.

If it runs like this all the time though on my iPhone 4 then I may just have to use Apple Maps and it would explain why Apple didn't put some features on the iPhone 4 and 3GS.

How is it running on some peoples 3GS? I would expect if it is really this slow on the then on the 3GS it'd have to be just a slow unless it is a server problem...
 
Can't wait to see how Google Maps drives me home.

Like Apple Maps it starts the route on the nearby Autobahn, although the next ramp to enter it is a kilometer away.
 
Installed on my 3Gs, looks good. I now have another Maps option, can't wait to give it a full workout. And if the navigations works as they say I'd love the iPad version, I'm looking at getting a iPad Mini in the new year. This would make a fantastic (large) car navigation... just remember the food and water in case you get misdirections :D
 
I can't get turn-by-turn navigation here in Thailand : ( or do you actually have to be ON the route for it to go into that mode? I just get the preview mode.

Anyways, iOS 6 Maps has excellent turn-by-turn... But Google's is better in terms of:

• ICONS -- landmarks and areas of interest are CLEARLY and PERFECTLY marked with READILY-IDENTIFIABLE icons. You can tell what the place is just by glancing at the icon. In iOS Maps all you get are stupid blue circles with the letter "i" in it!! UGLY!!

• Streetview -- Oh yeah baby! SPY ON ME!!

• Cleaner aerial views

• PUBLIC TRANSPORT ROUTES -- OH THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR!!!
 
Kukulcan said:
Can't wait to see how Google Maps drives me home.
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I used it to drive me to work this morning to test it out. Apple's maps was unable to locate my office in Amsterdam, Google Maps knew exactly where it was. Glad to have it back. ;)

Although much like Apple's maps App, I love how Google Maps struggles to pronounce the Dutch street names in English.
 
KdParker said:
Well...now we well see how fast apple fixes the (outside the US) issues.
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they are ignorant like the president of Zimbabwe. They only think in cash nowadays and not i quality anymore.

Soooo my guess is. Apple Maps stays crappy and like with iWeb (that actually was the best), MobileME and so on... They will trash it sometime soon

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Kukulcan said:
Oh, Apple Maps is really excellent with german pronounciation, wondering how german streets sound in Google Maps.
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Even Dutch people can't pronounce dutch ;-)

The funny thing about dutch is, if you speak english, german and danish like I do, dutch is quit readable :)
 
Well, here's what I get from Raleigh, NC. It is truly the only thing I missed when Apple maps took over. :(
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1355391774.598925.jpg
 
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