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

[tekno]

I hope Apple's Maps is better....

I know this isn't the place to do the "I moved to Android..." stuff, but I think its valid here.

I moved to Android... and have to say the mapping app on there is tonnes better (down to the fact I can now actually see the traffic colours!).

Google Navigation (and I know Nokia do similar) is awesome. Apple have to at least come up with a proper satnav app to keep up with the competition.

Even things like being able to cache the maps in areas where you know you might not have signal are lovely little touches. I think Apple's desire to bring so much in-house could start to be detrimental.

 

[zurichuk]

Vaporware. Just like Google's version of Airplay and those hideous, hideous glasses.

Google knows you've said this and will be looking for you.

http://www.google.com/search?client...e+hideous,+hideous+glasses.&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Too late.

 

[cmckenica]

Heh

And just by creating this image Google has destroyed a small town.

 

[burnside]

"Reactive" companies, in the sense I'm describing, see that another company is working on something innovative, and start working on a similar project themselves!

Just like Ping, huh, when Spotify was already 2 years old.

EDIT: By the way, I'm not trying to pick a fight. I see your points, but in the end, Apple is pretty much like all the other tech companies when it comes to marketing a product. They just seem to do it much better, mix in the words "magical" and "revolutionary" then watch the $$$ dance their way to Apple's pockets.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

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.

On what basis is that likely? Google have leaps and bounds more experience with maps, and time to improve them. I will be pleasantly surprised if Apple can do one better. In any case, I do hope Google offer theirs as an app.

 

[oliversl]

Well, again, Google promises, Apple delivers.

Remember the Xoom tablet fiasco, 1 week before iPad2 launch? And now this, they should have waited until I/O 2012.

 

[rmwebs]

Stopped reading.

Oh no, a typo (funnily enough caused by autocorrect on an ipad using Dolphin) get over it and grow up.

 

[Lennholm]

Well, again, Google promises, Apple delivers.

Remember the Xoom tablet fiasco, 1 week before iPad2 launch? And now this, they should have waited until I/O 2012.

Eh, nothing has been promised and nothing has been delivered yet, by either company, so how can you say that?

 

[doelcm82]

Once Apple releases their own map app, I wonder how many Apple fanatics on this forum will proclaim it's the best thing since sliced bread and will fail to mention that Google was actually the original innovator in this case? Will any of them care to claim (or own up to claiming) that Apple is copying Google?

I will continue to acknowledge that Google Maps brought online mapping to the masses.

However, I will revel in any new features that Apple provides with their own maps, which Google prevented them from doing due to licensing.

As for claiming that Apple is copying Google, why do you need
"Apple fanatics" to do that for you? Are you deficient in some way? If it's what you think, then make the claim and OWN it. Be you own person.

 

[SBlue1]

I honestly like Bing's maps.

Bing just cancelled the development of their streetview-kind of service for Germany. Looks like its not that easy to match Google. I hope Apple can.

 

[rmwebs]

Hope Apple's maps won't be less good than Google Maps. I love Google Maps and I think it's amazing, without it I would not be able to to anywhere, pretty much. If Apple won't have Street View, that would in itself be a huge suck. Hope they have everything Google has, plus more, if they want.

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?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

I probably sound like an 80 year old in front of an XBOX Kinect, but what is the added value and point of google glasses, and what is it supposed to improve upon? Apache Pilot night vision headsets?

They will help people lose their ability to distinguish between the physical world and the internet, and be even less social in real life.

 

[doelcm82]

Eh, nothing has been promised and nothing has been delivered yet, by either company, so how can you say that?

Good question. Most criticism of Companies these days tends to be preemptive: "CompanyX is going to say they invented the pixel! Don't you think what I'm predicting CompanyX is going to say is ridiculous? Stupid CompanyX-of-my-imagination!"

 

[Lennholm]

Good question. Most criticism of Apple these days tends to be preemptive: "Apple is going to say they invented the pixel! Don't you think what I'm predicting Apple is going to say is ridiculous? Stupid CompanyX-of-my-imagination!"

The majority of dismissal of Apple's competitors on these forums is also pre-emptive.

 

[NorEaster]

I will continue to acknowledge that Google Maps brought online mapping to the masses.

However, I will revel in any new features that Apple provides with their own maps, which Google prevented them from doing due to licensing.

As for claiming that Apple is copying Google, why do you need
"Apple fanatics" to do that for you? Are you deficient in some way? If it's what you think, then make the claim and OWN it. Be you own person.

What are you talking about? I'm predicting that Apple fan-boys will be OK with Apple releasing it's map app with its own mapping technology and yet will jump all over <insert any non-Apple company here> whenever said company decides to release a feature, technology, or app that comes anywhere close to resembling what Apple has already produced. It's the typical "Apple never copies, they only innovate..while everyone else copies Apple" refrain that is repeated over and over again by the Apple "devout".

Perhaps I should have spelled it out better for you.

And yes, I do think Apple copies from others (ping and notifications in iOS, as 2 examples).

 

[dokujaryu]

Oh no, a typo (funnily enough caused by autocorrect on an ipad using Dolphin) get over it and grow up.

It was kind of a joke. I generally don't read mile long posts that start with phrases like "let's look at the FACTS" anyway.

----------

I honestly like Bing's maps.

I like Bing maps too. I also like free turn by turn directions provided by the MapQuest App.

 

[jstomasi]

Let's look at history for real!

You feeling ok?

Lets look at this with facts and look at this from an open perspective.

On one side we have Apple, who have little to know experience with maps, and who had to purchase a mapping company to get into the market.

On the other side we have Google, who have been producing maps for over 7 years, and again have been producing, and working on 3d mapping technology for at least 7 years. Google have obviously been playing around with 3d mapping for a hell of a lot longer than Apple, and have a more experienced team working on it.

Sorry, but no matter how much of a Google or Apple fan anyone may be, facts are facts. The statistics say that Google will provide a better service than Apple here.

Lets also look at how it works. The maps are fed by a cloud network. Google obviously have one of these. Apple does not, Apple has a single datacenter (note: A true cloud has servers all over the world, not just in one location). For international users Google Maps will obviously run much, much faster (assuming Apple dont use an existing 3rd party global cloud instead of their own facility). On top of this, Apple's experience with online services isn't exactly good. The entire network regularly experiences massive slowdowns and was even crippled when they launched iCloud with most not being able to access any Apple online services for several hours.

Now, I'm not saying that'll happen, but if they dont start investing serious money into MULTIPLE facilities all over the world, they wont get anywhere.


Am I an Apple 'fan-boy'? No.
Am I a Google 'fan-boy'? No.

I use products by both companies every single day, I have no 'love' or commitment to either, they provide what I need to get my work done, and that's all. If something better came along, I'd use that.

If we really look at history, Sony was making and leading the industry in portable music devices. We know how that turned out.

The Music industry had Brick and Morter Stores and owned the market on music and how it was distributed.

Just because you have been doing it longer does not meen it is or will be better. Look at the misteps of netflix. Yes, Google does have experience with MAPS. I seem to remember another company ummm Map Quest. They have been doing Maps for a long time. Do you use MapQuest? Probably Not. Usually by accident.

I agree competition leads to better products.

I am not saying Apple's will be better, but it probably won't be worse.

It is neive to think that time dictates goodness!

Someone else mentioned that apple is not a software company. No, they do not define them as JUST a softward company. They make many good things. Adobe is the leader in digital imaging, but yet the workflow and user expereince in Aperture blows away Lightroom, in my opinion. Yeah, it can slow down sometimes, but I can still churn out results faster.

I look forward to seeing how this battle plays out.

5 years from now, we will know who won. If not sooner.

At the end of the day who cares. We are the consumer, so I hope it is us, either way.

 

[morpheuzlal]

If Apple is trying to compete with google maps im all for it. But they must prove they`re better before people start to use it often!

 

[Rogifan]

Apple is neither. They're a systems company. They sell you a system, be it an iPad, iPhone or Mac. The system is both hardware and software. That's where their money comes. Not from hardware, not from software, from systems.

I would replace the word systems with product. I see Apple as a product company. Their whole reason for being is to sell the best consumer products they can. Of course some will argue they're not the best but that's a matter of opinion.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I'm sure Apple would have only moved away from Google Maps if they felt they could improve the existing technology and provide a different experience. So it'll be interesting to see what they've got planned

 

[b24pgg]

That invitation from Google is for a Google MAPS event...

...which is why it makes no sense that you were comparing a Maps event to WWDC

 

[Rocketman]

I don't doubt for a moment that Google maps right now is better than whatever Apple will begin to do, and besides Google maps has mindshare and trustshare.

I would expect the Google map license to transition from primary/exclusive, to secondary, go to vendor status. Possibly at higher per use fees on average. But as I posted before I expect Apple to try to transition as much initial map contact through its ecosystem and server system as possible.

Since the larger internet companies are at odds with each other to some degree, the deals Apple is making is a form of kumbaya moment with Microsoft increasing commitment, Twitter on board, Google with a strong history, Facebook going all in, and of course carrier relationships and many I have not mentioned we can see in the credits section and appstore of iPhone.

Apple is being a concatenator not entirely unlike MacRumors is.

Rocketman

 

[davie18]

I can't blame Apple. They aren't a software company. They sell hardware and they just happen to make software in order to sell the hardware.

You couldn't be more wrong. Steve Jobs used to always say that apple definitely was a software company.

In his words (and I'm paraphrasing here): 'apple's products are all about the software. The software may come in a sexy box, but it is still the software that is the most important.'

 

[AppleInMyBlood]

Just like Ping, huh, when Spotify was already 2 years old.

EDIT: By the way, I'm not trying to pick a fight. I see your points, but in the end, Apple is pretty much like all the other tech companies when it comes to marketing a product. They just seem to do it much better, mix in the words "magical" and "revolutionary" then watch the $$$ dance their way to Apple's pockets.

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. Whole books have been written about the way Apple does things differently on almost every level, but anyway...

 

[surma884]

There is sooooo much BS going back and forth about Apple fanboys and Google fanboys. Just wait and see how the maps are and pick the one that you like.