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Wow. Apple Maps is a disaster.
- Thread starter b24pgg
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Yeah, that advice has been posted many times already in this thread... the problem is that it doesn't solve many of the underlying problems.
Apple contracted with the best mapping company in China, AutoNavi, which Apple didn't bother to do anywhere else.
OTOH, Maps in China only has Chinese maps, so if they travel abroad, they'll be surprised to find themselves with no TomTom maps.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...pples_ios_6_maps_are_instead_praised_in_china
What exactly is the point of repeating the same argument over and over and over again??)
Many of us here are wondering exactly the same thing about your posts.
Another experience today where apple maps performed better than google maps, bing, Nokia maps.
Had them all route to a grocery store. Apple, google, Nokia found the location although apple maps just showed a list without indicating which one it was. It was the first item on the list.
Bing generally seemed disfnctional, constantly wanting to place me in Seattle. I had to zoom into the location found from other maps and tell it to route. It routed along a partial toll road for no good reason. Non toll road just as fast or faster.
Nokia found the location easily but also routed via toll roads.
Google found the location easily. It's the only one that realized that a new expressway here had been extended. However, it came up with the worst route, a long roundabout approach that maximized time on the toll road. Passing the location and coming back from behind. There was no alternate routing option provided. Their provided route was not reasonable. In practice, I'd end up making my own route based on the map.
Apple maps shined. It came up with three very reasonable routes and allowed me to choose. Non of the routes involved any toll roads. They were all routes we'd consider.
I find myself constantly testing the new apple maps. So far I have found few problems and often better experience then even google provides.
At least in the US, I think this issue has been way over blown.
And I love the Siri integration. The following works!
"Take me home"
"Navigate to best buy"
Etc.
I value the added function over questionable missing google maps.
Had them all route to a grocery store. Apple, google, Nokia found the location although apple maps just showed a list without indicating which one it was. It was the first item on the list.
Bing generally seemed disfnctional, constantly wanting to place me in Seattle. I had to zoom into the location found from other maps and tell it to route. It routed along a partial toll road for no good reason. Non toll road just as fast or faster.
Nokia found the location easily but also routed via toll roads.
Google found the location easily. It's the only one that realized that a new expressway here had been extended. However, it came up with the worst route, a long roundabout approach that maximized time on the toll road. Passing the location and coming back from behind. There was no alternate routing option provided. Their provided route was not reasonable. In practice, I'd end up making my own route based on the map.
Apple maps shined. It came up with three very reasonable routes and allowed me to choose. Non of the routes involved any toll roads. They were all routes we'd consider.
I find myself constantly testing the new apple maps. So far I have found few problems and often better experience then even google provides.
At least in the US, I think this issue has been way over blown.
And I love the Siri integration. The following works!
"Take me home"
"Navigate to best buy"
Etc.
I value the added function over questionable missing google maps.
heh heh, can you describe you specific problem and what steps did you take to solve them that did not work? Tim Cook already established that IOS 6 map is not as good as Android map. But he mentioned a lot of apps that potentially can replace Android map for a good segment of users. So which part of these apps that does not work for you..
Let's not talk in general terms, we already had 2000+ posts that talked about the potential pro and con of Apple map. Why not turn this thread into something useful for user. Share you problem and see if someone has a solution for you.. If you don't have a problem today, all you are doing is just rehashing someone else warm over complaint...and it is a waste of time for everyone.
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heh heh, so what do you want to accomplish in this forum debating the issue? Tim Cook already said sorry and Apple screwed up on the map. And there will be no Google apps in IOS ever.. So what are you going to do about your problem?
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Sure. But China is the number 2 smartphone country in the world and having a good map in China is a pretty important step too...
By far the worst maps program I have ever used, and I've used many. Apple is rightfully ashamed of the horrible product they put out. The only people that like it are the fanboys, but then again their opinion never means anything anyway.
Before you read and criticize my or anyone else's post try reading the whole thing first.
Of course I tried linking google maps web URL to my home screen ... it loads very slow and has less functionality than the google maps iOS app. Same goes for all the maps apps I checked out in the App Store. All are not as good as the google maps iOS app was.
The apology itself is probably not just to counter the bad press. Apple have one thing that no-one here has - actual per user usage statistics of the app from the server end, time used, number of queries failing to find a result, etc. And I suspect the usage dropped off a cliff a short time after iOS 6 came out and that's why Apple are concerned.
Worse ? Did you even read your article ? Google Maps fared better, returned results for every query (something Apple didn't) even if those results were wrong. That's according to the author of your piece. What he said he found was that :
IE, Google Maps does a better job of keeping people interested and did return more accurate results (the original piece showed that Apple gave about 400-500 good results to Google's 900 in your own piece).
Way to distort reality and spin an article to make it say what it doesn't say.
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http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-street-view/id486967765?mt=8
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I'm happy that you finally realise what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence, with people throwing out "Apple did no wrong!" in your face to tell you your issue is imaginary over and over again and won't let you freely post your criticism. It's always your fault, not Apple's fault.
Maybe now you'll stop doing it to me and others when it comes the time ?
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They also changed the marketing material, to better reflect their strong points without pretending their solution was one of the best out there.
If this is truly the case, why is Apple not doing that with Turn By Turn directions for cars?
Why not for everything else in iOS too?
The principle can be applied to anything. Someone else can do it better.
I think the answer is clear - Apple knows that it really can't match what Google had in this area, so it's just giving up.
What if I want to travel between two distinct areas? Two Apps? One App that covers both? It just seems like the idea has been thought up by someone who'll never, ever use it.
Why? Because there are already many companies that provide the turn by turn data for the entire world. And that data does not need to be updated on as little as a minute by minute basis.
What we are talking about here is a local provider telling you that a bus is running 5 minutes late so it may provide the best routing solution. The road you are driving on isn't going to "change" many times during the day (or if it is, that is traffic related which again is supplied by a third party or crowd sourced)
I did the ******** test on this guys material. For instance, he claims that Google returns Shandong, China if you search for "Government Landing Ontario". That is not the case, not on maps.google.co.uk, and not on iOS 5. The test is full of these purported "mistakes" that turn out to be fabrications of a faulty test. Another example is "Kingsbridge Ontario", which he claims Google places in Kingsbridge, United Kingdom. Again, maps.google.co.uk and maps in iOS 5 correctly returns the Ontario location.
Don't thrust this ******** test.
Oh, I did the same random no-******** test on the original test of Apple maps. They check out. Surprise-surprise, fanboy-in-chief Gruber links to a ******** tests in defense of Apple maps, which is based on pure fantasy or ****** coding.
My local bus provider doesn't do that. Not having transit information in the app like its built into Google Maps is just poor sorry. The transit information for Montreal and its surrounding area was great in Google's stuff (still is, just not available from the native app in my iPhone anymore).
I did read it. Did you?
The test shows that google only returns more results because it tries to return something, anything, no matter how wrong. It works a lot like google search, which encourages you to keep refining your search term until you get the results you expect. But Apple is returning much more accurate results. If it does find some reasonable, it is mostly telling you the truth: it didn't find it. It is not giving you some place in the other side of the world.
We can question the test methodology and the coding behind it (which the author welcomes), but as it is, the results are what they are.
IMO, there is some issue with the API being used in the iOS5 test. Edit: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11614721/clgeocoder-geocoding-is-hopelessly-inaccurate
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Originally I was disgusted with the new Apple Maps app, but I've turned a 180 on my view and think it's great now (for what I use it for).
What I didn't like about it the first time I saw it was due to how it does traffic updates. My wife installed iOS6 on her iPad 3 so I wanted to compare it against my iPhone 4 at the time with the old maps app. The traffic data was non existent on Apple Maps...at least that's the way it looked to me at the time.
Now that more people are using the new Maps app (with location services), the better the data is around my area (Chicagoland) and I find it extremely accurate for letting me know where heavy traffic is. Much more accurate than google maps could ever do. I also like the fact that if traffic is flowing smoothly that there's no line on the road...it keeps things a lot cleaner. Now if there was a way to filter out the road construction warnings and whatnot it would make this feature even that much better.
I use a stand a lone gps for my navigation, I have a ton of job sites that I need saved so I prefer to rely on a device that only has one job and it's navigation....so I haven't really experimented with the navigation features of my iPhone 5 and iOS6 yet. The traffic data what I need in a map app, and the new Apple app delivers. Color me happy....I have no use for a google app and will likely not even download it if it's ever released for iOS6 and beyond.
What I didn't like about it the first time I saw it was due to how it does traffic updates. My wife installed iOS6 on her iPad 3 so I wanted to compare it against my iPhone 4 at the time with the old maps app. The traffic data was non existent on Apple Maps...at least that's the way it looked to me at the time.
Now that more people are using the new Maps app (with location services), the better the data is around my area (Chicagoland) and I find it extremely accurate for letting me know where heavy traffic is. Much more accurate than google maps could ever do. I also like the fact that if traffic is flowing smoothly that there's no line on the road...it keeps things a lot cleaner. Now if there was a way to filter out the road construction warnings and whatnot it would make this feature even that much better.
I use a stand a lone gps for my navigation, I have a ton of job sites that I need saved so I prefer to rely on a device that only has one job and it's navigation....so I haven't really experimented with the navigation features of my iPhone 5 and iOS6 yet. The traffic data what I need in a map app, and the new Apple app delivers. Color me happy....I have no use for a google app and will likely not even download it if it's ever released for iOS6 and beyond.
iMaps is **** as of now. Even the CEO admitted it.
They will improve maps no doubt. As of now it is useless. I drive in and out of london and it doesn't function as a navvy unlike Google maps and tomtom which i've used in the past.
Jobs would've never have allowed this to happen. With reports saying they had another 3/4 year with Google maps, things just seem like they've been rushed. Apple should take less ignorant paths next time. Especially with software which they do so well....
They will improve maps no doubt. As of now it is useless. I drive in and out of london and it doesn't function as a navvy unlike Google maps and tomtom which i've used in the past.
Jobs would've never have allowed this to happen. With reports saying they had another 3/4 year with Google maps, things just seem like they've been rushed. Apple should take less ignorant paths next time. Especially with software which they do so well....
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The test isn't valid. His findings simply don't check out. Do the searches yourself. For instance, this tool claims Google maps place you in Shandong, China, if you search for "Government Landing Ontario". Now, what smart people do when they see results that are unbelievable is that they double-check; is this really the case?
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Government+Landing+Ontario
It isn't. The guy messed up, and the Apple faithful sing Halleluja. Entertaining, really.
I'm sorry, but I'm pretty impressed with the HopStop app...and a bunch of Montreal specific transit apps came up as options when I picked a random trip from a hospital outside of town to a downtown location.
Multiple bus/train options or I could have asked for either specifically...and it shows Caroline's burned from the walk, energy saved, great graphics...awesome app.
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When I put Government Landing Ontario into Apple Maps, I get Holland Landing Fire department on 984 Gorham St, Newmarket Ontario, L3Y 5G9, CA. When I put it into google maps safari I get...surprise... Government Landing ONPOW.
Apple Maps is wrong, as usual.
Actually it looks like apple's geocoding API has varying levels of support around the world: see the answer to this post
So he screwed up. He's testing Apple's sloppy maps API, but attributes the mistakes he finds to Google. If he knows this his entire post is deceiving.
the worse for me wasnt even the maps. It was fine up until the LTE starting switching over to 3g and back n forth and the internet got stuck where by the maps didnt work. blue dot stuck and had to shut it down and wait for strong signal to get it back. frustrating. Esp when I was on hwy.
so many bugs everywhere between carriers and ios6. My iphone 4 is missed. However, that was ios 5.1.1 so there were a few updates to get it upto par. I hope ios6 will be the same and quickly!
I have 2 weeks to see.
so many bugs everywhere between carriers and ios6. My iphone 4 is missed. However, that was ios 5.1.1 so there were a few updates to get it upto par. I hope ios6 will be the same and quickly!
I have 2 weeks to see.
Here is my little imput about Apple Maps. Yesterday, I was looking for a specific address. While I was stopped at a stop sign, Apple Maps told me to take a left, then 2 seconds later, told me to take a right. LoL!
Friday night, I was taking home a friend and his kid. We were in the middle of crossing a bridge and Apple Maps freaked out and lost my position. It began trying to re-rout me due to the roads under the bridge. It told me to take a left in 300 ft then take a right on another road. My icon kept bouncing around the screen like that old game Pong. It was funny.
The other day, I was driving down a road that has been there before I was born and Apple Maps thought it was two separate roads side-by-side. Again, it freaked out and did not know what road to be on. Again, like Pong, kept bouncing around from road to road.
Friday night, I was taking home a friend and his kid. We were in the middle of crossing a bridge and Apple Maps freaked out and lost my position. It began trying to re-rout me due to the roads under the bridge. It told me to take a left in 300 ft then take a right on another road. My icon kept bouncing around the screen like that old game Pong. It was funny.
The other day, I was driving down a road that has been there before I was born and Apple Maps thought it was two separate roads side-by-side. Again, it freaked out and did not know what road to be on. Again, like Pong, kept bouncing around from road to road.