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Is there anything we, (the community) can do to help Apple maps?

K

kappaknight

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 5, 2009
1,595
91
Atlanta, GA
Apple was in an unenviable spot and had to make a decision. They could either renew their license with Google and live with a lackluster Maps app that they couldn’t control, or they could run with a lackluster Maps app of their own creation that they could control.

What would be lackluster about a Google Maps app? For one, it would suck in comparison to Google Maps on Android, (no turn-by-turn). It would also have ads.

So Apple chose a mapping solution that they could control, a solution they could improve. Is it better than Google Maps right now? Definitely not, and it probably won’t be on that level for a while. But it was the logical choice considering Apple’s situation.

So instead of just shouting "it sucks" is there anything we can do to help improve it? Apple said it'll get better as more people use it; how? I'm willing to help if there are some instructions on how we can make it better.
 
For a company as profitable as Apple there is no excuse for putting out a product that does not meet the expectations touted in their advertising. I did help them in giving my $300 to purchase the phone. Millions of others did the same.
 
If Apple had a tool like Google Map Maker, they could have easily spun this into a collaborative effort and had fans all over the world help them create amazingly detailed maps (with proper oversight). There is the "Report a Problem" feature in the app today, but I'm not sure that is enough to really get people to help.
 
+1 to reporting problems with a mapmaker type service.

i could make dozens, if not hundreds, of corrections in my micropolitan area of about 100,000 people.
 
Even if Google released Maps for iOS 6, Apple refuses to let its users to choose their own default apps, so it's pointless, especially when tapping links. This is a disaster and Apple should have swallowed its pride about this.
 
Just keep reporting problems...the more people that report the problems that faster you can expect an update. (hopefully).
 
like many have said, the best thing to do is report the problem

But we don't really know how much that really helps. I was thinking the other day about how I wish Apple would mention how to best help build their maps. I'm sure every business owner who isn't included on Apple maps would jump through every hoop to get themselves included.

I mean there are iOS users in nearly every company, city, and street across the world. If everybody just said "Ok here's my business/home/city" it would be great.
 
kappaknight said:
They could either renew their license with Google and live with a lackluster Maps app that they couldn’t control, or they could run with a lackluster Maps app of their own creation that they could control.
Click to expand...
Nothing "lackluster" about the old Google Maps.

I can't recall how many times S Jobs proudly boasted about how Apple really knows how to partner with other suppliers. Seems not. :( And these guys want to enter the Television Market? LOL.

Admit you can't be all things to all people, work with Google and get on with it.
 
Yeah, lets all help the richest company in the world clean up their terrible half-assed mapping system...

..For free.

Sounds fair.
 
ReValveiT said:
Yeah, lets all help the richest company in the world clean up their terrible half-assed mapping system...

..For free.

Sounds fair.
Click to expand...

It does to me. It's for our benefit. Why would a company want to add their location (or correct it) on Apple maps? Why would a person want their house location to be correct on Apple maps? This is just common sense stuff. We all want our homes and our businesses to be there. We all want to be able to find other peoples homes and businesses. The fastest way to make that happen is to simply add my home/business. I'll help myself and everybody else. Sure it helps Apple as well, but so what? That's like saying you aren't going to add your business to google because it'll help their business (they should track you down and add it themselves). Or that you aren't going to post your favorite movies to facebook, because that will serve their data gathering/ad serving needs. These are all free communal things that help ourselves, our friends, and the company. It's not like Apple's requiring you to do anything, but I would like it to be better, instead of sitting around whining about it.
 
ReValveiT said:
Yeah, lets all help the richest company in the world clean up their terrible half-assed mapping system...

..For free.

Sounds fair.
Click to expand...

People don't seem to have a problem helping Google with their mapping product when they first bought a mapping company and released Google Maps.
 
ThisIsNotMe said:
People don't seem to have a problem helping Google with their mapping product when they first bought a mapping company and released Google Maps.
Click to expand...

Yeah, people used to sing about buying the world a coke and living in harmony.

[All the 50-somethings in the crowd say "Hey - yo!"]

I think now that the issue is being characterized as a pi$$ing match between two giants, some innocent bystanders are feeling a little less generous.

Regards,
Tom
 
I don't have time to clean up Apple's own mess for free. I bought an iPhone so I would not have to worry about these sort of things. If I remember correctly, Apple's devices are supposed to "just work".
 
ThisIsNotMe said:
People don't seem to have a problem helping Google with their mapping product when they first bought a mapping company and released Google Maps.
Click to expand...

Google Maps was a free program and website. It was not a part of an operating system that you implicitly purchased with a piece of hardware. It was also the first of it's kind, and there was nothing to compare it to.
You cannot introduce an inferior product to a marketplace unless you are planning on being a price/value leader. Apple is certainly not that.
 
Sure. It's all well and good joining an effort to make something new, or bettering something that we'll all use.

Fact is we ALREADY HAD a fine mapping app in Google Maps. Now Apple have taken away that functionality and replaced it with a far inferior product.

So WHY SHOULD we help them clean up their mess? This will be yet another money-spinning product for Apple once it's sorted. I'll be ********* if I'm going to work for them for free, without even so much as a thanks I may add.

----------
nikomakhos said:
I don't have time to clean up Apple's own mess for free. I bought an iPhone so I would not have to worry about these sort of things. If I remember correctly, Apple's devices are supposed to "just work".
Click to expand...

'zactly.
 
ReValveiT said:
Fact is we ALREADY HAD a fine mapping app in Google Maps. Now Apple have taken away that functionality and replaced it with a far inferior product.
Click to expand...

So we even know for certain the decision was all Apples? I mean where is Google in all this? For all we know Google pushed for too much and Apple in return could have just said they are out and forced everyone to just use the app store and rolled back any true integration and perhaps pushed it off to the mapping companies to integrate into contacts and what not.

Just curious as I've not seen why they did it.
 
KeepCalmPeople said:
Google Maps was a free program and website. It was not a part of an operating system that you implicitly purchased with a piece of hardware. It was also the first of it's kind, and there was nothing to compare it to.
Click to expand...

Google Maps is ad supported, requires hardware to access it, and was not the first of it's kind. There was several services to compare it to, including MapQuest. Google Maps didn't come out until 2005 or so.

You cannot introduce an inferior product to a marketplace unless you are planning on being a price/value leader. Apple is certainly not that.
Click to expand...

Why not? 100s of millions of people seem to think the iPhone is the value leader.
 
In Aberdeen, Scotland, Maps.app lists about 7 petrol stations within a mile of each other, corrected 5 of them, then just got bored. Nearly all of them were oil company offices apart from one which was a bakery. When the information is so wildly inaccurate, it just feels like fighting against the tide.
 
I feel our efforts would be far better placed in demanding back what we had. What we PAID FOR when we bought our devices.

No one else feeling a little ripped off?
 
I've been correcting a few. I only just noticed today that you can reposition pins, which is good.

If Apple expect people to make corrections on masse, it would maybe be a good idea for them to create a part of the website that was a map community, where people making corrections could get some feedback from Apple on progress, and be able to have some dialogue with people at Apple.

I suppose the downside is that they would be swamped, but the upside would be that people didn't feel like problems they report were disappearing down a big hole.

If people report problems, but don't see problems being fixed, or at least be able to see some kind of general feedback about issues generally, then people won't be encouraged to carry on.
 
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