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Is Google Maps an example of this? I think it's very clearly an app which dominated the market by offering best-in-class service for untenable prices (Maps API

Is Google Maps an example of this? I think it's very clearly an app which dominated the market by offering best-in-class service for untenable prices (Maps API used to be free for developers up to an absurd amount) and is adding monetization elements now that it dominates the market. That's every VC's dream isn't it?

julianlam 6y ago
Yes, of course, except that the decision-making has shifted towards priorities that do not benefit the customer, though they used to. I have no interest in seeing where the nearest McDonalds is, unless I search for it. POI markers for places I need to go (via bookings/appointments) are good, but POIs for places I have never been are bad. For whatever reason I can never see the street name I want to see anymore. Between the excessive labelling, there is simply no space, and Maps decides to prioritise other labels instead of the STREET NAME. When I am navigating, I really _really_ need to know the street name.
- oconnor663 6y ago
  > For whatever reason I can never see the street name I want to see anymore. It's been this way for years, and it's my #1 gripe with Maps. It's particularly bad in a dense grid like NYC, where some streets only appear for a block or two. If Maps doesn't decide to print the name on that block...I guess I'm not allowed to know what street that is?
  - julianlam 6y ago
    Yes, you're right, it's been aggravating me for years. I vaguely recall reading about this on HN when it happened, and the consensus was that the logic for determining whether to print the street label had been changed for aesthetic reasons. Peak form over function. Anecdotally, I don't see any rhyme nor reason for whether it decides to show the street name or not. Oftentimes, it will value a side-street over the main street, and in _some_ cases this makes sense (e.g. you are on the larger street, and want to see intersecting streets), but Maps doesn't seem to read contextual clues... if I am not navigating, or zooming in from further away, showing larger streets first would be better.
    - thrashh 6y ago
      I don’t think I’ve seen any mapping program show dense streets that well, from MapQuest to Microsoft Streets to maps.me to Google Maps. I’ve worked on similar problems and it’s not the easiest to solve. And I’ve never solved it because it was never that important of problem to solve and we just moved on to the next issue.
- tracker1 6y ago
  I would say the other POI markers do serve one value, and that is with regards to finding a place... if you notice it's right behind the McDonalds, then you know you are close when you see the big M from the street. Similar for strip malls.
  - hundchenkatze 6y ago
    That's true, but it's not Google's intent. It's just another source of ad/promotional revenue. The POIs show up before I search anything. A more user focused solution would wait until I selected a destination, detect that where I'm going is a less frequented, and then display something along the lines of "Hey it looks like this location can be difficult to find, here's some near by stores to look for <insert recognizable brands>."
    - presentation 6y ago
      To be fair it doesn't matter what Google's intent is, I use this feature for that purpose all the time.
- notsureaboutpg 6y ago
  But this street name issue does nothing to tamp down the dominance of Google Maps. No other app outstandingly handles this issue comparitive to Google Maps without having many other negatives that keep people from switching. Every app will have problems and make changes that rub some (or all) users the wrong way. But their priority is profit and market share and they gained (and solidly retain the first) and are now moving to gain the other. That's definitely sound business strategy right there.
- presentation 6y ago
  Until you come to Japan and realize that most of the streets don't have a name, and the addresses look more like random numbers than coordinates :)

julianlam 6y ago

Yes, of course, except that the decision-making has shifted towards priorities that do not benefit the customer, though they used to. I have no interest in seeing where the nearest McDonalds is, unless I search for it. POI markers for places I need to go (via bookings/appointments) are good, but POIs for places I have never been are bad. For whatever reason I can never see the street name I want to see anymore. Between the excessive labelling, there is simply no space, and Maps decides to prioritise other labels instead of the STREET NAME. When I am navigating, I really _really_ need to know the street name.

oconnor663 6y ago
> For whatever reason I can never see the street name I want to see anymore. It's been this way for years, and it's my #1 gripe with Maps. It's particularly bad in a dense grid like NYC, where some streets only appear for a block or two. If Maps doesn't decide to print the name on that block...I guess I'm not allowed to know what street that is?
- julianlam 6y ago
  Yes, you're right, it's been aggravating me for years. I vaguely recall reading about this on HN when it happened, and the consensus was that the logic for determining whether to print the street label had been changed for aesthetic reasons. Peak form over function. Anecdotally, I don't see any rhyme nor reason for whether it decides to show the street name or not. Oftentimes, it will value a side-street over the main street, and in _some_ cases this makes sense (e.g. you are on the larger street, and want to see intersecting streets), but Maps doesn't seem to read contextual clues... if I am not navigating, or zooming in from further away, showing larger streets first would be better.
  - thrashh 6y ago
    I don’t think I’ve seen any mapping program show dense streets that well, from MapQuest to Microsoft Streets to maps.me to Google Maps. I’ve worked on similar problems and it’s not the easiest to solve. And I’ve never solved it because it was never that important of problem to solve and we just moved on to the next issue.
tracker1 6y ago
I would say the other POI markers do serve one value, and that is with regards to finding a place... if you notice it's right behind the McDonalds, then you know you are close when you see the big M from the street. Similar for strip malls.
- hundchenkatze 6y ago
  That's true, but it's not Google's intent. It's just another source of ad/promotional revenue. The POIs show up before I search anything. A more user focused solution would wait until I selected a destination, detect that where I'm going is a less frequented, and then display something along the lines of "Hey it looks like this location can be difficult to find, here's some near by stores to look for <insert recognizable brands>."
  - presentation 6y ago
    To be fair it doesn't matter what Google's intent is, I use this feature for that purpose all the time.
notsureaboutpg 6y ago
But this street name issue does nothing to tamp down the dominance of Google Maps. No other app outstandingly handles this issue comparitive to Google Maps without having many other negatives that keep people from switching. Every app will have problems and make changes that rub some (or all) users the wrong way. But their priority is profit and market share and they gained (and solidly retain the first) and are now moving to gain the other. That's definitely sound business strategy right there.
presentation 6y ago
Until you come to Japan and realize that most of the streets don't have a name, and the addresses look more like random numbers than coordinates :)