Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I really don't understand why people pay attention to these idiots.
Its better to ignore them.
Its a beta Application in the first developer beta release.
Get over yourself.

(anyways you know people are here to troll when their gripes are copied from blogs)

Wait to Apple releases a product and then if you don't like it (I am sure some will find some irrational reason to hate it but continue to buy Apple products and come here) then come and bitch about it.
 
Translation: "I'm struggling to adapt to changing technology therefore it must be bad"

On the contrary; I'm an early adopter of new technology, but I have to be able to see the usefulness. I simply think the existing 2D map systems are better and much easier to read.

When navigating somewhere, I don't need to know what streets look like or what buildings are on them, I simply need to know the names of the streets and which direction I need to turn. Any more information than that is a waste.

You haven't addressed my actual questions yet. Do you think the route I posted earlier would be easier to see using a 3D map or not?
 
Why do you keep spreading this BS, what it says is

It DOES NOT say they have more that they are turning on, merely that they know they don't have very much.


It reads:



That said, that's a pretty ambiguous statement given that Maps evolve anyway.

@wordmasterrice, nice try at only quoting the bit that supports your argument ;)

I'm just trying to say that we're looking at a beta, me, like others here, point out that mapping data is relatively easy to update and there's no need for it in beta, due to whatever reason apple chooses. I go into betas with an open mind. That being said, if the release version is no different at all, then I'll be complaining and not impressed whatsoever.
 
If you guys knew how GIS (Geographical Information System) works, you would understand really just how easy it would be change a lot of the stuff you guys are complaining about. The number of streets being labeled is literally just a variable setting you could change in a matter of seconds. As for satellite data, that is all about $$$ (something we all know Apple has so little of). How do you think Google got the satellite imagery? That's right, they BOUGHT it. Once Apple buys the data (and they may already have), it's just a matter of setting the projection, uploading it to their servers and caching the tiles. All of this could be done overnight once they are ready.

The REALLY hard part is the design. It takes a great eye to design a great map and it isn't something that most people can do. There is a lot to be improved over the design of Google Maps and Apple has an opportunity here to do a reboot and get something really impressive out there.

Its not just labels that are missing though, its actual streets and bodies of water.

----------

@wordmasterrice, nice try at only quoting the bit that supports your argument ;)

I'm just trying to say that we're looking at a beta, me, like others here, point out that mapping data is relatively easy to update and there's no need for it in beta, due to whatever reason apple chooses. I go into betas with an open mind. That being said, if the release version is no different at all, then I'll be complaining and not impressed whatsoever.

By releasing a half baked beta map they're going to miss out on months worth of feedback about the maps. Where is the sense in that?
 
By releasing a half baked beta map they're going to miss out on months worth of feedback about the maps. Where is the sense in that?

But it's not been released yet. It's in beta. Also beta is for bugs. Apple are getting mapping data from many companies, that already use it, so where's the need for it until general release? They don't cater to the large group of non devs that demand everything be running like a release version in a beta......
 
Last edited:
But it's not been released yet. It's in beta. Also beta is for bugs. Apple are getting mapping data from many companies, that already use it, so where's the need for it until general release? They don't cater to the large group of non devs that demand everything be running like a release version in a beta......

Exactly why they should be testing the entire mapping data, for feedback. :rolleyes:

At the minute they're probably getting an influx of reports about "such and such a street isn't on my maps." That will surely make the real bug reports harder for them to see.
 
Exactly why they should be testing the entire mapping data, for feedback. :rolleyes:

At the minute they're probably getting an influx of reports about "such and such a street isn't on my maps." That will surely make the real bug reports harder for them to see.

Developers are not reporting that their street is not on the map....

We are testing the new APIs and compatibility with our apps.

It's a Developer Beta 1 release.
 
Developers are not reporting that their street is not on the map....

We are testing the new APIs and compatibility with our apps.

It's a Developer Beta 1 release.

Yes, nearly everyone seems to miss this point every time there's a developer's beta release. These releases are released to developers to give them time to prepare their apps to run on them. A developer is not there to beta test (though clearly there is a reporting facility). If I'm a developer working on an app that's reliant on mapping, for example to show the location of my stores, I'm going to want to know NOW whether the maps are going to be of sufficient quality for my customers to find my stores, or whether I should start looking for a 3rd party alternative.

I've got no problem that Apple still need to do a lot of work. I just can't believe that:

a) Things are suddenly going to 'all be OK' when iOS6 goes public, or
b) Apple have binned Google Maps when they've still got so far to go before they've got an alternative that comes anywhere close. Were relationships really that bad?
 
Developers are not reporting that their street is not on the map....

We are testing the new APIs and compatibility with our apps.

It's a Developer Beta 1 release.

Right. Broken OS features and APIs can have a carry on effect on your own apps. Clearly Apple would like to hear about any software bugs!
 
Developers are not reporting that their street is not on the map....

We are testing the new APIs and compatibility with our apps.

It's a Developer Beta 1 release.

This sums it up perfectly. Everyone else is missing this key point.

If they wanted feedback on wrong streets, etc, they would have made it a PUBLIC beta......

I've got no problem that Apple still need to do a lot of work. I just can't believe that:

a) Things are suddenly going to 'all be OK' when iOS6 goes public, or
b) Apple have binned Google Maps when they've still got so far to go before they've got an alternative that comes anywhere close. Were relationships really that bad?

Well until it's officially released, we don't know for 100% that maps will look as they are now. If it does, THEN I'll be complaining. Not whilst it's in closed beta.

As for google, it's been said why they're ditching, google have hiked up charges to apple and other companies for access to maps.
 
You're getting really dramatic for no good reason.

Here are the facts:

1. We have seen a more mature version of maps from Google (which got its first release in 2006 as Google Maps for Mobile - see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps).

2. Google Maps was not feature complete upon its first release, and certainly features like street view didn't come along until much later.

3. In June 2005, Google released the Maps API.

4. We have not seen an Apple Maps API yet.

5. We have not seen the shipping version of Apple Maps. We don't know how quickly changes are being made daily, both at Apple and in conjunction with TomTom.

6. We are viewing an EARLY beta of Apple Maps, one that will likely evolve as has Google's Maps over the past 6 YEARS!
So, why should we have to start over with Apple, for crying out loud?
 
As for google, it's been said why they're ditching, google have hiked up charges to apple and other companies for access to maps.

No it hasn't.

It's never been confirmed that Google has, or would ever, charge a cent for Apple to access to the map data. We have no idea what is the case there.

Heck, if that was the issue it's incredibly unlikely that Google would then launch their own maps application on iOS for free, which has already been confirmed. At that point Google would have decided that the best way to retain that profit was to have less users (which they will by distributing their own app).

If your arguement requires you to believe a major corporate thought it was a good plan to aim to make less money, then it is probably wrong.

We DO know that Google have confirmed previously that as iOS customers are more profitable ad targets than Android that Google makes more money from iOS than Android. I think it's very likely Google provided (and would continue to provide) the data to Apple for free.

This move appears to be about nothing more than making iOS worse to satisfy Apple's worse instincts to control everything themselves and some kind of senior management wide psychosis about "theft".

Phazer
 
Google have shown they can make pretty slick iOS apps so I'm sure their maps app will be better than Apple's and the old google maps one. It can also be updated whenever Google has something new rather than be locked to the yearly releases.
 
Apple obviously is only letting the Beta version of its Maps App access a very small subset of the data and imagery they have available.

Is that a fact (if so, citation needed) or your opinion ?

I think quite a few people hoping this is a small subset of data are in for some disappointment when iOS 6 ships... That's my opinion though, I won't present it as fact as you're trying to do your own.

There is no need to incur the bandwidth costs, or rush the people doing the actual cartography just to satisfy the whims of (alleged) developers.

The need is called Q&A and bug squashing. That's how a beta test usually works, you want people to report in bugs... for that, you need to run the full set of data so that you can be sure your production data won't trigger conditions that a limited developer dataset wouldn't have had.

The deliberate mislabeling of oceans and continents ought to be a heads-up on that score.

Actually, I'd file that one under bugs. This is a beta after all (now that'll be one time the term was used properly in this thread).

----------

By releasing a half baked beta map they're going to miss out on months worth of feedback about the maps. Where is the sense in that?

Not to mention running the risk that a limited dataset would not trigger some conditions in the code that could result in unwanted behavior. No, I'm also fairly convinced Apple is more intelligent than that and they are using their production data for the Beta test, to make sure to get the best feedback possible about the actual code, both back-end and front-end side.
 
No transit directions makes it a disaster to me. I use that feature most and losing that will be rough. And for my city, there is no app store app that replaces the functionality. Losing transit directions is a major step backwards.
 

The second article agrees with me. The first appears to make a completely uncited assumption, from someone who will have no more contacts inside Apple or Google than you or me.

Phazer

----------

No transit directions makes it a disaster to me. I use that feature most and losing that will be rough. And for my city, there is no app store app that replaces the functionality. Losing transit directions is a major step backwards.

Same here.
 
I'm no developer, but the purpose of this release appears to be simply to facilitate early testing of app compatibility with, say, handing off address data to Apple Maps. It doesn't matter if every possible street and location are 100% accurate, more so that the dev's app can properly invoke and use the Apple Map API.

Am I wrong?
 
It's not as though Google maps are particularly good. In Australia, I find Google maps outdated, showing few details and having little consistency in the type of details shown. Compare this Google map with Melways of my local area. There's no comparison whatsoever. Google maps doesn't even show the police station, the main shopping malls, one-way streets, walking trails or traffic lights.

If Apple maps fails badly at competing even with Google maps, then something's very wrong.

camberwell_google.png


camberwell_melways.png


(Google has one level more of zoom than shown, which adds borders and numbers to each block of land, but nothing else)
 
Beta doesn't even begin to describe these maps. If they're going to launch in the Autumn (and we're almost at midsummer now) then they should be data complete.

i'm sorry, but I have to rant about this. What the hell do you mean by mid-summer. The summer solstice isn't for another week. I've done a little research and found that it's very likely that in this beta they only uploaded a couple 3-D cities. in many places the satellite images look great and many of the roads are accurate. just give them some time and some patients because obviously you have made a snap judgment that shouldn't be. In the cities they previewed all of the maps looked amazing. And in the beta all the maps that are complete look amazing.
 
i'm sorry, but I have to rant about this. What the hell do you mean by mid-summer. The summer solstice isn't for another week. I've done a little research and found that it's very likely that in this beta they only uploaded a couple 3-D cities. in many places the satellite images look great and many of the roads are accurate. just give them some time and some patients because obviously you have made a snap judgment that shouldn't be. In the cities they previewed all of the maps looked amazing. And in the beta all the maps that are complete look amazing.

Trust me. There is years of work to get their maps to a reasonable standard. The satellite imagery I can excuse. That is a matter of loading and mosaiking rasters. (Fairly easy). However the actual maps are poor. Roads are incorrect in shape (curves not digitised correctly). To a layman they may appear ok. To someone who makes a living in digital mapping they made the biggest schoolboy

It appears they've taken the coordinates provided by TomTom and just digitised them. Whilst they are fine for in car navigation use, for actual maps, they need tweaking to make them cartographicaly elegant.

The 3d stuff is a gimmick and I personally don't care for it. If its there or not I honestly don't care. What matters to me are cartographicaly elegant and correct maps that are easy to read. To achieve that apple have a long way to go.

Midsummer is the solstice. Google it.

----------

The second article agrees with me. The first appears to make a completely uncited assumption, from someone who will have no more contacts inside Apple or Google than you or me.

Phazer

----------



Same here.

Of course google charges apple for its maps. It charges anyone who makes over 25k api calls per day. Apple must make millions of gmaps api calls per day.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15523050

----------

You're getting really dramatic for no good reason.

Here are the facts:

1. We have seen a more mature version of maps from Google (which got its first release in 2006 as Google Maps for Mobile - see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps).

2. Google Maps was not feature complete upon its first release, and certainly features like street view didn't come along until much later.

3. In June 2005, Google released the Maps API.

4. We have not seen an Apple Maps API yet.

5. We have not seen the shipping version of Apple Maps. We don't know how quickly changes are being made daily, both at Apple and in conjunction with TomTom.

6. We are viewing an EARLY beta of Apple Maps, one that will likely evolve as has Google's Maps over the past 6 YEARS!


I'm quite aware what the facts are. As you say it's taken google 6 years to get as far as it has. Apple is downgrading maps in its phones. And btw I know about digital mapping. It's my job.

----------

If you guys knew how GIS (Geographical Information System) works, you would understand really just how easy it would be change a lot of the stuff you guys are complaining about. The number of streets being labeled is literally just a variable setting you could change in a matter of seconds. As for satellite data, that is all about $$$ (something we all know Apple has so little of). How do you think Google got the satellite imagery? That's right, they BOUGHT it. Once Apple buys the data (and they may already have), it's just a matter of setting the projection, uploading it to their servers and caching the tiles. All of this could be done overnight once they are ready.

The REALLY hard part is the design. It takes a great eye to design a great map and it isn't something that most people can do. There is a lot to be improved over the design of Google Maps and Apple has an opportunity here to do a reboot and get something really impressive out there.

In my day job I use ArcGIS. I keep maintaining this isn't a software issue (as you say, the layer symbology can be tweaked in seconds). It's poor quality mapping data. Their use of Tele atlas data (designed for sat navs) gives it away. There aren't enough points in the roads, meaning curves aren't rendered at all well and roads appear as straight lines between the vertices that are there.
 
It's 4 days into the Beta 1 of this. Nobody made you download iOS 6. Of course there are gonna be bugs. You don't think between now and October that these won't get fixed? Everyone is treating it like an an actual release. Just **** an enjoy it. If you find a bug or something wrong an you are an actual developer and not some joe Schmoe trying to get the latest an greatest. Then go into the apple developer forums and report the problem properly. Nothing is gonna get solved from Apple on here. /EndRant
 
It's 4 days into the Beta 1 of this. Nobody made you download iOS 6. Of course there are gonna be bugs. You don't think between now and October that these won't get fixed? Everyone is treating it like an an actual release. Just **** an enjoy it. If you find a bug or something wrong an you are an actual developer and not some joe Schmoe trying to get the latest an greatest. Then go into the apple developer forums and report the problem properly. Nothing is gonna get solved from Apple on here. /EndRant

I'm not talking about software issues. There are fundamental data errors that will take years to fix. There is a difference between software coding and data. And yes I have reported it to apple.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.