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No problems with maps.

spiderman0616

spiderman0616

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,506
Ok, so I know people are having issues with maps, and I'm not trying to convince anyone there aren't issues. But I'm actually loving the new maps! I've been using it all weekend for navigation in the car and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I also haven't had any Siri problems or any other issues yet with my iPhone 5.

I know the media always has to latch on to something every time a new Apple product is released (Antennagate, Batterygate, Heatgate, etc.), but I really get sick of it. For me, it's almost like Apple launches are stressful, because I always worry what the next made up scandal is going to be.

Again, not trying to say Apple Maps are as good as Google's or anything like that--they're not at all. Just saying, at least in the Chicago area, they're really not THAT bad. Also, is everyone forgetting that Google Maps had no audio turn by turn? Let's get real here, how many of us had secondary GPS apps for "real" turn by turn directions with audio in iOS 5? I did and still do in iOS 6. I use MotionX and always chose that over Google Maps because I didn't have to stare at my phone screen or have someone read me the directions while I was driving. It read them to me like my old Tom Tom used to.

And just today, my brother, who does not read tech news at all, randomly called to tell me how much he loves the new navi on his 4S after doing "some update" that came out the other day. So I have to wonder--in normal everyday real life, are the maps really that bad, or are we just latching on to news stories?
 
spiderman0616 said:
Ok, so I know people are having issues with maps, and I'm not trying to convince anyone there aren't issues. But I'm actually loving the new maps! I've been using it all weekend for navigation in the car and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I also haven't had any Siri problems or any other issues yet with my iPhone 5.

I know the media always has to latch on to something every time a new Apple product is released (Antennagate, Batterygate, Heatgate, etc.), but I really get sick of it. For me, it's almost like Apple launches are stressful, because I always worry what the next made up scandal is going to be.

Again, not trying to say Apple Maps are as good as Google's or anything like that--they're not at all. Just saying, at least in the Chicago area, they're really not THAT bad. Also, is everyone forgetting that Google Maps had no audio turn by turn? Let's get real here, how many of us had secondary GPS apps for "real" turn by turn directions with audio in iOS 5? I did and still do in iOS 6. I use MotionX and always chose that over Google Maps because I didn't have to stare at my phone screen or have someone read me the directions while I was driving. It read them to me like my old Tom Tom used to.

And just today, my brother, who does not read tech news at all, randomly called to tell me how much he loves the new navi on his 4S after doing "some update" that came out the other day. So I have to wonder--in normal everyday real life, are the maps really that bad, or are we just latching on to news stories?
Click to expand...

It all depends on where you live. Some places the maps are more drawn out and better developed than other places.
 
They are that bad. Apple maps couldn't find the largest train station and hospital in Edinburgh. Apparently the Scottish Parliament is actually a factory in Glasgow, the Wallace monument is in Kansas and Stirling Castle is any one of 10 businesses in Stirling with the word castle in them, Funtasticos Bouncy Castles being a favourite.

So Apple Maps may be passable in a very large American city, although I'm sure it is still much less detailed than google maps, but step outside there and it's almost too bad to be true.
 
Of course, we all know GMaps was absolutely perfect when it launched.

Stop crying for the sake of crying.
 
Scott006 said:
They are that bad. Apple maps couldn't find the largest train station and hospital in Edinburgh. Apparently the Scottish Parliament is actually a factory in Glasgow, the Wallace monument is in Kansas and Stirling Castle is any one of 10 businesses in Stirling with the word castle in them, Funtasticos Bouncy Castles being a favourite.

So Apple Maps may be passable in a very large American city, although I'm sure it is still much less detailed than google maps, but step outside there and it's almost too bad to be true.
Click to expand...

From reading this thread it sounds like iMaps are disproportionately bad in the UK. It is a major screw up to not have good mapping done in such an important country for Apple. But the quality of maps in the us seems to be very good.
 
diagnostics247 said:
Of course, we all know GMaps was absolutely perfect when it launched.

Stop crying for the sake of crying.
Click to expand...
That's not really the point, when Google Maps became a thing we weren't forced to use it by default on anything. Apple has replaced a very useful tool with a much less useful one, and it could take several years to even be close to parity. That's the real issue.

What's even worse is there isn't much of an alternative aside from using maps.google.com
 
ieko said:
That's not really the point, when Google Maps became a thing we weren't forced to use it by default on anything. Apple has replaced a very useful tool with a much less useful one, and it could take several years to even be close to parity. That's the real issue.

What's even worse is there isn't much of an alternative aside from using maps.google.com
Click to expand...

I mean, if it's going to be the default mapping app, it needs to work better than it currently does on some areas. That's just the facts. BUT, I will restate my point: the old maps from google did not do turn by turn. You had to stare at your screen while driving or have someone read you the directions and I think that is every bit as inconvenient as having to go to maps.google.com.
 
My problems have been minimal. The turn-by-turn directions had me exiting a couple of times instead of staying on the road, and last night it had a destination about 0.2 miles past where it actually was.

However, it also gives me better directions on a route home from a nearby part of town. Instead of sending me on a longer route like my Magellan app does, this one has me turn onto a road that cuts a minute or two off the trip. Siri also doesn't say RECALCULATING every time I divert from her chosen path.

It's not perfect. But considering the insane amount of data involved in a thing like maps of the planet, it's not bad for something nobody had used before Wednesday. Quit the complaining and send in error reports through the app.

On a personal note, I hope the term "iMaps" doesn't become a thing like "iTouch." I can only deal with one fictional product per company at this time. :)
 
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