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Questions Arise Over Google's Plans to Bring Free Turn-By-Turn GPS Navigation to iPhone

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Apr 12, 2001
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Last October, Google announced free turn-by-turn GPS navigation capabilities for its Android 2.0 operating system in the United States, launching the feature on the Motorola Droid handset the following month. At the time, Google vice president Vic Gundotra revealed that his company was working with Apple to bring the feature to the iPhone, noting that the implementation required more work than a simple App Store submission due to the built-in nature of the Maps application.

MacUser yesterday reported that Google has announced that it is bringing the free service to the United Kingdom on Android and continues to have plans to bring it to the iPhone and other platforms.
Google confirmed at a London press conference that it plans to bring free satnav to other smartphone platforms, including the iPhone, although it wouldn't say when.
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According to PCWorld, however, Google has backpedaled on those claims and in fact seems to be distancing itself from the possibility of bringing the service to the iPhone.
"We did not say we would bring it to iPhone, we said to date we've had it on Android and that in the future it may come to other platforms but did not confirm this will be coming to iPhone at all," a Google spokesperson told PCWorld.
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While users continue to wait for Google to decide whether to make its service available on the iPhone, other companies have been stepping forward in the competitive GPS navigation market. In addition to paid options from such companies as TomTom, Magellan, and Navigon, MapQuest last month began offering free basic turn-by-turn directions.

Article Link: Questions Arise Over Google's Plans to Bring Free Turn-By-Turn GPS Navigation to iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/23/questions-arise-over-googles-plans-to-bring-free-turn-by-turn-gps-navigation-to-iphone/
I hope they do bring it to the iphone. The google maps is nice, but directions that are spoken would be great.
 
Hurm. The big question is will Apple approve it? They wouldn’t let Latitude in the App Store because it “duplicates functionality.”
 
I hope Google doesn't waste their time. Apple will ponder in for months, and then say it doesn't want users to get confused between Google Maps and Google Turn by turn. Or it might confuse users about tom tom.
 
That would be awesome.

Heh, one reason I'm dismayed to see something about Apple and Google fighting is that a big thing that makes my iphone so useful is the google maps app and google search is pretty much the search engine I use. As well as gmail.

And I honestly like google :).
 
Then my nexus wont be so special? :(

Anyhow, Google Maps Nav is the *****! way better than the tom tom app my buddy has on his Iphone, and he paid 80 dollars for it!
 
CNET: "Google is working with Apple on bringing it to the iPhone, and it's not ruling out licensing the software to makers of portable navigation devices used in cars throughout the world," said Gundotra, vice president of engineering at Google for mobile and developers. "The process involving Apple is slightly different from the usual App Store submission process, because Maps is a built-in iPhone application," he said.

PCWorld: "We did not say we would bring it to iPhone, we said to date we've had it on Android and that in the future it may come to other platforms but did not confirm this will be coming to iPhone at all," a Google spokesperson told PCWorld.

So who's likely the liar; CNET, PCWorld, or Google?
 
Now that Google and Apple are in a hardware and software war, I doubt Google will release it to the iPhone. Why drive customers away from their hardware offerings?
 
As much as I love my Macbook, Macbook Pro, iPhones, iPods, and iPad in my house... I hope Google starts playing hardball with Apple.

Google is a company that we should admire, going up against Chinese censorship and really haven't done anything "evil". They seem to have found a way to make money and still look out for the general good.

Steve Jobs has the audacity to call Google evil for bringing some competition in the mobile phone industry. I don't even think Google wants to dominate the industry, they just want to make sure a system like Apple does not become the end all be all. They just want to make sure people have choices.

If Google somehow blocks Gmail and Google Maps from the iPhone, the phone would just be a brick for a lot of people.
 
MSUSpartan said:
As much as I love my Macbook, Macbook Pro, iPhones, iPods, and iPad in my house... I hope Google starts playing hardball with Apple.

Google is a company that we should admire, going up against Chinese censorship and really haven't done anything "evil". They seem to have found a way to make money and still look out for the general good.

Steve Jobs has the audacity to call Google evil for bringing some competition in the mobile phone industry. I don't even think Google wants to dominate the industry, they just want to make sure a system like Apple does not become the end all be all. They just want to make sure people have choices.

If Google somehow blocks Gmail and Google Maps from the iPhone, the phone would just be a brick for a lot of people.
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Exactly. Google is an infinitely superior software company, and Apple is becoming the lumbering ******s of the industry. Going to be great when it bites them in the ass.
 
...and things are going to start getting pretty dirty.

This Google-Apple lovefest is ending quickly...
 
skyehill said:
Exactly. Google is an infinitely superior software company, and Apple is becoming the lumbering ******s of the industry. Going to be great when it bites them in the ass.
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You sure you like macs... I always wonder about guys like you on mac specific websites.

Anyway, I hope apple and google kiss and make up. I can see why apple would be fearful of allowing google's products on the mac, but at the same time, if google follows the rules, then they should just allow their stuff.

Even google latitude. If they are afraid that no competition will come about if they just allow google navigation, the simple solution is to not make it a default app.
 
$30 Navigon vs Google "beta" seems like a no brainer. If my time and safety isn't worth $30, well, hell what's the point.
 
Google IS evil

do you really not see a problem with the type of information Google is compiling on you? They have your email, your house on satellite, they document every internet search you make, and video you watch, and when you buy their phone, they literally can track you & listen in on every phone call... all ONE company. Not to mention the fact that they sat on the Board for Apple, and then after the iphone came out, had the brilliant idea to make their own smartphone using iphone features they were privy too from being on Apple's board.... whether or not you like Apple, that is a problem. And no matter how egotistical or arsehole-like Steve Jobs may possibly be, he isn't the one driving photo cars in front of your house, peering into your windows, showing complete satellite layouts of your community to any would be terrorists. Google IS evil, and can kiss my @$$.
 
I would love free turn-by-turn for the iPhone. That's one of the things that concerns me the most about leaving Sprint for AT&T this summer - the lack of free GPS. Sprint Navigation comes free with the data plan and it has worked like a champ and has been more accurate than both Garmin and TomTom in my travels. I will truly miss that app.
 
MSUSpartan said:
Google is a company that we should admire, going up against Chinese censorship and really haven't done anything "evil". They seem to have found a way to make money and still look out for the general good.
Click to expand...

This is in no way meant as a way to compliment to Apple, I just want to get that out of the way before people that disagree reply with the customary fanboy label.

But Google in my opinion is hardly a company to admire. They are slowly eroding what little privacy people have left, and continuously on a regular basis help to themselves to people's information without so much as asking for permission. The latest example being that their street view cameras are capturing local WiFi networks and MAC address and saving them for Google's own interest.

They've made some great services, I love Google Analytics and Google Maps but I find their general attitude about privacy to be very alarming and it's a bit disturbing that people are throwing away their privacy in the name of free services. Of course people will only care once they feel they've been burned.
 
NaMo4184 said:
You sure you like macs... I always wonder about guys like you on mac specific websites.

Anyway, I hope apple and google kiss and make up. I can see why apple would be fearful of allowing google's products on the mac, but at the same time, if google follows the rules, then they should just allow their stuff.

Even google latitude. If they are afraid that no competition will come about if they just allow google navigation, the simple solution is to not make it a default app.
Click to expand...

I love my Apple products but someone has to be really blind to see how much of an ******* Apple has become.
 
musiciscool said:
And no matter how egotistical or arsehole-like Steve Jobs may possibly be, he isn't the one driving photo cars in front of your house, peering into your windows, showing complete satellite layouts of your community to any would be terrorists.
Click to expand...

OH NOES! THE TERRORISTS KNOW WHERE BUILDINGS ARE! :eek:

Couldn't they just drive down the street and do the same? :confused:
 
MSUSpartan said:
As much as I love my Macbook, Macbook Pro, iPhones, iPods, and iPad in my house... I hope Google starts playing hardball with Apple.

Google is a company that we should admire, going up against Chinese censorship and really haven't done anything "evil". They seem to have found a way to make money and still look out for the general good.

Steve Jobs has the audacity to call Google evil for bringing some competition in the mobile phone industry. I don't even think Google wants to dominate the industry, they just want to make sure a system like Apple does not become the end all be all. They just want to make sure people have choices.

If Google somehow blocks Gmail and Google Maps from the iPhone, the phone would just be a brick for a lot of people.
Click to expand...


Yeah, the majority seems to think Google is the best because they give everything away for free.

Oh yeah, they take personal information from you and sell it to anyone. Not evil at all.
 
MSUSpartan said:
As much as I love my Macbook, Macbook Pro, iPhones, iPods, and iPad in my house... I hope Google starts playing hardball with Apple.

Google is a company that we should admire, going up against Chinese censorship and really haven't done anything "evil". They seem to have found a way to make money and still look out for the general good.

Steve Jobs has the audacity to call Google evil for bringing some competition in the mobile phone industry. I don't even think Google wants to dominate the industry, they just want to make sure a system like Apple does not become the end all be all. They just want to make sure people have choices.

If Google somehow blocks Gmail and Google Maps from the iPhone, the phone would just be a brick for a lot of people.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%

Been Mac user for number of years and converted plenty of people from Windows to OS X...

But am not doing this anymore since few months ago simply because Apple has turn (or still turning) into bigger arseholes than what MS used to be!

I will be buying new MacBook Pro again when my current model dies and that is only because of OS X!

Rest of Apple products together with their draconian attitude can go and f.o. as far as I am concerned...

:)
 
Meh. The Mapquest is free and does a far better job already. In comparison, the Google map apps is functionally broken. I don't know how many times it hasn't been able to pinpoint an address correctly (I've lost count).
 
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