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Wow. Apple Maps is a disaster.
- Thread starter b24pgg
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Here's a great post from Philip Elmer Dewitt over at Fortune. He references the $8B Nokia spent on mapping services. I think one could argue that Jobs didn't spend enough R&D on maps early enough. And now it come across like Apple is trying to build a map service based on table scraps, on the stuff no one else wanted. So rather than saying "Steve would never have let this happen" we can say Steve did let it happen by not investing in mapping as early as he should have. Of course with him no longer being here someone else will take the fall for it. Apple's not going to be able to improve this overnight no matter how many software engineers they hire for it.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/23/why-apple-pulled-the-plug-on-google-maps/
I agree that there are likely better options for them to have put in motion. Do we know Google was ready, willing and able to launch a stand alone app?
I'm the opposite of most of those here that are vocal about the change. To me the old app was useless as it didn't include turn by turn. POI and ph# and information regarding stuff around me isn't nearly that important as getting me there. When I'm on the road and I need gas and I hit my Navi System, I don't care if it shows me more information or choices, if I can't have a turn by turn, it's of no value to me.
That said, I based my decisions related to the phone and use of it around those facts and simply used Motion X Drive. I would like to have the OS give me the option of defaulting all core solutions that integrate a map or directions or POI to select an app of my choosing. Even today I still wish it would do that as I still won't likely move away from Motion X Drive, but none of that makes me go off the deep end about the Company, Phone or Software. I move on.
We know what happened last time Apple doubled down on something (secrecy). They better 200-tuple their efforts on maps.
There are apps in the app store to cover this; CoPilot, Tom Tom, Navigon. Swapping out the "default" map app has borked a lot of other apps in the process. Meanwhile the new maps app hasn't added anything new (apart from a flashy 3D flyover).
Bottom line: they've removed more functionality than they added.
I reversed the question in my mind. I said to myself, what are they showing me that tells me it's the same or better than what they had in previous versions? I read through and understood the 3D flyover view, blah, blah, and I saw that they finally gave me turn by turn. However, I still had plenty of questions related to the interface, ease of use, POI, etc. but had no data either way to make an informed decision as to whether it would be good or not.
In my case, the above wasn't a key point for me. As noted earlier, I use an entirely different solution for mapping and navi that I'm more than pleased with so it wasn't a key factor in my pushing the upgrade button. If it was however, I wouldn't have pushed the button or made a move until I had the answers and proof that I needed. Again, to me Apple didn't provide enough data for me to make that call. Others felt differently and perhaps now are realizing there were likely still some questions they could have asked.
I would have to say that it does do what they say, but sure it's not perfect. Not sure why anyone would expect it would be perfect. Is anything perfect and please everyone? World is a pretty big place. Even Google and the old map solution didn't please everyone.
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You're right they edited the depth of the functionality out of the box but like you noted, there are other apps that accomplish what details that others are looking to supplement.
It's a trade off, people like me looking for turn by turn got it and those loving the POI and Google dataset need to go a slightly different route. I'm sure they had good reasons and I would suspect looking at the App Store category of Navigation tells a lot. Tons of 3rd party apps are selling extremely well and thus must bring value to consumers by providing turn by turn. That's just my hunch. Much like I"m sure Apple saw the need to provide HDR and Pano in their camera app based on how well other apps doing those things were selling.
I don't think it's as easy as "they didn't spend enough and got the crumbs instead of the sandwich". Sure this started with Steve alive and well and was probably overseen by Steve early on. C3 was purchased 30 days after Steve's death after-all, this wasn't some about face move after he was gone.
I think the issue though is that Apple concentrated on the wrong aspect of mapping. If you look at their acquisitions and PR material, you'll note that it concentrates on the visual aspect of the maps. The vector graphics, the smooth textures, the visual design that lacks contrasting highlights that ruin a good graphical representation, the 3D, flyover, etc.. etc..
The problem is that no one at Apple seems to understand that mapping isn't about visual design. It's about functional design first. Visuals and graphics should enhance the function, not hinder it. "Ugly" is functional, contrasting colors to differentiate roads (orange for major highways, yellow for important roads, white for smaller streets) is much superior that road width and all white, which makes it less readable.
Localized street signs are a nice touch... but they don't save grace here and while it's nice to see the top of skyscrapers as if I were in a helicopter, I like to drop down to the street to know what to look for when I'm due for a right turn at an intersection, street names often being hidden or hard to spot, while that big burger joint on the corner is a great road marker.
So really, Google learned a lot since 2005. Street view, the way they draw their maps, etc.. all of it is functional. It might not be darn pretty to look at, but I don't need to spend an eternity looking at it either.
I think this is an area where Google is also going afoul though. Their latest presentation about mapping was all about the damn 3D. It's a neat visual trick sure, it's fun... but I'm not here to play X-plane or MS Flight Simulator. I want to map the road between my origin and my destination.
Of course, that's my view of the 1 major issue Apple maps has. All the little other tidbits, POIs, mislabeled streets, missing streets, missing/misplaced landmarks are data integration problem. They'll need to learn how to do it and frankly, that's going to be a learning process for them, but once they have it, they should have better completion for their mapping data. Will they ever catch up to Google's army of cars that's collecting data, not to mention all search result data mining they can do for business addresses and such... we'll see.
My 65 year old mother was led to believe that "it just works". Now she finds it just doesn't.
Thanks for clearing up that it's her fault.
Apple has never said this Maps app is a beta. Quite the contrary. They tell you this is the best thing, ever :
http://www.apple.com/ca/ios/maps/
Which comes back to my earlier point. Apple thought 3D, flyover and beauty make mapping services powerful. They forgot one tidbit : maps aren't about looks and gimmicks!
Back to basics for Apple. Anyone saying this is a "beta" is obviously not speaking for Apple. This is a "release quality product".
Well said. My biggest problem is that the new maps is not easy to use. It's like a website not designed properly. It takes me longer to get oriented and find what I want to find than Google Maps. For maps, I'll take function over form.
Being "led to believe" based on what facts as related to the new app?
What were the facts that she was able to see "led" her to "believe" anything?
I'd love to hear more about her decision making process.
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There are a lot of people, myself included, who are (quite rightly) complaining about Apple Maps, but how many have actually reported local errors to help make it better in the meantime?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1448604/
Please do.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1448604/
Please do.
The only thing I will say about being lost in the new app is that unless you had the iOS betas which I do not know if you did or did not. It is a new app. While if with Google maps app you were already acclimated to that design and layout so now Apple maps is new and people are not yet familiar with the layout of it just yet. Its a new app it will take more than 3 days to learn inside and out.
I am not even touching the subject of maps. I was only pointing out that a new app is a learning curve.
Every product says they are the best ever and the greatest thing since sliced bread. Again, do you believe everything you hear and read without substantial facts? I thought you said you were facts based guy. There's such things as trust and then blind trust. Not the same.
still waiting on you to share with me outside the looks and gimmicks that you don't count as valid (for the record they don't mean anything to me) how you based your decision on upgrading if maps was such a key focus of your decision.
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you don't have to. by the logic here many don't feel anyone can compete with google and their 7k + employees and years of a head start and great existing app. I suppose Navigon, TomTom, Motion X, Waze and many others should just give up and not even continue trying. I'm sure they are all getting together including Apple to just throw in the towel.
Off to search for the threads prior to iOS6 where the Old Maps was touted as the #1 reason people loved their iPhones and older versions of iOS.
Of those people who found issues in the map how many of you did you report it to apple first before posting it here. Or rather did any of you report it at all ?
Are you serious?
There is a *reasonable* assumption that when a company 'upgrades' a product it will not remove so much functionality that the product no longer functions as it used to. The map app, as it is today, no longer functions as a useful map for many people around the world: It doesn't accurately guide people to the places they search for, it doesn't accurately show POI or businesses, it often doesn't show current POIs or business at all even ones that have existed for years, and it seems to frequently depict terrain features inaccurately.
Surely, it is 100% reasonable for a customer to assume that an upgrade means mostly the same or better functionality? Apple is the deceptive one in this situation - and they were perfectly aware that many customers would be deeply upset by their decision. Yet they didn't warn customers and they do not allow customers to revert back to the previous system. Shame on them for that.
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I did immediately. And I just did it again.
I'm going to Tokyo for the first time in October. Just look and there are no street names at all even zoomed in 100% 
I started doing that, BUT realised quickly that I could spend hours every week trying to find addresses that don't show up and then place the pin on the map accurately....for Apple. I want to help, but don't have the time to fix the countless inaccuracies in the new app. There are simply too many. The only thing it does accurately is show roughly where I am.
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i have had no problems with the maps, in fact first time navigating family into the middle of LA, we went to the fashion district, then had to go over to cedar sinai (sp?) and the mapps app in conjunction with the turn by turn actually led us on a trail that was WAY quicker and less confusing than the one my father had on there in his car. sucks that majority of the people on here seem to be having problems or whatnot with the maps when they are working just perfectly fine in the busiest city near me (from el centro to los angeles )
I've been testing the new Maps app since the release of iOS6 and I completely agree with you. I've been an avid Apple user for some time now and I quite naively looked forward to updating the old Google Maps app to a one with better UI and design, but now I'd be willing to pay money to downgrade back to iOS 5.1.1.
It may be fair to point out that Google's maps were not as good as they are today when they started out, and that Apple's maps will get better. But really, that doesn't really change the fact that Apple just made my phone significantly worse.
Where I live (Finland), the Apple maps are a disaster. There are many roads missing in my hometown, the maps don't align with the satellite images and ALL of the POI data is just plain wrong. Seriously, I've yet to find a single restaurant/shop/other POI in my hometown in it's right place. Most of them are missing and the one's that are there, either have wrong location data or are just totally made up. It doesn't even find the local library. (When I search for library, it just gives me the local hospital, 1.5km away from the library.)
So yeah, this is not what I paid for when I bought my phone and quite frankly my next phone will not be an iPhone unless 1) Apple suddenly makes their maps as good as Google maps or 2) Google releases their own map app and I can set it as the default map service.
Another option for me would be if Apple allowed us to upgrade back to 5.1.1 until they fix the current app. I'd be very happy to go back to where I was a few days ago.
I did spend few hours going through some of the issues in my hometown and reporting them to Apple, but I don't really see the point of it when all of the POI data is wrong. It would take ages for me to report them all and also, why the hell should I start working free and full time for Apple; a company with so much cash that they could probably just buy my whole country.
Maps seems pretty ok to me. Strangely, I don't even encounter all the same issues the media are reporting when I try to reproduce their examples. So either they were just using it wrong, or Apple are working really fast to improve Maps.
Ok, it isn't as good as Google maps, but neither is it so bad in my experience (certainly not a 'disaster'). I don't doubt Apple will continue to improve it quick, so no complaints from me Not least because you can effectively still use Google maps anyway via maps.google.com , It's nigh on exactly the same thing. So no one has really lost much, if anything.
Ok, it isn't as good as Google maps, but neither is it so bad in my experience (certainly not a 'disaster'). I don't doubt Apple will continue to improve it quick, so no complaints from me
Not least because you can effectively still use Google maps anyway via maps.google.com , It's nigh on exactly the same thing. So no one has really lost much, if anything.