4 ms·

The article seems to completely ignore one simple thing that guarantees that Apple Maps can never fully compete with Google Maps: Apple Maps is only available o

The article seems to completely ignore one simple thing that guarantees that Apple Maps can never fully compete with Google Maps: Apple Maps is only available on Apple devices. Today, iOS represents 27.5% of all mobile users, meaning that the best they can hope for is 1/3 market share. That assumes that Apple doesn't make any radical changes to their closed ecosystem philosophies.

dkjaudyeqooe 4y ago
A lot of the comments here also completely ignore that basic fact when talking about alternatives to Google.
impulser_ 4y ago
Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide. So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps.
- labster 4y ago
  Or, like me, you download Google Maps as a backup map app. Not having a map available is higher risk than most apps breaking; it’s worth it to have a second option if Apple goes down.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- nequo 4y ago
  > Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide. It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/02/apple-most-downloaded-apps-2021/ https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/02/apple-most-downloaded-a... > So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps. I don't think that this follows from your claim. I have both Google Maps and Apple Maps but use Google Maps only for street view. I use Apple Maps for nearly everything including navigation.
  - impulser_ 4y ago
    > It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up That's United States only. Plus, we aren't even talking about Waze which is also owned by Google and probably has more users than Apple Maps.
  - leobg 4y ago
    Apple has a version of Street View that I find even better than Google’s. Just seems not available for as many places. I wish there was a VR mode where you can turn your view by rotating the phone.
    - LaSombra 4y ago
      And I think that's one of the main problems with Apple Maps. Once you leave main metropolitan areas, the features start to dwindle.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  I wonder what percent of app downloads are re-downloads onto new/wiped devices. I've had Google Maps since it first came out, back before Apple had its own maps. So every time I purchase a new iPhone or iPad, or restore one of my existing devices, Google Maps gets another download. It's possible these re-downloads are utterly swamped by people picking apps out of the app store. But it can't hurt to have a huge base of legacy installs that reduplicate every time someone gets a new device.
  - zarzavat 4y ago
    No, people use Google Maps. Maps are social. When I search for a place in Google maps, I get reviews, pictures, it feels alive. When I search for a place on Apple Maps, firstly it may not even exist because who cares about Apple maps, and secondly it's likely to have few reviews or photos. I just tried with a local restaurant. Google maps has dozens of photos and 100 reviews. Apple maps has 1 review and no photos. If you just need a satnav, then Apple maps is OK I guess, if it has the place you're going to. But why take the risk? I never open the thing.
    - gnicholas 4y ago
      Apple Maps shows reviews from Yelp, at least for the POIs I’ve seen. Although I don’t trust Yelp reviews entirely, I trust them more than Google reviews.
rasz 4y ago
1/3 market share, 2/3 of the profits.
tomjakubowski 4y ago
So what? Apple is well accustomed to succeeding and profiting wildly with minority market shares.
etchalon 4y ago
Apple released extensive Maps APIs that mean third-parties could use Apple Maps on Android and on the Web.
- PeopleB4Cars 4y ago
  Apple should still have a user facing "maps.apple.com" though
QuizzicalCarbon 4y ago
Duck Duck Go uses Apple Maps.
- wink 4y ago
  TIL. Never noticed (I do half my searches with DDG). But it's even more terrible than Google Maps. It still has the bike shop that closed over 3 1/2 years ago and not the new shop. I just found a "restaurant" that is the actual address of a local food truck it seems (German legal imprint), and the "book shop" I did not know about seems to be a warehouse because I can't find the address on their home page. But at least some of the shops are correct...
halJordan 4y ago
Apple maps has a wide open api, duckduckgo for example uses apple maps.

dkjaudyeqooe 4y ago

A lot of the comments here also completely ignore that basic fact when talking about alternatives to Google.

impulser_ 4y ago

Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide. So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps.

labster 4y ago
Or, like me, you download Google Maps as a backup map app. Not having a map available is higher risk than most apps breaking; it’s worth it to have a second option if Apple goes down.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
nequo 4y ago
> Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide. It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/02/apple-most-downloaded-apps-2021/ https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/02/apple-most-downloaded-a... > So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps. I don't think that this follows from your claim. I have both Google Maps and Apple Maps but use Google Maps only for street view. I use Apple Maps for nearly everything including navigation.
- impulser_ 4y ago
  > It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up That's United States only. Plus, we aren't even talking about Waze which is also owned by Google and probably has more users than Apple Maps.
- leobg 4y ago
  Apple has a version of Street View that I find even better than Google’s. Just seems not available for as many places. I wish there was a VR mode where you can turn your view by rotating the phone.
  - LaSombra 4y ago
    And I think that's one of the main problems with Apple Maps. Once you leave main metropolitan areas, the features start to dwindle.
gnicholas 4y ago
I wonder what percent of app downloads are re-downloads onto new/wiped devices. I've had Google Maps since it first came out, back before Apple had its own maps. So every time I purchase a new iPhone or iPad, or restore one of my existing devices, Google Maps gets another download. It's possible these re-downloads are utterly swamped by people picking apps out of the app store. But it can't hurt to have a huge base of legacy installs that reduplicate every time someone gets a new device.
- zarzavat 4y ago
  No, people use Google Maps. Maps are social. When I search for a place in Google maps, I get reviews, pictures, it feels alive. When I search for a place on Apple Maps, firstly it may not even exist because who cares about Apple maps, and secondly it's likely to have few reviews or photos. I just tried with a local restaurant. Google maps has dozens of photos and 100 reviews. Apple maps has 1 review and no photos. If you just need a satnav, then Apple maps is OK I guess, if it has the place you're going to. But why take the risk? I never open the thing.
  - gnicholas 4y ago
    Apple Maps shows reviews from Yelp, at least for the POIs I’ve seen. Although I don’t trust Yelp reviews entirely, I trust them more than Google reviews.

rasz 4y ago

1/3 market share, 2/3 of the profits.

tomjakubowski 4y ago

So what? Apple is well accustomed to succeeding and profiting wildly with minority market shares.

etchalon 4y ago

Apple released extensive Maps APIs that mean third-parties could use Apple Maps on Android and on the Web.

PeopleB4Cars 4y ago
Apple should still have a user facing "maps.apple.com" though

QuizzicalCarbon 4y ago

Duck Duck Go uses Apple Maps.

wink 4y ago
TIL. Never noticed (I do half my searches with DDG). But it's even more terrible than Google Maps. It still has the bike shop that closed over 3 1/2 years ago and not the new shop. I just found a "restaurant" that is the actual address of a local food truck it seems (German legal imprint), and the "book shop" I did not know about seems to be a warehouse because I can't find the address on their home page. But at least some of the shops are correct...

halJordan 4y ago

Apple maps has a wide open api, duckduckgo for example uses apple maps.