18 ms·

I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here

by Dinux 4y ago

I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here in the Netherlands. They used to be a fun and innovative company to work for. When it became apparent they entered a multibillion dollar business it was all about the money. As someone who used TomTom before other options became available I can honestly say that it was an absolute nightmare. The small handheld devices took ages before loading up, had bad GPS reception and could only live on battery for 1.5 hours or so. Maps needed to be updated quarterly and would often not fit on the SD CARD. TomTom charged something in the order of 75 euro per map update. When Google Maps became a viable alternative TomTom continued with the same business model, same paid map updates, same shitty bloatware necessary for map updates etc.. I don't understand the HN sentiment. Things were no better 15 years ago. Google Maps works. It works always. It accurate and uptodate. Dont like Google? There are plenty of OSM apps in store.

afknewsagency 4y ago
This works for the consumer who wants to get from a to b. And doesn't mind being advertised to or tracked via Google. But companies, uber, lyft, carmakers, location intelligence firms etc need commercial mapping and location tech. What TomTom offers exists more for these people than the end consumer these days.
- Dinux 4y ago
  We use maps extensively in our products and Mapbox has been a belessing eversince we started using it. I would argue Mapbox is far better suited for development and product integration than Google Maps is. It is developer and user friendly, offers a wide range of mapping and layering products. It easy to use and affordable small and medium sized businesses.
  - usrusr 4y ago
    Given how very little the TomTom announcement actually says, I've read it as a (desperate?) attempt to pivot into the mapbox market. In any case, nice to see OSM eating the mapping world.
stevage 4y ago
Google Maps works for certain, pretty common, use cases. That doesn't mean it works for everyone or for every business. Monopolies are bad, near monopolies slightly less bad. And especially when it comes to a platform that significantly influences how millions of people perceive the world around them. (Source: making web maps is my career. I don't touch Google Maps professionally but use it a lot personally.)
- calvinmorrison 4y ago
  The power of an app to route people down an old farm road rather than taking the pike to me, is enough. I feel bad for those who live there because its about 30 seconds faster to on the highway
  - Dinux 4y ago
    But thats not whats happening. Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps etc all prefer certain paths over others. I can take a shortcut home which saved me about 5 minutes and potential traffic jams, and Google Maps will never suggest it, unless I deliberately drive down that road.
    - saiya-jin 4y ago
      In my place (Geneva, Switzerland), Google Maps stubbornly keeps suggesting for years the fastest route form my side of the town to the other through one of few bridges that is actually absolute no-go for public traffic, with tons of warning signs (sometimes some of them are obscured by buses but still hard to miss). Needless to say, there is often some sucker going through there, and I have to admit I ended up there once too exactly because of Google Maps. No effort to correct it over the years, in one of the wealthiest and most important power/finance centers globally. What you and parent describe happened to me too, maps are absolute blessing compared to what was there before but they are sometimes not that great ie in cities with a lot of traffic. Its easy to get used to something just working and start demanding perfection, when we are maybe 96% there.
  - newaccount74 4y ago
bloak 4y ago
In my experience, here in the UK, openstreetmap.org is more accurate and more up-to-date than Google Maps, though I still use Google Maps as a way to access Google Earth or Google Street View, which tend to at least be accurate. (I wonder if they've thought about using an AI to guess what the countryside and streets might look like. Could be cheaper than using real photos? :-)
- joking 4y ago
  there is a better option, public data from guvernamental entities, data available to open street map, google maps or tom tom, that could be able to enrich it as they wish, but the base should be open. wishful thinking, I know.
  - dvdkon 4y ago
    Here in the Czech Republic, plenty of government geodata is open (not all for now), but merging datasets is hard, so OSM contributors only do occasional manual imports. It serves as a valuable base and could be used as an OSM alternative on its own, but when you've already got OSM, which is generally more detailed and sometimes even more up-to-date, why bother?
  - artificialLimbs 4y ago
    Better for some. That means we all have to foot the bill for the infrastructure/maintenance. Paying a private company voluntarily would be preferable.
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      The government is already tasked with managing roads and traffic.
      - artificialLimbs 4y ago
        I rest my case.
scrapcode 4y ago
I must agree. I do not remember a very pleasant experience using the GPS dash units. I would move often with the Navy and would use the GPS unit for a couple weeks but challenge myself as soon as possible to learn to get around without it. Now when I am going somewhere over 30 minutes away I throw it into GMaps even if I know how to get there, as there could be a number of events that could've caused a reroute since the last time I took that route.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- greyhair 4y ago
  My commute to work is very predictable, but the commute home is not. I always use Google maps driving home, even though it is only 27 miles, because Gmaps will direct me to alternate routes if there is a traffic tie up on my usual route home. This has saved me literally days of time over my years of commuting.
- guestbest 4y ago
  I’ve done this with waze as well as Apple Maps since construction or accidents can cause undesirable but necessary rerouting
UltraViolence 4y ago
I have a TomTom PND and I swear by it. It's much better than the navigation systems built into cars (unless they're TomTom, several brands have them built-in). Also, I refuse to use Google Maps as I am loath to let Google know my travel history. I am, however, somewhat concerned that TomTom uploads my travel history to their servers, since my device has LTE/3G capability. This was used to fetch congestion information and to offer a smarter / faster route, but since I don't have a subscription the service stopped after a free trial period.
- Dinux 4y ago
  I wasn't suggesting we'd all be using Google Maps. The point I was making is that TomTom had a large role to play in their own demise. They went for the quick buck, employing dark patterns, necessary device upgrades etc. And yes car manufacturers are guilty of much the same.
- dmd 4y ago
  If I google "why is it bad for google to track you", I can find a hundred articles breathlessly telling you all the ways google is tracking you, and a hundred more on how to stop it - but none answering the question. Can someone explain to me why it's a problem? (I make the assumption that even if google doesn't do it, your carrier does, so it doesn't add anything additional to "government's ability to repress/harass".)
  - amachefe 4y ago
    If you don't have any problem with your daily itenary beinf tracked, then no explanation will be good enough for you. Just respect the fact that people don't want their daily activities available to 3rd parties
    - dmd 4y ago
      But that's exactly what I'm trying to understand. What is the problem people have with it? Maybe if you tell me, I'll feel the same way!
nelox 4y ago
The nostalgia fantasy rears its head yet again
themitigating 4y ago
Because they don't like Google therefore they hate the products
kybernetyk 4y ago
Last year I shelled out 700 Euros for a Garmin Overlander off road navigation unit. I wish I didn't. The hardware is very nice - essentially a rugged Android tablet with a well thought out mounting mechanism. But the software side ... oh boy. The "Garmin Explore" service this device is intended to work with looks like something from 2004. I mean not a finished product from 2004. But a proof of concept or minimal viable product from 2004. Usability is terrible. Planing trips/routes on the device is torture. Using the web interface isn't much better. (I'd link a screenshot but the service seems to be down ... again lol). Sync breaks all the time. It's triggered by "bad" filenames for the .gpx files. Some special chars seem to break syncing so bad that the device won't sync at all until you delete the offending file in the cloud - but there's no error message. One day you just wonder why your recent route you planned in the browser isn't on the device. So you go to the sync tab and there's a message like "Last sync: 3_weeks_ago". Have fun fixing this as a normal person. (This bug also comes up when a route has a wrong count of waypoints ... it's not too many waypoints, it seems to be a number between too few and too many). I only figured this out by accident. Garmin support told me to reset the device and make a new account. (Which meant I lost all my tracks). Now if Garmin did work on the software and provided updates I wouldn't be so salty. But there has been 0 improvements to the software side of things since the device was released like 3 years ago. ZERO. All you get is map updates which are for the street navigation side of things. The "overlanding" part? Forget it. There has been 0 bug fixes, 0 new features, nothing. I guess you're supposed to buy the new (more expensive) Garmin device that recently came out. As if I would give Garmin one more Euro. It's not even incompetence. It's maliciousness. They have a line up of wireless cameras (which you mount to your vehicle's bumper, etc). The cams connect via WiFi to the navigation device. Recently Garmin released a new camera - one which I'de find rather useful as it's small and works completely via battery and you can clip to the license plate. So you don't have to wire anything and can take it easily off when you don't need it. But guess what - not compatible with my 700 Euro Android Tablet that could be made totally compatible via a software update if Garmin just wanted to. If you want to use the new cam: Buy the new 1200 Euro navi model. Oh, btw. some of the the older cameras won't work with the new device ... so you better buy a new set of new cameras. I hope Garmin goes bankrupt. Sincerely. /edit: I switched to the Gaia GPS app running on an iPad mini. Waaaay better experience.
zelphirkalt 4y ago
The problem is not only, that things are Google. The problem is, that more and more stuff being Google means fewer alternatives, which in turn means more and more websites and other things start relying on Google, which in turn causes the users to be at Google's mercy. I don't want Google to know all websites I visit. I don't want it to know all websites I visit, which have a map widget on them. I don't want Google to have knowledge about where I am going and when I am going anywhere. Websites for example using Google maps will indirectly enable Google to actually know these things. For example if I want to book a hotel and I want to know, how I get there from the next public transport station (or if I had a car, how I drive there). If it is a Google maps widget, data about what location I am viewing will be available to Google. Google being Google, I have no doubt, that they will try to use that for profiling people. Relying on a becoming a monopoly does not help with freedom. The fact, that uninformed developers introduce dependencies to Google products without a second thought, makes them uninformed indirect helpers of a spying company, whose profit is based on profiling people and tracking people online, to show them pesky ads. It exposes us to the whims of a capitalistically motivated tech giant, which does not have our best interest at heart. That is, why we need alternatives. That is why at least initially any alternative based on non-Google things, is a good thing. The fewer people make use of Google (dis)services the better for all of us, because they wont have the same power over our lives. So the whole "before Google it was better" thing, is actually a "before evil tech giant monopoly" thing.
Aeolun 4y ago
Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.
- leadingthenet 4y ago
  I agree that GMaps still reigns supreme, but Apple Maps is now definitely better in some regards, including the actual maps and transit directions for my city. Probably due to all the OSM data they include, in fairness.
  - nicce 4y ago
    Apples Maps just is not very available globally. It is heavily U.S. oriented, while Google seems to offer similar features everywhere. Maybe some day Apple catches a bit.
    - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
      Also, not everyone has and Apple device, so it's not really a competitor to Google which is available on almost any device apart from sanctioned Chinese ones and any web browser.
    - slayerjain 4y ago
      Apple Maps is also working well for me in Delhi NCR, India. Apple seems to have partnered with local mapping company called MapMyIndia. The traffic information and navigations are also quite useable and the ETAs also seem accurate. I always check both Apple and Google Maps, but use Apple maps on my iphone because its way more battery efficient.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    Is Apple Maps cross platform or only exclusive to Apple devices?
    - 4y ago
joking 4y ago
maybe for the consumer google maps could be better, but for a business, using google maps is shooting yourself on the feet. Just take a look to the mapsplatform pricing and start searching for an alternative.
ausaus 4y ago
My last TomTom device was from a few years ago and it wasn't that great. Slow, low resolution display and updates took hours to apply. I now use the TomTom Android app and it's better than any other app or device I have used. Good maps, with clear instructions and great traffic information.
Kukumber 4y ago
How do you compete against someone who has a diversified portfolio of products and can let you use one for "free" How do you compete against "free" from companies that are able to build monopolies with the help of institutions? It's easy to say "it was shit before google", when innovations weren't available > When Google Maps became a viable alternative TomTom continued with the same business model, same paid map updates, same shitty bloatware necessary for map updates etc.. I agree with that one, they didn't adapt
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
izacus 4y ago
You seem to be completely ignoring that TomTom has been available as a mobile app (like Google Maps) for years now which excludes most of your bad experiences? It supports CarPlay / Android Auto integration so it's a seamless replacement for G/Apple Maps in cars if that's what people want to use. And it works. It works always (even more than GMaps because it's offline first). It's also accurate. And up to date.
DonHopkins 4y ago
>In other cases, the world is changing in ways that place growing demands on maps and location data. Nowadays, all social media has a location component so we can geotag our digital lives, and fitness and exercise apps, like Strava, augment how we interact with the world with virtual leaderboards based on GPS trace data. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734665 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734665 DonHopkins on Aug 19, 2019 | parent | next [–] When I was at TomTom, they ran a contest for employees to come up with fun ways to gamify their internet-connected GPS Personal Navigation Devices. Some wise guy came up with the brilliant idea of maintaining a real-time "Top 10 Speeders" leaderboard for every single road on the entire map. Kinda like Foursquare for speeding on local roads. No matter where you were driving in the world, you could instantly see the top ten speeds of other TomTom users who drove down that same stretch of road, and put the pedal to the metal to claim or defend your own spot on the leaderboard! That one went over like a lead balloon with the legal department. The only thing worse would be a chat app for texting while driving above the speed limit with other Leaderboard members along the same stretch of road. They also didn't appreciate my proposal for TomTomagotchi: a simulated personality on your PND that relentlessly begs you to drive it all around town to various interesting places it wants to visit, to improve its mood and satisfy its cravings. (Kind of like having virtual kids!) I'm sure there's a revenue model having drive through Burger Kings and car washes pay for placements.
greyhair 4y ago
This mirrors my experience directly. Before smart phones, I found TomTom to be more user friendly than competitors, but they were slow to boot up, the battery was only useful for providing clean power vs the car electrical system. I tried using my TomTom for walking Navigation. The battery lasted long enough to reach my destination, but luckily I remembered my way back to the parking lot after, because the battery did not make it. Google Maps on my phone works fine, and on my current Pixel 5A, I can navigate off battery for a three or four hours. Plenty of walking time to hit multiple points in a day of walking. Maybe some day the TomTom app will be competitive with Google maps, but for now, Google maps is the reference by which all other mapping will be judged.
cpuguy83 4y ago
Sure maybe it sucked, but could anyone else have James Earl Jones giving you turn by turn directions? https://youtu.be/o9Oso7199WE https://youtu.be/o9Oso7199WE
cduzz 4y ago
A classic monopolist move is to use monopoly power from one business unit (such as rented computers) and offer an unrelated service at well below market rates in another market (perhaps online retail). The incumbents don't have the crutch of the other business unit and can't price match, and go out of business. Then the monopolist raises prices and there's no competition and no alternative. It's fine, though google maps has gotten pretty bad; I'll just switch back to Waze.
- rakejake 4y ago
  Google owns Waze
tomrod 4y ago
Google maps used to work much better, IMHO, in speed and directions. Their insertion of POI and advertisements into the applications and the website slowed down the chrome a lot.
mradek 4y ago
I use TomTom’s API services in conjunction with google maps API because it is way more cost effective. I use google maps sdk on mobile because generally the data is much better quality for POI than Apple Maps, but doing geocoding is a lot more expensive so that’s where I use TomTom. Seems to work fine for me so far.
stewx 4y ago
The "bad GPS reception" part doesn't reflect my experience. I have had a lot more "GPS signal lost" messages in Google Maps on various Android phones than I ever remember having with dedicated GPS units. I suspect the GPS antennas are bigger in dedicated units as well.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

by Dinux 4y ago

afknewsagency 4y ago

This works for the consumer who wants to get from a to b. And doesn't mind being advertised to or tracked via Google. But companies, uber, lyft, carmakers, location intelligence firms etc need commercial mapping and location tech. What TomTom offers exists more for these people than the end consumer these days.

Dinux 4y ago
We use maps extensively in our products and Mapbox has been a belessing eversince we started using it. I would argue Mapbox is far better suited for development and product integration than Google Maps is. It is developer and user friendly, offers a wide range of mapping and layering products. It easy to use and affordable small and medium sized businesses.
- usrusr 4y ago
  Given how very little the TomTom announcement actually says, I've read it as a (desperate?) attempt to pivot into the mapbox market. In any case, nice to see OSM eating the mapping world.

stevage 4y ago

Google Maps works for certain, pretty common, use cases. That doesn't mean it works for everyone or for every business. Monopolies are bad, near monopolies slightly less bad. And especially when it comes to a platform that significantly influences how millions of people perceive the world around them. (Source: making web maps is my career. I don't touch Google Maps professionally but use it a lot personally.)

calvinmorrison 4y ago
The power of an app to route people down an old farm road rather than taking the pike to me, is enough. I feel bad for those who live there because its about 30 seconds faster to on the highway
- Dinux 4y ago
  But thats not whats happening. Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps etc all prefer certain paths over others. I can take a shortcut home which saved me about 5 minutes and potential traffic jams, and Google Maps will never suggest it, unless I deliberately drive down that road.
  - saiya-jin 4y ago
    In my place (Geneva, Switzerland), Google Maps stubbornly keeps suggesting for years the fastest route form my side of the town to the other through one of few bridges that is actually absolute no-go for public traffic, with tons of warning signs (sometimes some of them are obscured by buses but still hard to miss). Needless to say, there is often some sucker going through there, and I have to admit I ended up there once too exactly because of Google Maps. No effort to correct it over the years, in one of the wealthiest and most important power/finance centers globally. What you and parent describe happened to me too, maps are absolute blessing compared to what was there before but they are sometimes not that great ie in cities with a lot of traffic. Its easy to get used to something just working and start demanding perfection, when we are maybe 96% there.
- newaccount74 4y ago

bloak 4y ago

In my experience, here in the UK, openstreetmap.org is more accurate and more up-to-date than Google Maps, though I still use Google Maps as a way to access Google Earth or Google Street View, which tend to at least be accurate. (I wonder if they've thought about using an AI to guess what the countryside and streets might look like. Could be cheaper than using real photos? :-)

joking 4y ago
there is a better option, public data from guvernamental entities, data available to open street map, google maps or tom tom, that could be able to enrich it as they wish, but the base should be open. wishful thinking, I know.
- dvdkon 4y ago
  Here in the Czech Republic, plenty of government geodata is open (not all for now), but merging datasets is hard, so OSM contributors only do occasional manual imports. It serves as a valuable base and could be used as an OSM alternative on its own, but when you've already got OSM, which is generally more detailed and sometimes even more up-to-date, why bother?
- artificialLimbs 4y ago
  Better for some. That means we all have to foot the bill for the infrastructure/maintenance. Paying a private company voluntarily would be preferable.
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    The government is already tasked with managing roads and traffic.
    - artificialLimbs 4y ago
      I rest my case.

scrapcode 4y ago

I must agree. I do not remember a very pleasant experience using the GPS dash units. I would move often with the Navy and would use the GPS unit for a couple weeks but challenge myself as soon as possible to learn to get around without it. Now when I am going somewhere over 30 minutes away I throw it into GMaps even if I know how to get there, as there could be a number of events that could've caused a reroute since the last time I took that route.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
greyhair 4y ago
My commute to work is very predictable, but the commute home is not. I always use Google maps driving home, even though it is only 27 miles, because Gmaps will direct me to alternate routes if there is a traffic tie up on my usual route home. This has saved me literally days of time over my years of commuting.
guestbest 4y ago
I’ve done this with waze as well as Apple Maps since construction or accidents can cause undesirable but necessary rerouting

UltraViolence 4y ago

I have a TomTom PND and I swear by it. It's much better than the navigation systems built into cars (unless they're TomTom, several brands have them built-in). Also, I refuse to use Google Maps as I am loath to let Google know my travel history. I am, however, somewhat concerned that TomTom uploads my travel history to their servers, since my device has LTE/3G capability. This was used to fetch congestion information and to offer a smarter / faster route, but since I don't have a subscription the service stopped after a free trial period.

Dinux 4y ago
I wasn't suggesting we'd all be using Google Maps. The point I was making is that TomTom had a large role to play in their own demise. They went for the quick buck, employing dark patterns, necessary device upgrades etc. And yes car manufacturers are guilty of much the same.
dmd 4y ago
If I google "why is it bad for google to track you", I can find a hundred articles breathlessly telling you all the ways google is tracking you, and a hundred more on how to stop it - but none answering the question. Can someone explain to me why it's a problem? (I make the assumption that even if google doesn't do it, your carrier does, so it doesn't add anything additional to "government's ability to repress/harass".)
- amachefe 4y ago
  If you don't have any problem with your daily itenary beinf tracked, then no explanation will be good enough for you. Just respect the fact that people don't want their daily activities available to 3rd parties
  - dmd 4y ago
    But that's exactly what I'm trying to understand. What is the problem people have with it? Maybe if you tell me, I'll feel the same way!

nelox 4y ago

The nostalgia fantasy rears its head yet again

themitigating 4y ago

Because they don't like Google therefore they hate the products

kybernetyk 4y ago

Last year I shelled out 700 Euros for a Garmin Overlander off road navigation unit. I wish I didn't. The hardware is very nice - essentially a rugged Android tablet with a well thought out mounting mechanism. But the software side ... oh boy. The "Garmin Explore" service this device is intended to work with looks like something from 2004. I mean not a finished product from 2004. But a proof of concept or minimal viable product from 2004. Usability is terrible. Planing trips/routes on the device is torture. Using the web interface isn't much better. (I'd link a screenshot but the service seems to be down ... again lol). Sync breaks all the time. It's triggered by "bad" filenames for the .gpx files. Some special chars seem to break syncing so bad that the device won't sync at all until you delete the offending file in the cloud - but there's no error message. One day you just wonder why your recent route you planned in the browser isn't on the device. So you go to the sync tab and there's a message like "Last sync: 3_weeks_ago". Have fun fixing this as a normal person. (This bug also comes up when a route has a wrong count of waypoints ... it's not too many waypoints, it seems to be a number between too few and too many). I only figured this out by accident. Garmin support told me to reset the device and make a new account. (Which meant I lost all my tracks). Now if Garmin did work on the software and provided updates I wouldn't be so salty. But there has been 0 improvements to the software side of things since the device was released like 3 years ago. ZERO. All you get is map updates which are for the street navigation side of things. The "overlanding" part? Forget it. There has been 0 bug fixes, 0 new features, nothing. I guess you're supposed to buy the new (more expensive) Garmin device that recently came out. As if I would give Garmin one more Euro. It's not even incompetence. It's maliciousness. They have a line up of wireless cameras (which you mount to your vehicle's bumper, etc). The cams connect via WiFi to the navigation device. Recently Garmin released a new camera - one which I'de find rather useful as it's small and works completely via battery and you can clip to the license plate. So you don't have to wire anything and can take it easily off when you don't need it. But guess what - not compatible with my 700 Euro Android Tablet that could be made totally compatible via a software update if Garmin just wanted to. If you want to use the new cam: Buy the new 1200 Euro navi model. Oh, btw. some of the the older cameras won't work with the new device ... so you better buy a new set of new cameras. I hope Garmin goes bankrupt. Sincerely. /edit: I switched to the Gaia GPS app running on an iPad mini. Waaaay better experience.

zelphirkalt 4y ago

The problem is not only, that things are Google. The problem is, that more and more stuff being Google means fewer alternatives, which in turn means more and more websites and other things start relying on Google, which in turn causes the users to be at Google's mercy. I don't want Google to know all websites I visit. I don't want it to know all websites I visit, which have a map widget on them. I don't want Google to have knowledge about where I am going and when I am going anywhere. Websites for example using Google maps will indirectly enable Google to actually know these things. For example if I want to book a hotel and I want to know, how I get there from the next public transport station (or if I had a car, how I drive there). If it is a Google maps widget, data about what location I am viewing will be available to Google. Google being Google, I have no doubt, that they will try to use that for profiling people. Relying on a becoming a monopoly does not help with freedom. The fact, that uninformed developers introduce dependencies to Google products without a second thought, makes them uninformed indirect helpers of a spying company, whose profit is based on profiling people and tracking people online, to show them pesky ads. It exposes us to the whims of a capitalistically motivated tech giant, which does not have our best interest at heart. That is, why we need alternatives. That is why at least initially any alternative based on non-Google things, is a good thing. The fewer people make use of Google (dis)services the better for all of us, because they wont have the same power over our lives. So the whole "before Google it was better" thing, is actually a "before evil tech giant monopoly" thing.

Aeolun 4y ago

Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.

leadingthenet 4y ago
I agree that GMaps still reigns supreme, but Apple Maps is now definitely better in some regards, including the actual maps and transit directions for my city. Probably due to all the OSM data they include, in fairness.
- nicce 4y ago
  Apples Maps just is not very available globally. It is heavily U.S. oriented, while Google seems to offer similar features everywhere. Maybe some day Apple catches a bit.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    Also, not everyone has and Apple device, so it's not really a competitor to Google which is available on almost any device apart from sanctioned Chinese ones and any web browser.
  - slayerjain 4y ago
    Apple Maps is also working well for me in Delhi NCR, India. Apple seems to have partnered with local mapping company called MapMyIndia. The traffic information and navigations are also quite useable and the ETAs also seem accurate. I always check both Apple and Google Maps, but use Apple maps on my iphone because its way more battery efficient.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  Is Apple Maps cross platform or only exclusive to Apple devices?
  - 4y ago

joking 4y ago

maybe for the consumer google maps could be better, but for a business, using google maps is shooting yourself on the feet. Just take a look to the mapsplatform pricing and start searching for an alternative.

ausaus 4y ago

My last TomTom device was from a few years ago and it wasn't that great. Slow, low resolution display and updates took hours to apply. I now use the TomTom Android app and it's better than any other app or device I have used. Good maps, with clear instructions and great traffic information.

Kukumber 4y ago

How do you compete against someone who has a diversified portfolio of products and can let you use one for "free" How do you compete against "free" from companies that are able to build monopolies with the help of institutions? It's easy to say "it was shit before google", when innovations weren't available > When Google Maps became a viable alternative TomTom continued with the same business model, same paid map updates, same shitty bloatware necessary for map updates etc.. I agree with that one, they didn't adapt

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

izacus 4y ago

You seem to be completely ignoring that TomTom has been available as a mobile app (like Google Maps) for years now which excludes most of your bad experiences? It supports CarPlay / Android Auto integration so it's a seamless replacement for G/Apple Maps in cars if that's what people want to use. And it works. It works always (even more than GMaps because it's offline first). It's also accurate. And up to date.

DonHopkins 4y ago

>In other cases, the world is changing in ways that place growing demands on maps and location data. Nowadays, all social media has a location component so we can geotag our digital lives, and fitness and exercise apps, like Strava, augment how we interact with the world with virtual leaderboards based on GPS trace data. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734665 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734665 DonHopkins on Aug 19, 2019 | parent | next [–] When I was at TomTom, they ran a contest for employees to come up with fun ways to gamify their internet-connected GPS Personal Navigation Devices. Some wise guy came up with the brilliant idea of maintaining a real-time "Top 10 Speeders" leaderboard for every single road on the entire map. Kinda like Foursquare for speeding on local roads. No matter where you were driving in the world, you could instantly see the top ten speeds of other TomTom users who drove down that same stretch of road, and put the pedal to the metal to claim or defend your own spot on the leaderboard! That one went over like a lead balloon with the legal department. The only thing worse would be a chat app for texting while driving above the speed limit with other Leaderboard members along the same stretch of road. They also didn't appreciate my proposal for TomTomagotchi: a simulated personality on your PND that relentlessly begs you to drive it all around town to various interesting places it wants to visit, to improve its mood and satisfy its cravings. (Kind of like having virtual kids!) I'm sure there's a revenue model having drive through Burger Kings and car washes pay for placements.

greyhair 4y ago

This mirrors my experience directly. Before smart phones, I found TomTom to be more user friendly than competitors, but they were slow to boot up, the battery was only useful for providing clean power vs the car electrical system. I tried using my TomTom for walking Navigation. The battery lasted long enough to reach my destination, but luckily I remembered my way back to the parking lot after, because the battery did not make it. Google Maps on my phone works fine, and on my current Pixel 5A, I can navigate off battery for a three or four hours. Plenty of walking time to hit multiple points in a day of walking. Maybe some day the TomTom app will be competitive with Google maps, but for now, Google maps is the reference by which all other mapping will be judged.

cpuguy83 4y ago

Sure maybe it sucked, but could anyone else have James Earl Jones giving you turn by turn directions? https://youtu.be/o9Oso7199WE https://youtu.be/o9Oso7199WE

cduzz 4y ago

A classic monopolist move is to use monopoly power from one business unit (such as rented computers) and offer an unrelated service at well below market rates in another market (perhaps online retail). The incumbents don't have the crutch of the other business unit and can't price match, and go out of business. Then the monopolist raises prices and there's no competition and no alternative. It's fine, though google maps has gotten pretty bad; I'll just switch back to Waze.

rakejake 4y ago
Google owns Waze

tomrod 4y ago

Google maps used to work much better, IMHO, in speed and directions. Their insertion of POI and advertisements into the applications and the website slowed down the chrome a lot.

mradek 4y ago

I use TomTom’s API services in conjunction with google maps API because it is way more cost effective. I use google maps sdk on mobile because generally the data is much better quality for POI than Apple Maps, but doing geocoding is a lot more expensive so that’s where I use TomTom. Seems to work fine for me so far.

stewx 4y ago

The "bad GPS reception" part doesn't reflect my experience. I have had a lot more "GPS signal lost" messages in Google Maps on various Android phones than I ever remember having with dedicated GPS units. I suspect the GPS antennas are bigger in dedicated units as well.

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