Walking Route Calorie Estimator Removed From Google Maps After User Criticism

[madeirabhoy]

Agreed. It's, hmm, cute, at best, and misleading at worst. If they wanted this, it would have been easy to add it with an on/off toggle, off by default, and a little dialog popping up on first use saying, "we've got this cute new feature, would you like to enable it?"

I have this funny feeling that many of the same people who are complaining here that "people who don't like this should get over themselves" with lots of derision about "snowflakes" being "triggered" (a ridiculously overused word)... also got all bent out of shape when Apple gave them a free U2 album ("how dare they!"). But in that case it was them being affected, so that was totally reasonable to get upset about it, right?

In both cases, it would have been better, and only a little bit more work, for the company involved to say, "hey, new thing available at no cost to you, would you like it?" But in both cases they just assumed that everyone would be as excited about the new thing as they were.

see id have logically guessed the opposite.

 

[CarlJ]

I just think if something triggers you that hard, then I do understand it is a very real thing for you, but I also firmly believe it's something you need to start facing and working with, rather than insisting the entire world accommodate your very specific, irrational discomfort. Otherwise you're going to spend your whole life living in fear. I believe overcoming fear will lead you to be far happier, and is REALLY important to do, rather than just hiding away from the things that scare you forever, which will only ever lead to more and more claustrophobia, anxiety, and misery.

Well said. "Triggered" because you have PTSD, as, say, a war survivor or rape victim is a real thing, but it gets overused in ways that devalue the original meaning.

Can we apply this same logic to stop accommodating people who think that white people are better than other races, or that women are here for the amusement of men rather than being fully equal, or that think their belief system makes it not just okay, but necessary, for them to persecute other people based on who they love? To stop accommodating people who believe their religion is somehow the official state religion? To stop accommodating people who believe monuments to the losing side in a war against the US are about heritage, rather than about oppression? (Go check the history - most of those monuments went up at the height of the KKK's power, or as a response to forced desegregation - why would that be?).

 

[laz232]

I think you're looking into this far far far too deep. This is nothing more than an encouragement to get some exercise. That's it.

You believe it's better to just present walking directions, rather than any encouragement to walk?

For a Maps/Navigation program - yes. If I had Google Life or Google Fitness, or Google Give Me Suggestions I may think differently.

 

[ApostolisApo]

Look at the horrible design of that Google Maps app!
The bottom and especially the thick top border must waste at least 50% of the screen estate!

Google Maps is one of the Google services Apple will never be able to surpass. That being said, 70% of my searches are on Apple Maps.