Maps is cloud-based and what's up with Passbook?

[lulumink]

Hey guys,

like you all, I've been messing with the new ios6.


1. Maps:
I just read an article from Apple guys here in the forum that Maps is cloud-based. The more people use it, the better it gets.
But how should I interpret this? Can each user somehow contribute something to the Maps like Google Maps with all the user pictures??

2. Passbook:
Now we can open itunes to download apps for passbook. But why do we have to download 100 of apps to just make the passbook work? I don't want to keep all the apps on my iphone just to waste space. I only want passbook. Did I understand that correctly?

 

[The Phazer]

1. Maps:
I just read an article from Apple guys here in the forum that Maps is cloud-based. The more people use it, the better it gets.
But how should I interpret this? Can each user somehow contribute something to the Maps like Google Maps with all the user pictures??

No, it means that it'll supposedly get better by virtue of lots of people sending in corrections to all the existing cockups via report a problem.

It might make a minor difference, but for example it was never the main source of mapping info on Google Maps - Google have 7000 full time staff working on Maps in a variety of countries providing the data. Apple don't appear to have anyone outside Cuppertino.

It also assumes Apple will swiftly process the changes, which given the Open Street Map data they're using is three years old seems an odd assumption.

 

[fisherking]

passbook is seriously unintuitive. took some googling for me to figure out how to set it up. sad, apple user that i am...i wanted to see it working, so almost bought a movie ticket JUST to see fandango added to passbook. (ALMOST )

got walgreens and target set up, so...looks good. for now.

waiting for STARBUCKS.

 

[RoboCop001]

passbook is seriously unintuitive. took some googling for me to figure out how to set it up. sad, apple user that i am...i wanted to see it working, so almost bought a movie ticket JUST to see fandango added to passbook. (ALMOST )

got walgreens and target set up, so...looks good. for now.

waiting for STARBUCKS.

Haha, yeah I almost bought a movie ticket just for that too. Although apparently the Cineplex app just gives you a voucher for a ticket, and not an actual ticket. Lame. As far as I know, the Fandango app isn't available in Canada.

Anyone know of an app that does real movie tickets with Passbook in Canada?

 

[Krazy Bill]

Google have 7000 full time staff working on Maps in a variety of countries providing the data. Apple don't appear to have anyone outside Cuppertino.

Well, now that OSX 10.8.2 is out... maybe the 2 people on the OSX team can help?

 

[rorschach]

2. Passbook:
Now we can open itunes to download apps for passbook. But why do we have to download 100 of apps to just make the passbook work? I don't want to keep all the apps on my iphone just to waste space. I only want passbook. Did I understand that correctly?

That's because this is how companies now are choosing to do it.

There's no requirement in the Pasebook API that an app be involved to added passes. Passes can be added from anywhere -- Safari (desktop or iOS), email, or from within an app.

Take movie tickets. If Fandango wanted to, they could let you order from their website and email you a pass. Then when you tapped on it in Mail on your iPhone, it would be added to Passbook -- no app required.

 

[eh270]

Haha, yeah I almost bought a movie ticket just for that too. Although apparently the Cineplex app just gives you a voucher for a ticket, and not an actual ticket. Lame. As far as I know, the Fandango app isn't available in Canada.

Anyone know of an app that does real movie tickets with Passbook in Canada?

FYI, if you've *ever* bought a ticket for a movie with Fandando (even through their website) for a movie showing at theater that currently supports passbook/etickets, even if it was in 2010, you can add the ticket back to your passbook to see how it appears (and how the "delete" function works, too).

This is a great example of how the app is supposed to work. Everyone's annoyed that they need to have apps installed to get passes, but to get a pass into the Passbook app, you need an app that can *build* the pass. Fandango ones look really slick, and even have a frosted/blurred copy of the movie poster behind the ticketing information. This literally gets created/prepared (with the qr code), as best as I can tell, by the app itself.

rorschach is right though, no reason this couldn't be delivered via Email or iMessage (or even Bluetooth, if you're at a museum for example) as a specialized .zip or .pass bundle of sorts and opened by the app. Maybe that's where it will go next.

 

[fisherking]

Well, now that OSX 10.8.2 is out... maybe the 2 people on the OSX team can help?

that won't work; one of them is on vacation, the other one's in the john...

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FYI, if you've *ever* bought a ticket for a movie with Fandando (even through their website) for a movie showing at theater that currently supports passbook/etickets, even if it was in 2010, you can add the ticket back to your passbook to see how it appears (and how the "delete" function works, too).

cool, thanx for that. saved me $13.50. and now i get an idea of how passbook looks (have target, fandango, walgreens in the window).

let's get it together starbucks!

 

[pdqgp]

Google have 7000 full time staff working on Maps in a variety of countries providing the data. Apple don't appear to have anyone outside Cuppertino.

Apple has several vendors that are part of their new maps app. TomTom their primary but again, not only, data partner.