Google to Show Off 'Next Dimension' of Maps on June 6

[Konrad]

Invasive what ?

Some people sure like to over react on the Internet.

I find street view quite useful, especially when planning out trips to areas I have never been. Let's me get familiar with the sights before getting there, so when I do actually end up getting there, I'm not freaking lost with just an address on a piece of paper.

What the hell and for you want to get familiar and with what? Just get your sorry ass there, be optionally on time, travel light, never forget a gift when visiting people and perhaps you will discover something new. You must greatly suffer before embarking on a trip to Switzerland or Mongolia without this "crutial" data.

Local and other governments in the US employ this data to later harass people for i.e. having installed a swing for a child or a fish pound in your yard. This is
not paranoid, this is dealing with paranoid nazi pinheads with guns and badly distributed authority.

----------

Google makes sure that it's not invasive. They don't want to get sued by paranoid people.

Sure they are invasive. People get sued by paranoid people who use this data. Perhaps google can map the moon and stop photographing private homes.

 

[Yumunum]

Better hope it isn't real-time birds-eye views of the world.

"Stalking has never been easier!"

 

[denbagus]

The shame is that Google is known to have one of the better mapping solutions; they just need to relentlessly make it better.

By scheduling a 'demo of things to come soon' on the coat tail of a Apple's presentation it makes them look like a bunch of followers with a 'me too' solution...they shouldn't need to do that, they are (were?) already in the lead.

Correct. Admit it, Apple's ability to make "competitors" worry is getting stronger day by day, even if actually those competitors have already a better start. Can't blame them though, look what has happen to RIM after iPhone.

 

[Oletros]

What the hell and for you want to get familiar and with what? Just get your sorry ass there, be optionally on time, travel light, never forget a gift when visiting people and perhaps you will discover something new. You must greatly suffer before embarking on a trip to Switzerland or Mongolia without this "crutial" data.

Local and other governments in the US employ this data to later harass people for i.e. having installed a swing for a child or a fish pound in your yard. This is
not paranoid, this is dealing with paranoid nazi pinheads with guns and badly distributed authority.

----------



Sure they are invasive. People get sued by paranoid people who use this data. Perhaps google can map the moon and stop photographing private homes.

Paranoid so much?

 

[baryon]

An Apple Maps app will not have streetview as so far Google appear to be the only people who were willing to get the cars rolling around taking pictures. I've not seen an 'Apple iStreetPhoto' car around, have you?

I have not seen Google cars around, either, so, I have no way of knowing. There are other companies doing street view with cars, too, not just Google, what if Apple bought one of those?

I have no idea how Apple's maps will be successful without Street View. I think it's the most important feature of Google Maps, since it allows you to pinpoint exactly where you're going, down to the door color and which side of the street it is. I also makes it easy to virtually walk from a location to another, making the whole place feel familiar once you get there. At that point, you no longer need a map, since you know where things are, and what buildings to look out for. The top-down satellite view is useless in this respect, since you don't care what color the rooftops are, and it's a very different view than what you get when you're there in person.

 

[KnightWRX]

What the hell and for you want to get familiar and with what? Just get your sorry ass there, be optionally on time, travel light, never forget a gift when visiting people and perhaps you will discover something new. You must greatly suffer before embarking on a trip to Switzerland or Mongolia without this "crutial" data.

So we should stop all technological improvement in our lives because we can "make do" without it ? Nope, sorry, Street View is nice, especially when having a motorcycle and looking up roads (evade dirt roads), looking up forks (so you know what to look for to turn on the proper road), and looking up destinations, so you know when you get there without messing around with a group of 20 motorcycles following you.

If you don't find it useful, just don't use it, and leave others that do alone. Why the aggression ?

Local and other governments in the US employ this data to later harass people for i.e. having installed a swing for a child or a fish pound in your yard. This is
not paranoid, this is dealing with paranoid nazi pinheads with guns and badly distributed authority.

Those local authorities can just ride up and see the same thing they did with Street view. Street view does not show what you hide. Why do you feel the authorities can harass you better with this tool ?

Sure they are invasive. People get sued by paranoid people who use this data. Perhaps google can map the moon and stop photographing private homes.

There's nothing private in Google's photographies. They aren't ringing your doorbell and coming inside. They're taking public pictures like anyone can.

----------

There are other companies doing street view with cars, too, not just Google, what if Apple bought one of those?

If Apple did, Macrumors would have reported on it. Acquisitions must be made public for a publicly traded company I think.

 

[Flitzy]

An Apple Maps app will not have streetview as so far Google appear to be the only people who were willing to get the cars rolling around taking pictures. I've not seen an 'Apple iStreetPhoto' car around, have you?

You know that Google is not the only map service with street view, right?

Bing has both bird's eye view and streetside view.

 

[KnightWRX]

You know that Google is not the only map service with street view, right?

Bing has both bird's eye view and streetside view.

Microsoft's Streetside is grossly under done. They're a long way behind Google, not to mention their mapping data is also older (they don't even have my street yet, Google has had it for 2 years now...)

 

[rfrmac]

Dog eat Dog

It is a dog eat dog world. Google steps on Apple's announcement with a product that is not ready for release to be first. Apple has the system and hardware to make there announcements happen. Google, where innovation has been sliding, does not. This is a big thing for Google. The Map Announcement is just another announcement to Apple. Googles loses more revenue to Apple and Apple gains. In the end, providing Apple has a good to great product, Google loses. Sure they will sell to the Windows crowd, but they had them any way. This will be another smart move by Apple.

 

[danahn17]

Because it's the truth?

What have been the major "innovations" from Google?

Gmail? Um, mail has been around far longer - Hotmail? Excite? Etc.
Docs? Again, word processing is not an innovative feature.
Google+? Oh, geez - don't make me laugh.
Maps? Map making has been around for thousands of years and online maps is nothing new, either. Mapquest, anyone?

By that logic:

Apple iPod: Plenty of MP3 players before iPod. Diamond Rio for example.
Apple iPad: There were tablets before the iPad. And tablets are essentially just fancy computers which have been around for decades.
Apple iPhone: phones have been around since late 19th century. The iPhone is nothing new.
Apple computers: again, computers have been in existence for a very long time.

Nope. Apple cannot be considered an innovative company.

 

[KnightWRX]

It is a dog eat dog world. Google steps on Apple's announcement with a product that is not ready for release to be first. Apple has the system and hardware to make there announcements happen. Google, where innovation has been sliding, does not. This is a big thing for Google. The Map Announcement is just another announcement to Apple. Googles loses more revenue to Apple and Apple gains. In the end, providing Apple has a good to great product, Google loses. Sure they will sell to the Windows crowd, but they had them any way. This will be another smart move by Apple.

Wow, you come from the future to know all of this ? Or are you just making stuff up ?

We don't even know if Apple is announcing a map technology, if it's close to ready or even what it is. It might not ship until Fall, might be a Siri like Beta product again, etc..

Google might just have something they're ready to put live right now. In fact, they do, it's called MapsGL, been in preview for months, it might just be ready now :

http://support.google.com/maps/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1630790

Let's at least wait until both events until we start praising and bitching ?

 

[Xenc]

They call iOS' mapping API, which will instead call Apple's maps. should be seamless.

Google's location based APIs (searching for places, providing directions and so forth) can only be displayed on Google map tiles. If Apple's tiles are displayed automatically in their place, many apps will suddenly be in breach of Google's Terms of Service.

 

[Flitzy]

Google's location based APIs (searching for places, providing directions and so forth) can only be displayed on Google map tiles. If Apple's tiles are displayed automatically in their place, many apps will suddenly be in breach of Google's Terms of Service.

How is that Apple's problem? They'll update their apps to use Apple's mapping API and be done with it (and it will be better for users so that they're not relying on another terrible Google service).

 

[KnightWRX]

How is that Apple's problem? They'll update their apps to use Apple's mapping API and be done with it (and it will be better for users so that they're not relying on another terrible Google service).

Except Google has a very big database of places. Can Apple really match that on launch ? Something Google has been building up for years ?

And again, what's "terrible" about Google Maps ? It's the best service out there right now, the most complete, and the one that has the most data about places in place.

 

[Apple...]

Except Google has a very big database of places. Can Apple really match that on launch ? Something Google has been building up for years ?

Not to mention Google's StreetCars that go around town taking pictures...even though they creep me out.

 

[Bezetos]

The Android Google Maps app has been way better than the iOS version for quite some time now. I wonder what other improvements are they planning to release and whether the iOS6 maps will be good enough to compete with Google's offering. What interests me most is whether both companies are heading in the same direction or whether they will both try to have some unique features.

 

[Flitzy]

Except Google has a very big database of places. Can Apple really match that on launch ? Something Google has been building up for years ?

And again, what's "terrible" about Google Maps ? It's the best service out there right now, the most complete, and the one that has the most data about places in place.

I dunno, go discuss that on Googlerumors, then? Quite frankly, I couldn't care less about what Google does. Who cares if they can't match everything - the important thing is that iOS is no longer reliant on Google.

 

[twoodcc]

of course google would do this just before wwdc. they are the new M$

 

[Oletros]

I dunno, go discuss that on Googlerumors, then? Quite frankly, I couldn't care less about what Google does. Who cares if they can't match everything - the important thing is that iOS is no longer reliant on Google.

You're trying very hard to disprove that you couldn't care less about Google.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

wt?

The timing is way too suspicious for this to have been independently scheduled.

And the likely, most hilarious thing is, Google will be having their collective asses handed to them just days later.

Dude, I use iOS and Android. iOS maps are currently terrible and I would pay a high price for the current Google Maps on Android to be on iOS. I personally think that the Android maps are the best mobile application on ANY platform.

So, Apple has a LONG ways to go to even catch Google. If Google releases an update to what is already far superior to what iOS has than Apple had better be aiming incredibly high. I personally doubt that Apple can release version 1 of their own mapping software that will top today's Android app.

I love Apple though, and they have surprised me in the past. And they are due for something incredible because of late they have been steadily progressing but they haven't done anything incredible.

My devices: Apple iPhone 4, iPad (current), iPad (1st), iMac (i7 12 GB RAM), 13 MBA (i7).
Past Apple Devices: iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, 6 iPods, 2 models of MBP and a G4 Powerbook.
I also have: Samsung Galaxy S II

I am an apple fan is what I am trying to say but I also use Android.

 

[brendu]

apple's not going to ditch google maps unless imaps is better or equal. and they definitely won't allow both. imaps is going to be awesome, and siri is going to do all of the work for you and you will never look back at google maps

You clearly know nothing about technology. Apple would ditch google maps even if their service is not as good because apple wants to cut google completely out of their products. iMaps might be good but it will be hard to beat google maps. Also, apple may have to allow google to offer their google maps app in the app store to avoid anticompetitive lawsuits.

Siri might be the front end for a user's search but the results will still come from google. I suppose it is possible apple has worked out a way for this to happen such that google will not end up getting any money from the users information if they route it through apple's servers, but I'm not sure exactly how that would work.

 

[KnightWRX]

I dunno, go discuss that on Googlerumors, then?

Why ? What do you mean by that comment ?

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less about what Google does.

Yet, you cared enough to click on a thread called "Google to Show Off 'Next Dimension' of Maps on June 6".

Who cares if they can't match everything - the important thing is that iOS is no longer reliant on Google.

Yeah, because being "reliant" on the best product and thus giving the users the best experience is such a bad thing...

NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome is a bad thing for advancement and innovation. Build on the shoulders of giants, don't start from the ground up if you don't have to.

 

[krzyglue]

Many of the responses in this thread are sickening.

So Google Maps already "sucks" even though it is the best maps solution on the market right now? (Note: Apple's supposed maps solution *isn't on the market yet*). And even if it does come out with a few features Google doesn't have while matching all the others Google does (highly unlikely, especially considering the huge undertaking creating something like Streetview must entail), that doesn't mean Google Maps "sucks".

 

[Bubba Satori]

of course google would do this just before wwdc. they are the new M$

How dare they? Insolent blasphemers should be punished.

 

[KnightWRX]

Many of the responses in this thread are sickening.

So Google Maps already "sucks" even though it is the best maps solution on the market right now? (Note: Apple's supposed maps solution *isn't on the market yet*). And even if it does come out with a few features Google doesn't have while matching all the others Google does (highly unlikely, especially considering the huge undertaking creating something like Streetview must entail), that doesn't mean Google Maps "sucks".

Knowing both Apple and Google, they'll have a few cool features Google doesn't have while lacking a bunch that Google does. The kicker : US only for anything but maps until a specified time in the future (think Siri...)

Google will announce some cool new stuff coming up and announcing MapsGL being more widely available (more browsers, places).

Both solutions will have pros and cons compared to each other and in the end, both services will be nice. Apple will take a few years to catch up to the sheer breadth of information Google has in their Maps database.