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?
You misunderstand Google's strategy. Google's entire reason d'etre is to have their products EVERYWHERE. They can only continue to build their monolith as long as they have a free alternative in every user's hands. As soon as they start leaving out major players, they open the door for competitors. They most certainly can't afford to miss 100 million iDevice users.
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.
You're entitled to your opinion - no matter how wrong it may be.
Just a few examples:
- Google started in around 2004 to copy every published work they could find for distribution on the Internet - without the authors' permission. That is about as blatant a copyright violation as you can imagine. Apparently, Google's desires overrule Authors' rights.
- Google collects and enormous amount of private information about you - often without telling you - and then sell it to the highest bidder.
- Google changes terms of service, adds new 'features' and then automatically enrolls you in another new 'service' which collects more of your information for their own use - again without telling you.
- Google has had several very well-known privacy violations and loss of private information.
Sorry, no thanks.
OH NOES! THE TERRORISTS KNOW WHERE BUILDINGS ARE!
Couldn't they just drive down the street and do the same?
Not always. For example, chemical and nuclear plants are typically not accessible without appropriate access documents. A terrorist would know the general location of the plant from driving down the street, but they wouldn't know the exact location of vulnerable points.
But that's not my concern. I'm more concerned about all the little nibbling away of rights and privacy that Google does. Just one example - I have a swimming pool in my back yard, but it's not visible from the street. Now, anyone can look at the neighborhood and see who has swimming pools - which makes me more subject to vandalism or trespassing by teenagers. Just as important, no one has any right to know that I have a pool in my yard. Now, let's say I did a Google search for 'nude sunbathing'. Think about the problems that creates. That's my business.
Multiply that by 300 million Americans and you see a lot of privacy problems.
wants to compete in this space as well with their own take on mapping technology - perhaps it'll be ready for prime time at iPhone 4.0 launch. I'll take any of the above - I just hope they don't give us Microsoft's maps. Visually, it looks too choppy. Here's to turn x turn with Google or "iMaps"/whatever 