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Wow. Apple Maps is a disaster.
- Thread starter b24pgg
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Just read that C3 was working on a street view alternative before Apple bought them. Hopefully Apple integrates this into Maps.
I reckon they've been updating it. We'll either see all 100 in there update, or some original C3 and some updated. It makes no sense to buy the company and not use the data the gain.
That's your opinion, but you don't work for apple, how would you know what they should have done by now? Apple may still be tinkering, we're still approx 3.5 months from releas, they still have time...
It's my professional opinion. I may not work at apple but I make my living with GIS. (and apple maps is a GIS) I've been through many go-lives and normally the biggest issue is that the teams working on the back end are unprepared for the load on the system.
For maps that HAVE to be world class at launch, 3.5 months isn't long enough to load the data, check for back-end functionality, load test and optimise.
It just isn't.
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How much experience do you have with GIS systems? I have 9 years. Including coding, testing and commissioning of new systems. The backend has always been an issue.
Yes, but my point is you don't work for apple, so you have no idea what their schedule is. It sure as hell won't be that the backend was to be official release launch ready at beta 1 tho.
You're telling me google maps was WORLD CLASS at launch? Haha yea whatever.....
You are basically claiming apple should be release ready and perfect at beta 1, which is just an absurd thing to expect. It's a Developer beta, not a public beta.
Some of you people really don't get it, do you?
You guys act like because Google Maps wasn't world class at launch we should just accept the fact that Apple's maps won't be either.
Who cares if Apple's maps are better or worse than Google Maps were in 2006? How is that relevant AT ALL? The bottom line is it seems quite obvious the user is going to suffer a step back at least for a little while and many Apple fans seem to think this is okay.
Am I the only person who finds it straight up UNBELIEVABLE that Apple is actually going to be able to use a downgrade to Maps as their headline iOS 6 feature and have people excuse it? And then over the next year or two as they catch up to where Google is today (who knows if they will ever catch all the way up with them), we are supposed to be oooh and ahhh?
Yes, the flyover view is cool (though completely worthless for well over half the world that doesn't live in one of Apple's 100-120 selected cities. And yes, turn by turn navigation is needed (but like copy/paste several years ago, let's not act like Apple invented the wheel here. The fact is it has been sorely lacking and the fact that it is coming 2 years late isn't going to make me all soft and fuzzy inside).
There's no doubt in my mind that a lot of what Google offers is superior to what Apple offers. The best thing Apple has going for it right now is userbase amongst my friends. With the explosion of social networking over the last 5 years, it is now more important to have a phone that plays nice with my other devices and my friend's devices. I can count on Apple for that... but to act like Apple's maps app in its current form is an improvement over what we already have in iOS 5 is laughable... never mind the Google Maps on Android devices.
You guys act like because Google Maps wasn't world class at launch we should just accept the fact that Apple's maps won't be either.
Who cares if Apple's maps are better or worse than Google Maps were in 2006? How is that relevant AT ALL? The bottom line is it seems quite obvious the user is going to suffer a step back at least for a little while and many Apple fans seem to think this is okay.
Am I the only person who finds it straight up UNBELIEVABLE that Apple is actually going to be able to use a downgrade to Maps as their headline iOS 6 feature and have people excuse it? And then over the next year or two as they catch up to where Google is today (who knows if they will ever catch all the way up with them), we are supposed to be oooh and ahhh?
Yes, the flyover view is cool (though completely worthless for well over half the world that doesn't live in one of Apple's 100-120 selected cities. And yes, turn by turn navigation is needed (but like copy/paste several years ago, let's not act like Apple invented the wheel here. The fact is it has been sorely lacking and the fact that it is coming 2 years late isn't going to make me all soft and fuzzy inside).
There's no doubt in my mind that a lot of what Google offers is superior to what Apple offers. The best thing Apple has going for it right now is userbase amongst my friends. With the explosion of social networking over the last 5 years, it is now more important to have a phone that plays nice with my other devices and my friend's devices. I can count on Apple for that... but to act like Apple's maps app in its current form is an improvement over what we already have in iOS 5 is laughable... never mind the Google Maps on Android devices.
I agree to everything 100% Especially for the fact that Google wasn't good at launch, doesn't mean that we should accept a step back for Apple.
They are not doing this to improve our end user experience, they are doing this for their own selfish reasons.
Indeed.
Back in the 1980s the battery required to power an iPhone would have been the size of a briefcase. If Apple changed battery provider now and the phone came with a briefcase sized battery, would that "be okay because it used to be the case and it will take Apple a few years to catch up?"
Yeah, I was going to use a hybrid car analogy in my original post. I was going to pretend that Mercedes had never built a hybrid or electric car... so they come out with a car that is exactly like what is already on the market except that it gets 32 MPG instead of 47 MPG. People think that's acceptable because Mercedes hasn't built a hybrid before and they will take some time to catch up.
That's great and all, but lol at thinking it is okay on making the end-user suffer in the mean time.
Apple better hope the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 really deliver and the maps app is at least passable. Because if it isn't, there's going to be more than a few people who are going to give other phones and platforms a serious look because the smartphone gap has certainly closed compared to say 2007/2008 when the iPhone and its app store were truly revolutionary.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I disagree. Certainly one of the driving motivating factors is their grudge against Google. But I think Apple truly believes that they will be able to improve upon the experience the google provides. Sure at launch some things will be half a step backwards (also many things like navigation and flyover are a huge step forward), but over time Apple will continue taking steps forward.
No matter which way you cut it, Maps under Apple is a downgrade.
I will be downloading an iOS version of Google Maps on my iPhone upon its release. Beta or not, Apple ditched a great map service and replaced it with something worse. Sorry, I guess the truth hurts.
I will be downloading an iOS version of Google Maps on my iPhone upon its release. Beta or not, Apple ditched a great map service and replaced it with something worse. Sorry, I guess the truth hurts.
Yep and also interior views of public buildings.
Their street view looks even better than Google's. Hopefully it is added to Apple Maps by the fall.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Doubtful. Apple would have announced it at WWDC. Plus Apple is going to spend the next few months just trying to make sure the basics of apple maps go off without a hitch, and on covering more locations with flyover.
Even assuming Apple is planning on releasing their version of street view it certainly wouldn't be till 6.1 or 6.2 at the earliest, but if I were a betting man I'd say it's an iOS 7 feature.
So let me get this straight. You believe its a downgrade to have turn by turn navigation? I'm not sure if you realize this or not but users are going to find that having turn by turn directions is definitely an upgrade over losing Street View. So many supposedly experienced users on here didn't even know the iPhone had Street View until now. Let alone average consumers. But almost everyone is familiar with and will use turn by turn navigation.
It seems to me like Apple has its priorities in order concerning which is more important. And that's not even taking into consideration the other stuff they added to the Maps application. The turn by turn navigation justifies it as an upgrade all by itself.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I want them to, but Apple most likely would call this a major upgrade for iOS 7
No I'm saying their back end should be release ready. The front end is tweakable. The back end needs months of load testing to prepare it for the onslaught.
G maps may not have been world class at launch but it IS now. To compete Apple maps will need to be world class at launch.
What matters is not what devs like you or me think. It is what end users think. I hope I'm wrong about Apple's schedule but bitter experience tells me I won't be.
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This with bells on.
So...aren't the hi-res maps and additional data that they specifically said was not part of the data "back end?"
They are definitely holding back and giving folks just enough to test out functions and find bugs.
It amazes me that all of you data experts out there really think all of these "missing" items in maps were intended and will not be there on launch day as well.
Apple simply isn't that stupid.
They are definitely holding back and giving folks just enough to test out functions and find bugs.
It amazes me that all of you data experts out there really think all of these "missing" items in maps were intended and will not be there on launch day as well.
Apple simply isn't that stupid.
Not only that, but as a couple of posters above mention, also interior panorama's. Here's a link:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1271444/
So you are saying that you believe all of the points of interest, public transit data, live traffic data, and so on and so forth are all being held back and will be there in the fall? I find that hard to believe.
As for saying Apple simply isn't that stupid... let's not forget this is the same company that gloated about their revolutionary antenna in their iPhone 4 and then had to send out millions of free cases that fixed an issue that caused the antenna to not work.
I'd like to see Apple acquire the company Waze (http://www.waze.com). They have an app on the iPhone now that incorporates traffic data, police sightings, and many other things based on user data. The more users, the better it works. Having something like this native in the maps app would be glorious.
If you take a look at the credits, Waze is listed in Apple's new Maps application. So Apple is already integrating Waze. And see that's the point. People think that everything showing in Beta 1 is how it will be when released. Apple is partnering with a ton of companies for their data. We won't know anything really until the final release.
Between TomTom, C3, Waze, local public transit companies, and the ton of other mapping related companies Apple is partnering with, Apple has a ton of mapping data. They just need to integrate it. And integration is their specialty.