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New Apple maps app under fire from users

305 points by option_greek 14y ago

epo 14y ago
You can't make an omelette ... It'll be interesting to see the pace of development of this vs Google's inevitable maps app. The mapping must be updated OTA so won't require IOS refreshes to improve the quality. But for now this app is like the stereotypical bimbo, quite pretty to look at but also pretty useless.
homosaur 14y ago
I've been on IOS 6 since a few days after the beta came out and I can tell you that the new Maps is nearly worthless, especially if you've entered a decent amount of data into Google Maps. Yes the navigation sucks, yes there's other huge basic issues, but the killer for me is that I have over 270 starred places in Google Maps and without being able to get to that data, Apple's new option is nearly useless. I don't want to gloss over how much the basics suck on this app, they suck profoundly. The bookmarks is the worst loss though. I have an iPhone for work but I'm very glad I no longer am under a personal iPhone contract because with the lack of features in IOS 6, I don't see how I'd ever go back to using an Apple phone full time.
- homosaur 14y ago
  It's a KILLER atlas though, way better than Google Earth on iPad.
marklabedz 14y ago
Is the experience any better when utilizing Siri as an interface? If you ask Siri for directions instead of relying on the built-in search functionality, is it any better or would both Siri and iOS maps query the same database? Siri --> Address --> iOS nav via street address
marknutter 14y ago
You know what else sucks on the iPhone? The notes app - That's why I use Evernote. And the tasks app - that's why I use Clear. And the mail app - that's why I use Gmail. And iBooks - which is why I use the Kindle app. Point is, you can download an app that works better for you if you're not happy with Maps anymore, just like you could with all of the other built in Apple software. I think Apple really needed to control their own destiny with the Maps software, and most non-geeks are probably not going to notice that their Maps app is getting it's data from somewhere else now. They probably didn't realize it was coming from Google Maps in the first place.
- pmjordan 14y ago
  Mobile Safari is slow and crashy, good thing I can replace it with… waitaminute. As far as I know there's no decent replacement for Maps either; it remains to be seen if Apple will permit a direct replacement. If Google doesn't release one themselves, it could be problematic for a third party to create an app using Google's map API - that's centered around use in web apps, although their "Maps for Business" might be suited. Still, it's a hell of a risk to take. (but possibly with a handsome reward)
  - eyko 14y ago
    Maps on Chrome mobile :-)
    - pmjordan 14y ago
      In case you're not aware: Chrome on iOS uses UIWebView, which is Safari without the fast JavaScript engine. The web interface for Google Maps certainly works on Safari, but it's certainly not as slick or as fast as the app. Maybe this is due to connection speed, not browser speed, but the bottom line is the user experience is worse (though the features are much better).
      - eyko 14y ago
        I use Nitrous.
  - k-mcgrady 14y ago
    You can replace Safari with Opera, Chrome, Dolphin, or several others. You can't set them as default but you can replace them. There are plenty of map alternatives too - Open Street Map, TomTom, Google Earth, etc.
    - bryanlarsen 14y ago
      Those alternative browsers either use the Safari rendering engine or render offline, so are significantly crippled compared to something like Firefox for Android.
purephase 14y ago
It seems like such an innocuous thing, but Maps can truly make or break a phone decision. There is no question that Android has a considerably better user experience when it comes to Maps given the lead that Google has. That being said, Apple certainly has the cash and time to devote to this and a better competitor (and more effort in OSM) means that we all win in a way. So it will be interesting to watch it play out. One minor gripe with turn-by-turn. If I'm playing music/podcasts, I would have expected the volume to mute on the other media when driving directions are announced. Not so, it just turns into a garbled mess. The compression on Siri kind of sucks too.
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  >> "One minor gripe with turn-by-turn. If I'm playing music/podcasts, I would have expected the volume to mute on the other media when driving directions are announced. Not so, it just turns into a garbled mess." I don't really sue turn-by-turn but from what I understand it's supposed to lower the volume of other media playing when announcing directions and then bring the volume back when done. Might be something you can change in the settings.
  - MattRogish 14y ago
    It does this on mine (I haven't done turn-by-turn on iOS6 final, but when I was on the betas, it performed as expected)
    - purephase 14y ago
      Odd, it doesn't for me (either in the betas or final version). Maybe there is a setting somewhere...
adriand 14y ago
I understand the experience may not be ideal (I haven't tried it out yet, either), but take a moment to reflect on what they actually did: in a little over a year Apple completely replaced one of iOS's core technologies, one that relies on a mind-bogglingly complex and astoundingly huge data set, and is now pushing this out to millions of devices. Most of us know what it is like to have to launch something. Launching something is never easy. We frequently talk about the MVP here on HN as well. Apple has done the difficult work of launching their MVP. Now they can make it better. It may never be as good as Google Maps, but that doesn't mean it will always be terrible.
- smackfu 14y ago
  >in a little over a year That's just a made up timeline. They may have been working on a maps replacement for years.
  - bennyg 14y ago
    His point is still pretty valid. How long would it take you to develop and roll out the maps application at the quality it is now, for a MVP?
    - jonknee 14y ago
      It depends on TomTom's license fee, but with Apple sized pockets probably not as long as you'd think.
    - eli 14y ago
      The logic behind creating an MVP doesn't really make sense when the market for the product isn't competitive. Apple didn't offer their mapping solution as an option in the App Store to judge interest; they forced anyone who buys new or upgrades for any reason to use it.
  - dusing 14y ago
    Whatever length of time it is Apple still did it in a fraction of the time Google has been working on its maps. Also maybe I live in a weird place (Minneapolis) but I've been using the new maps since WWDC everyday and honestly have no complaints, the turn by turn is quite good as I just used it non stop in New Orleans.
toddmorey 14y ago
The big problem I see is that Apple effectively removed street view from the iPhone as it's not even available in the mobile safari version of Google Maps. I don't mind that they are working on their own maps, but I can't believe they couldn't have licensed Google maps for at least another year until their solution matured or offered some sort of advantage. The first iPhone brought the best mobile maps experience. The latest iPhone brings the worst. To me, the real test is whether Apple will allow a map application from Google to coexist on the iPhone. I'm hoping they do. It's the right thing to do.
- nicholassmith 14y ago
  The issue is we don't know why they stopped licensing, although if you follow the scuttlebutt Google hiked prices of mapping, followed by Apple announcing their intent to ship their own maps, followed by Google dropping prices of mapping. Might have been an unsuccessful negotiation, Google might have made high demands, Apple might have been cads. No one knows, what we do know is the licensing agreement expired and they couldn't arrange a new one.
liotier 14y ago
Disappointed with the iOS 6 maps ? Why don’t you give OpenStreetMap a try ? http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS - it won't give you pretty satellite imagery, but maybe you'll like the maps.
- homosaur 14y ago
  In many places OSM is the most accurate mapping system and overall it's very good, but my problem is, has anyone yet built an app worth a crap on top of it? One with turn by turn, etc?
  - chippy 14y ago
    Yes they have, so the problem may be one of findability, or marketing of these apps.
- tonfa 14y ago
  I thought iOS maps was based on OSM (+ other datasets when OSM had a bad quality), similar to mapquest.
bgarbiak 14y ago
The greatest disappointment (for me) comes from the fact that free turn-by-turn navigation is not available for iPhone 4. That particular feature made me happy about Apple's switch from Google's to their own solution. I couldn't care less for Siri, flyover maps or panorama (seriously, that one is iPhone 4S+ too), but navigation? That's a deal breaker. If Google won't provide this with their app I won't stick to iOS when my contract ends.
Apreche 14y ago
Just add maps.google.com to your home screen. I was doing that even before the new iOS. It's better than the new Maps app or the old one. Bicycle directions! Also, FYI, the previous Maps app did use Google Maps, but the app itself was written by Apple. I once was at a Google event and asked a Googler who works on Maps about it. They have been frustrated for years that they could not update that app when they added new features to Google Maps. I expect within a short time we will see an iOS Google Maps that is on par with the Android app.
- chmars 14y ago
  I would be very happy about such an app although the new YouTube app made me rather pessimistic. It's for example not available on the iPad and you cannot send links to videos by mail.
- spitx 14y ago
  This bothers me to no end. One of the major things beside the odd dimensions of the iPhone 5 screen, that prevent me from switching from Android. However the screen is clearly a bigger let-down for most Android users who are used to larger screens. Jobs would never have allowed such an atrocity to occur. The sub-par Gmail integration is another pain point. Roger McNamee expressed the same misgivings on Bloomberg the other day. He said Apple is starting to act like a bad monopolist.
  - rimantas 14y ago
    > Jobs would never have allowed such an atrocity to occur iPhone 5 is more likely to be blessed by Jobs than not. I am not sure how long Apple product pipeline is, but I seriously doubt they had iPhone 4S ready for production, but not iPhone 5 in the advanced design stage. On the other hand I don't give a damn about "odd" dimensions. There is nothing odd in them for me.
    - AnthonyMouse 14y ago
      >iPhone 5 is more likely to be blessed by Jobs than not. I am not sure how long Apple product pipeline is, but I seriously doubt they had iPhone 4S ready for production, but not iPhone 5 in the advanced design stage. Yes and no. Jobs may have signed on to the idea of replacing the maps with an in-house solution, but the implementation wouldn't have been finished until shortly before launch. And when it turned out to be as bad as it seems to be then he might very reasonably have reverted to the previous maps app for at least this version of iOS (if not scrapping the idea entirely).
_delirium 14y ago
The article ends on a strange note, essentially a guy complaining that his Google SEO doesn't carry over to the new Apple app?
- DeepDuh 14y ago
  "Hey Joe, thanks for that article you submitted this morning. Listen, it's a bit too technical, could you add something, you know, more emotional?"
- jusben1369 14y ago
  I think that's relevant though. Essentially the article states that for end users of the mapping application it's a poorer experience and step back. Secondly, business users who have come to rely upon iPhone customers to find them via search are also upset by the changes. Of course, the first group is clearly an Apple customer and therefore Apple should be concerned. It's less clear that the second group is an Apple customer so it falls more into the "People talking negatively about our brand" problem area.
sigzero 14y ago
It's a one-dot-oh release. So that is the level of expectation that I am giving it.
- hahainternet 14y ago
  It's been deployed globally on tens of millions of devices removing the existing solution. That's the level of expectation that I'm giving it.
  - rimantas 14y ago
    In contrast with Android where Google can remove most of the apps and majority of users stuck with 2.x versions won't even know. On the serious note, I guess this sucks most for US users. In other parts of the world transit data was not available anyway, so nobody cares.
    - smackfu 14y ago
      Except the non-US mapping data seems to suck more than the US one, so they do care.
    - hahainternet 14y ago
      > In contrast with Android where Google can remove most of the apps and majority of users stuck with 2.x versions won't even know. This isn't the place for childish digs at competitors. Apple removed maps and replaced it with an inferior version for millions of their customers. As a result, the poor quality of these maps has made front page news. Trying to invoke "Android isn't up to date" is childish and uninformed. Maps is distributed via the Play Store. You are wrong in every substantial respect.
      - rimantas 14y ago
        Not sure about childish, but regarding uninformed: there is some information for you: http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html To compare this to the iOS6 (released just a couple of days ago) is left as an exercise for you :)
jusben1369 14y ago
Poor old Tom Tom is completely on the back foot and trying to distance itself as far as it can without throwing a super major partner under the bus.
- jreposa 14y ago
  None of us will know the complete depth of their relationship, but TomTom shouldn't be so removed from this PR. What they should have said is "Although Apple provides additional layers of functionality on top of our map data, we've reached out to Apple to help support in fixing these issues." That sounds a lot nicer than "it's not our problem"...
outworlder 14y ago
>Users also reported missing local places, such as schools, or strange locations. Another screenshot showed a furniture museum that was apparently located in a river. From a twitter account called @fake_iOS6maps ? Seriously, BBC?
- hahainternet 14y ago
  The irony here is that you didn't bother to check what the fake_ bit means. It's like fakesteve, the images aren't faked, the account is not an official iOS6 account.
  - niggler 14y ago
    Why wouldn't the person use "SteveSays"/"iOS6Maps_Gaffes" or something along those lines?
    - hahainternet 14y ago
      Because of FakeSteve.
chippy 14y ago
Try installing a native OpenStreetMap app - there's plenty to choose from: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS
Karunamon 14y ago
Not sure what the hell they were expecting to happen. You don't take an existing, working, mature, and proven solution and then replace it en masse with something unproven and untested. This particular bit of sour grapes over Google is going to bite them in the arse.
cletus 14y ago
Since the passing of Steve Jobs there has understandably been a lot of speculation about what will happen to Apple given Steve's laser-like focus on user experience above almost all else. Some self-proclaimed "power users" did of course rail against the Apple ecosystem but like most things Apple does (did?) it was right most of the time for most users. I've been an avid iPhone user since the iPhone 4 and have bought every iPad so far. iOS 6 may mark a turning point to me such that the 4S that I have now may well be my last iPhone. My phone for me is probably beyond anything else a way of getting places (ie maps). Even more than phone calls, SMS or the Internet. I sympathize with the position that Apple wants to control the entire experience but I really am dumbfounded that they've sacrificed user experience to do it. So much so that I don't think I want to update to iOS 6. When compared to Android, the one remaining pillar for the iPhone for me is battery life. The 4S simply trumps any Android I've used or witnessed to date. I typically have to charge my phone only every 2-3 days. The Droid I have (which admittedly was a terrible phone) is lucky to last a day. The Galaxy S3 is better but still... I look forward to the next Android phone running out-of-the-box 4.1 (or whatever the latest release is at that point).
- reubensutton 14y ago
  I'm always confused about people who complain about battery life not lasting over a day. How often are you not near a source of electricity at least once a day? That being said, my Nexus S tends to run out after about 10 hours now, which is intensely frustrating.
  - TillE 14y ago
    > How often are you not near a source of electricity at least once a day? It's a major issue when traveling, which is when you want your fancy smartphone mapping features the most. If you want to be able to use it later in the day, you have to be careful not to use it too much earlier. I've been pleasantly surprised with the Galaxy Nexus battery life though, which usually lasts me just about two days.
    - thornofmight 14y ago
brudgers 14y ago
It's just Apple's turn. It has been said many times, "It's an early version of an application Company X copied from another company. I'm sure Company X will improve it to a workable but inferior product in future versions." The first debacle with their Maps app (not crediting OpenStreetMap.org) gave me the feeling that Apple doesn't really have experience with software and data at the scale upon which they are currently operating. Sometimes it looks as if they are using too many interns to write important code. What is a concern is that there seems to be no grasp of the difference in responsibility a developer must recognize between GarageBand and a mapping application. Sure it is irritating if one's remix of Call me Maybe doesn't come out quite the intended way. But an appendicitis sufferer may die if they wind up five miles from the hospital.
- vsl 14y ago
  Correction: OSM data was used in iPhoto (and on OS X, I think?), not maps.
saturdaysaint 14y ago
Around me (SE Michigan) it's a huge improvement over both the old Maps app and any of the turn-by-turn iOS alternatives I've tried. Using Siri and saying "directions to..." any local business I can think of brings up turn-by-turn directions in a snap, and it looks great. Smooth animations, great fit and finish on the UI. I suspect that their European maps are of lower quality and/or the writer cherry-picked some entertaining but not terribly representative examples.
- stephen_g 14y ago
  The maps around me in Brisbane, Australia seem pretty good, but I only spent five minutes playing around. All the searches I tried (some for street addresses, some for POIs) got the right address. So far it seems no worse around the city than Google Maps but only time will tell if that's the case.
jsz0 14y ago
Apple's Maps have been good for me so far in the north east United States. I greatly prefer the UI of Apple's Maps to Navigation on Android which is way too cluttered IMO. I find it easier to get things done with Apple Maps especially with the way turn-by-turn is integrated with the pop-over notifications and lock-screen integration.
andrewcooke 14y ago
is this particularly bad in the uk? there's now a guardian article too - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/20/apple-maps-ios6-station-tower http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/20/apple-maps-...
- epo 14y ago
  No, just people piling on, and probably the Guardian using the BBC as a news source.
  - objclxt 14y ago
    Actually, I'll disagree with you there and say that I have found the Apple map tiles to be pretty poor in London. Paddington Station, one of the main commuter rail hubs in the city, is missing entirely (the Underground station got added in recently, but the mainline station remains invisible), and the geo-coder is considerably poorer than Google's. I develop iOS apps for a living, and I really like the platform. I've also been using the beta for about three months, and frequently I've had to pull my Galaxy S2 out to use the Android maps app. Most people won't have that luxury.
    - anu_gupta 14y ago
      I'm looking at the map tile for London Paddington Rail Station on my iOS6 iPad right now. It's clearly there.
- prof_hobart 14y ago
  It is certainly not great where I am (Nottingham). The satellte view is currently, depending on which area of Nottingham you are in, either a vague grey cloud or huge pixelated squares. I've got a cafe that seems to have appeared three doors down from me in a residential street, and if I search for public transport it suggests the best app for me to get to work on is one for the Paris Metro. I am a big Apple fan, and although I've also got a Galaxy SII (for work), I've pretty much never felt the need to use that ahead of my iPhone so far. It's just become my go-to phone for mapping though.
- 14y ago
lectrick 14y ago
1) Go to maps.google.com in Safari on your iPhone or iPad 2) Hit Yes when it wants to know your location 3) Hit Yes when it pesters you to add it as an icon (for once, it's not bothering me). The icon is snazzy. 4) Enjoy your almost-as-good-as-the-app-was mobile Google Maps experience. Complete with transit directions. But, alas, no Street View.
- panacea 14y ago
  Permit me a small moment of pride at my choice of life-partner. I asked my wife if I could upgrade her phone to the new OS, but that the map app has changed for the worse and 'You may not like it... How often do you use it?' 'A few times a week'. She's not a geek whatsoever. Has never installed an app and barely touched a preferences setting. Loves listening to the podcasts I subscribe to for her and tell her which app to use. So I hand her the 'upgraded' phone and ask her to check out the new map app. She does a search for the office she's working in tomorrow and it pinmarks the completely wrong end of the street. I felt bad about 'upgrading' her phone, but a minute later she hands it back to me. She's moved the Apple map app onto the second screen and replaced it with a weblink to the Google maps site. Clever girl ;]
- mikeevans 14y ago
  Almost-as-good, but it doesn't open the app when you click an address, since there's no way to make it the default app. It'd be the same problem even if Google did release their own native Maps.
uslic001 14y ago
The new maps is way off. I took 4 pictures last night while fishing. When I looked at the gps data of where I caught the fish one was on land and three others were 4 miles off as they had me on the other end of the lake I was fishing on. Apple really messed up with this change.
joelhooks 14y ago
I've been using the maps and find them MUCH improved in the car. I wish I could turn off the voice prompts, but it is very usable and has got me where I'm going reliably.
spitx 14y ago
>Here in Manhattan, where I live, basic search by building names is profoundly degraded in Apple's maps search. "Bloomberg" doesn't find the Bloomberg Tower; on Google Maps it's the first result. Searching for its address "731 Lexington Avenue" yields that address on Lexington Avenue in Brooklyn. It's fine to think that perhaps I wanted the address in Bed-Stuy, but even appending "NY, NY" or "Manhattan, NY" still yields the Brooklyn address. Google maps has none of these comprehension issues. I understand this is due to Apple partnering with Tom Tom, whose maps are considered to be lower in quality than other players like Nokia, but I'm not informed enough to say with certainty whether that's the case. http://dashes.com/anil/images/lexington-map.jpg http://dashes.com/anil/images/lexington-map.jpg Source: http://dashes.com/anil/2012/09/who-benefits-from-ios6s-crappy-maps.html http://dashes.com/anil/2012/09/who-benefits-from-ios6s-crapp...
- potatolicious 14y ago
  I've noticed this problem also. With the old Google Maps app, there were very rare and very infrequent obvious failures of searches. If I searched "741 Lexington" it'll take me to the right place in Manhattan always. Whereas in iOS6, I swear, the search is wrong more often than it's right. It will take me across state lines, across the country, and sometimes even across the ocean for a search that Google has no problems comprehending. This isn't a data issue, this is a technology issue.
- gyardley 14y ago
  Noticed this today. I wanted to get the cross-street of an address on Broadway. First, I get an address on Broadway in Bayonne. Okay, almost plausible, since I was in Hoboken. I append 'New York, NY' to the address. Now I get an address in Brooklyn. Completely ridiculous. I append 'Manhattan, NY' to the address. Still Brooklyn. At that point I added Google Maps to my home screen. If someone posts a clear guide to jailbreaking iOS 6 and re-adding the native Google Maps app, I'll probably do it.
cstross 14y ago
Another annoying loss; no pedestrian or cycle routes, as far as I can see. As I'm mostly a pedestrian -- I have a car, but live in the centre of a dense city where parking is a nightmare, so I walk rather than driving if at all possible -- from my point of view, this is a major regression.
- marknutter 14y ago
  There was never an option to see cycle routes.
- objclxt 14y ago
  There are pedestrian routes in some cities, but not all. I only know this because I was in San Francisco last week and I actually got offered them, whereas in London I'm SOL.
NameNickHN 14y ago
Apple probably underestimated the complexity of creating and providing useful maps. I read an article recently that explained how much effort Google puts into their maps. From what I understand, every map tile has been manually reviewed and reworked based on satellite images and the data from the Google street view cars. Google is years ahead of Apple with this. It'll take a while until Apple's maps are par with Google's.
epo 14y ago
I wonder what the behind-the-scenes truth of this is? Apple must have known that their mapping solution wasn't ready for release. Perhaps Google forced their hand or Google pulled the plug knowing that Apple would dump them eventually but weren't ready to do so quite yet. If so, then don't expect Google to offer a maps app for some time yet because it is to their advantage to let Apple stew.
oozcitak 14y ago
There are localization issues as well. Some place names in Turkey appear to be transferred over from legacy windows-1254 code page (e.g. Avcılar displayed as Avcýlar) Some have replacement letters for certain characters (dotless i, ş, ç, ğ). For example, "Sık orman" (dense forest) became "Sik orman" (penis forest). Overall (at least in Turkey) the legends appear to come from an old, low quality source.
- kalleboo 14y ago
  Here in Japan, I managed to spot a place with a Hangul (Korean) label! God knows how that happened...
blinkingled 14y ago
According to Gruber and Rafer Apple seems to have a plan : for this plan to work however, iOS users must keep using the inferior Apple maps and Google must stay away from giving them a chance to continue to use their own ones - that will make quality of Apple maps go up and Google maps go down - they will meet in 18 months. Gotta admire people's willingness to stretch here :) But seriously I think Google will just release a Maps app for iOS sooner or later. They've done that with most of their apps - it may not be as good and functional as Android one but it doesn't have to - the bar has been lowered.
MattRogish 14y ago
As a long-term Apple user/fan, I'm both incredibly disappointed and intensely optimistic with this change. I've been using iOS6 since the first beta and saw the backlash coming. I think "Street View" is Google Maps' killer feature and no amount of "3D View" is going to replace the ability to virtually drive your route (or see the storefront, the turn you need to make, etc.). On the other hand, Google has a habit of releasing amazingly disruptive products (maps, gmail, etc.) and then the pace of innovation of each app slows dramatically. What was the last "innovation" gmail did? Priority inbox? Buying Sparrow? I'm optimistic this is the start of an arms race in the mapping area (Apple: please tackle email next); this needed to occur sooner rather than later. We don't know the circumstances of the switch (it seems equally likely that Google precipitated the change as Apple did) but given Apple's knack for taking a MVP and continually, doggedly improving it, I think the future is bright for iOS Mapping.
- mburshteyn 14y ago
  Do you think Apple would have any chance in an arms race over Search with Google? If the answer is no, why do you think Apple has any chance in Maps?
  - MattRogish 14y ago
    On the desktop? No. On iOS devices? Absolutely.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  The issue here is that maps is about data, not about UI or hardware, or any of Apple's core competencies. Whereas Apple doesn't know anything about data, it's Google's bread and butter. Sure, there are a few things you can do with the UI, but ultimately the new "wraparound" feature when you go around a corner in Apple Maps is worthless when you're driving, since your eyes should be on the road. But ultimately, creating a good maps product requires year after year of intense data collection and sorting, something that you can't just rush through. > On the other hand, Google has a habit of releasing amazingly disruptive products (maps, gmail, etc.) and then the pace of innovation of each app slows dramatically. What was the last "innovation" gmail did? Priority inbox? Buying Sparrow? Sounds a bit like everyone's favorite mobile OS from Cupertino. What was the last "innovation" in iOS? Siri? Barely works in real life, regardless of what they might claim in TV ads. Notifications that actually work? That was in Android for years before Apple copied it whole hog. Copy and paste? Are you shitting me?
psychotik 14y ago
The Bing iOS app has transit and good mapping features. I'm surprised folks aren't using that as an alternative.
bdreadz 14y ago
Said it in another thread. maps.google.com in iOS. Bookmark to home screen. To the people talking about this is a sign of Steve Jobs being gone. I'm sure he had his hand in wanting to get away from Google Maps. These types of things were still part of his plan. AppleTV (the none hobby version) is part of his plan. We haven't seen that. There is still a trail that Steve laid down we are walking on. It's more 5-10 years from now I imagine that will lack the touch. Maybe it is fading. It's still there though. imho.
caycep 14y ago
from what i've seen, the real issue is probably the text parsing algorithms need work. I tried a few addresses - about 70% were correct. the ones that weren't just seemed like the algorithm wasn't recognizing town, state, etc
scottschulthess 14y ago
I find the new maps app really good, one of the best driving direction apps I've seen. It is an improvement over waze in UI and the enhance backgrounding is awesome. Maybe not as feature rich as some of the alternatives, but what do you expect in a v1? They will iterate, though the yearly releases means it will take time but it will get there. In the mean time the app store provides a lot of options for users to replace lost functionality.
siri 14y ago
I am using IOS 6 beta since last few months in India, it just gives the message directions could not be found even for a locations 100 meters away.
eckyptang 14y ago
Another plus for Microsoft/Nokia. Windows Phone with Nokia Maps / Nokia Drive is actually really good and it's not about to disappear overnight.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
I am reminded once again at how much it takes to put together a "maps" experience like Google Maps does. That Apple's initial version sucks rocks isn't particularly surprising, there is a lot of integration and a lot of data, the world is a really really big place. Its very hard for humans to curate it too. Next up, Apple will get their own direct source of satellite imagery, then they will drive/fly around major towns getting direct information about local restrictions, then they will build a system which does nothing more than cross-connect and correlate GIS data from various sources and test for sanity. Perhaps they will create a crowd sourced tool for directly feeding map errors into the system to triage the worst areas. Its a big undertaking.
tptacek 14y ago
I like the new Maps app. I know it's objectively horrible and am not disputing any of the ironclad cases everyone else has made against it. All I'm saying is this: I punched in directions to Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown last night, driving from Oak Park. I threw my phone on the passenger seat and drove. The sensible route it plotted for me was unworkable due to traffic, so I detoured through UIC campus. The moment I diverged from its route, without me doing anything, it replotted a new route, and then a series of new routes as I ignored those directions, until I got to Roosevelt and followed its directions the rest of the way there --- which were much better than the route I would have taken. Obviously, I fall into a specific class of Maps user: * Using directions primarily when I'm driving * In a major city But that's a big class of users and, so far, Maps is better for that use case. The Maps app from 10.5 was unusable for driving.
- mootothemax 14y ago
  But that's a big class of users and, so far, Maps is better for that use case. The Maps app from 10.5 was unusable for driving. Thank you, you've written a more useful summary review of the new maps app than anything else I've read lately. I've tried driving with the previous Maps app - with a borrowed iPhone, I don't yet own one - and was really surprised at how unusable it was. I was left thinking that not a single person on that project could have attempted to drive on their own with it, otherwise how else could it be so bad? rant over
  - ryanpers 14y ago
    I also gave the driving directions a shot, the voice cues are great, the visuals look fantastic and really awesome. Also when you deviate it doesnt give you some "ROBOT RECALCULATING" voice, instead she smoothly cuts over to the next set of directions. The new 3d looks good, the map tiles need work but they just look DIFFERENT and not necessarily "worse" to me. This is in SOMA San Francisco.
- myndpage 14y ago
  >The moment I diverged from its route, without me doing anything, it replotted a new route, and then a series of new routes as I ignored those directions, until I got to Roosevelt and followed its directions the rest of the way there --- which were much better than the route I would have taken. That's how every directions' app is working. You are seriously impressed about that?
dkroy 14y ago
As a developer this kind of update makes me happy since it might result in Apple giving up some of its mobile phone market share to Microsoft and Google. I would much rather develop in Java or C#, instead either struggle through Objective C or use a third party developer tool to avoid doing so. Although, as an iPhone user it makes me sad. The UX with the iPhone has been amazing. I chose to use this phone even though I dislike all that is apple, just because to me when it came to my user experience it was leaps and bounds ahead of any other. Now that one of my most used apps has been pushed out temporarily it kind of makes me nervous. I have even heard who have applied iOS6, have lost all of their photos, luckily since I rely on a few jailbroken apps had not updated.
JofArnold 14y ago
Assuming Google releases an iOS Maps app, I'd much prefer them to do that and make regular updates than leave it to Apple just 3 times a year. Having said that, the fact they didn't include an option just to save $1b a year is beyond absurd.
001sky 14y ago
Satellite images of various locations, particularly in Scotland, are obscured by cloud. --Satalite images obcured by clouds. TomTom=WTF.
labizaboffle 14y ago
Does anyone remember when Mapquest and then Google Maps first started? Bad directions, etc. was the norm. The only thing that is wrong with Apple doing this is that they didn't release as "beta" and make a big deal about how users can turn on the "beta" switch to test the cool new things, or the "alpha" switch and get shit that might break their phone but gives them superpowers no other geek has.
epaga 14y ago
In my mind, this will be the first major test of Tim Cook as a CEO. This is not "I get a bad signal if I hold the phone the wrong way". This is "my iPhone drove us to the wrong hospital so I wasn't able to say goodbye to my grandfather". Problem is, I don't see what they are supposed to do except throwing massive amounts of money and manpower at the problem - but even that will take a long time to fix the major issues that are in iOS6 Maps. It will be very interesting to see how they react to this problem.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

305 points by option_greek 14y ago

epo 14y ago

You can't make an omelette ... It'll be interesting to see the pace of development of this vs Google's inevitable maps app. The mapping must be updated OTA so won't require IOS refreshes to improve the quality. But for now this app is like the stereotypical bimbo, quite pretty to look at but also pretty useless.

homosaur 14y ago

I've been on IOS 6 since a few days after the beta came out and I can tell you that the new Maps is nearly worthless, especially if you've entered a decent amount of data into Google Maps. Yes the navigation sucks, yes there's other huge basic issues, but the killer for me is that I have over 270 starred places in Google Maps and without being able to get to that data, Apple's new option is nearly useless. I don't want to gloss over how much the basics suck on this app, they suck profoundly. The bookmarks is the worst loss though. I have an iPhone for work but I'm very glad I no longer am under a personal iPhone contract because with the lack of features in IOS 6, I don't see how I'd ever go back to using an Apple phone full time.

homosaur 14y ago
It's a KILLER atlas though, way better than Google Earth on iPad.

marklabedz 14y ago

Is the experience any better when utilizing Siri as an interface? If you ask Siri for directions instead of relying on the built-in search functionality, is it any better or would both Siri and iOS maps query the same database? Siri --> Address --> iOS nav via street address

marknutter 14y ago

You know what else sucks on the iPhone? The notes app - That's why I use Evernote. And the tasks app - that's why I use Clear. And the mail app - that's why I use Gmail. And iBooks - which is why I use the Kindle app. Point is, you can download an app that works better for you if you're not happy with Maps anymore, just like you could with all of the other built in Apple software. I think Apple really needed to control their own destiny with the Maps software, and most non-geeks are probably not going to notice that their Maps app is getting it's data from somewhere else now. They probably didn't realize it was coming from Google Maps in the first place.

pmjordan 14y ago
Mobile Safari is slow and crashy, good thing I can replace it with… waitaminute. As far as I know there's no decent replacement for Maps either; it remains to be seen if Apple will permit a direct replacement. If Google doesn't release one themselves, it could be problematic for a third party to create an app using Google's map API - that's centered around use in web apps, although their "Maps for Business" might be suited. Still, it's a hell of a risk to take. (but possibly with a handsome reward)
- eyko 14y ago
  Maps on Chrome mobile :-)
  - pmjordan 14y ago
    In case you're not aware: Chrome on iOS uses UIWebView, which is Safari without the fast JavaScript engine. The web interface for Google Maps certainly works on Safari, but it's certainly not as slick or as fast as the app. Maybe this is due to connection speed, not browser speed, but the bottom line is the user experience is worse (though the features are much better).
    - eyko 14y ago
      I use Nitrous.
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  You can replace Safari with Opera, Chrome, Dolphin, or several others. You can't set them as default but you can replace them. There are plenty of map alternatives too - Open Street Map, TomTom, Google Earth, etc.
  - bryanlarsen 14y ago
    Those alternative browsers either use the Safari rendering engine or render offline, so are significantly crippled compared to something like Firefox for Android.

purephase 14y ago

It seems like such an innocuous thing, but Maps can truly make or break a phone decision. There is no question that Android has a considerably better user experience when it comes to Maps given the lead that Google has. That being said, Apple certainly has the cash and time to devote to this and a better competitor (and more effort in OSM) means that we all win in a way. So it will be interesting to watch it play out. One minor gripe with turn-by-turn. If I'm playing music/podcasts, I would have expected the volume to mute on the other media when driving directions are announced. Not so, it just turns into a garbled mess. The compression on Siri kind of sucks too.

k-mcgrady 14y ago
>> "One minor gripe with turn-by-turn. If I'm playing music/podcasts, I would have expected the volume to mute on the other media when driving directions are announced. Not so, it just turns into a garbled mess." I don't really sue turn-by-turn but from what I understand it's supposed to lower the volume of other media playing when announcing directions and then bring the volume back when done. Might be something you can change in the settings.
- MattRogish 14y ago
  It does this on mine (I haven't done turn-by-turn on iOS6 final, but when I was on the betas, it performed as expected)
  - purephase 14y ago
    Odd, it doesn't for me (either in the betas or final version). Maybe there is a setting somewhere...

adriand 14y ago

I understand the experience may not be ideal (I haven't tried it out yet, either), but take a moment to reflect on what they actually did: in a little over a year Apple completely replaced one of iOS's core technologies, one that relies on a mind-bogglingly complex and astoundingly huge data set, and is now pushing this out to millions of devices. Most of us know what it is like to have to launch something. Launching something is never easy. We frequently talk about the MVP here on HN as well. Apple has done the difficult work of launching their MVP. Now they can make it better. It may never be as good as Google Maps, but that doesn't mean it will always be terrible.

smackfu 14y ago
>in a little over a year That's just a made up timeline. They may have been working on a maps replacement for years.
- bennyg 14y ago
  His point is still pretty valid. How long would it take you to develop and roll out the maps application at the quality it is now, for a MVP?
  - jonknee 14y ago
    It depends on TomTom's license fee, but with Apple sized pockets probably not as long as you'd think.
  - eli 14y ago
    The logic behind creating an MVP doesn't really make sense when the market for the product isn't competitive. Apple didn't offer their mapping solution as an option in the App Store to judge interest; they forced anyone who buys new or upgrades for any reason to use it.
- dusing 14y ago
  Whatever length of time it is Apple still did it in a fraction of the time Google has been working on its maps. Also maybe I live in a weird place (Minneapolis) but I've been using the new maps since WWDC everyday and honestly have no complaints, the turn by turn is quite good as I just used it non stop in New Orleans.

toddmorey 14y ago

The big problem I see is that Apple effectively removed street view from the iPhone as it's not even available in the mobile safari version of Google Maps. I don't mind that they are working on their own maps, but I can't believe they couldn't have licensed Google maps for at least another year until their solution matured or offered some sort of advantage. The first iPhone brought the best mobile maps experience. The latest iPhone brings the worst. To me, the real test is whether Apple will allow a map application from Google to coexist on the iPhone. I'm hoping they do. It's the right thing to do.

nicholassmith 14y ago
The issue is we don't know why they stopped licensing, although if you follow the scuttlebutt Google hiked prices of mapping, followed by Apple announcing their intent to ship their own maps, followed by Google dropping prices of mapping. Might have been an unsuccessful negotiation, Google might have made high demands, Apple might have been cads. No one knows, what we do know is the licensing agreement expired and they couldn't arrange a new one.

liotier 14y ago

Disappointed with the iOS 6 maps ? Why don’t you give OpenStreetMap a try ? http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS - it won't give you pretty satellite imagery, but maybe you'll like the maps.

homosaur 14y ago
In many places OSM is the most accurate mapping system and overall it's very good, but my problem is, has anyone yet built an app worth a crap on top of it? One with turn by turn, etc?
- chippy 14y ago
  Yes they have, so the problem may be one of findability, or marketing of these apps.
tonfa 14y ago
I thought iOS maps was based on OSM (+ other datasets when OSM had a bad quality), similar to mapquest.

bgarbiak 14y ago

The greatest disappointment (for me) comes from the fact that free turn-by-turn navigation is not available for iPhone 4. That particular feature made me happy about Apple's switch from Google's to their own solution. I couldn't care less for Siri, flyover maps or panorama (seriously, that one is iPhone 4S+ too), but navigation? That's a deal breaker. If Google won't provide this with their app I won't stick to iOS when my contract ends.

Apreche 14y ago

Just add maps.google.com to your home screen. I was doing that even before the new iOS. It's better than the new Maps app or the old one. Bicycle directions! Also, FYI, the previous Maps app did use Google Maps, but the app itself was written by Apple. I once was at a Google event and asked a Googler who works on Maps about it. They have been frustrated for years that they could not update that app when they added new features to Google Maps. I expect within a short time we will see an iOS Google Maps that is on par with the Android app.

chmars 14y ago
I would be very happy about such an app although the new YouTube app made me rather pessimistic. It's for example not available on the iPad and you cannot send links to videos by mail.
spitx 14y ago
This bothers me to no end. One of the major things beside the odd dimensions of the iPhone 5 screen, that prevent me from switching from Android. However the screen is clearly a bigger let-down for most Android users who are used to larger screens. Jobs would never have allowed such an atrocity to occur. The sub-par Gmail integration is another pain point. Roger McNamee expressed the same misgivings on Bloomberg the other day. He said Apple is starting to act like a bad monopolist.
- rimantas 14y ago
  > Jobs would never have allowed such an atrocity to occur iPhone 5 is more likely to be blessed by Jobs than not. I am not sure how long Apple product pipeline is, but I seriously doubt they had iPhone 4S ready for production, but not iPhone 5 in the advanced design stage. On the other hand I don't give a damn about "odd" dimensions. There is nothing odd in them for me.
  - AnthonyMouse 14y ago
    >iPhone 5 is more likely to be blessed by Jobs than not. I am not sure how long Apple product pipeline is, but I seriously doubt they had iPhone 4S ready for production, but not iPhone 5 in the advanced design stage. Yes and no. Jobs may have signed on to the idea of replacing the maps with an in-house solution, but the implementation wouldn't have been finished until shortly before launch. And when it turned out to be as bad as it seems to be then he might very reasonably have reverted to the previous maps app for at least this version of iOS (if not scrapping the idea entirely).

_delirium 14y ago

The article ends on a strange note, essentially a guy complaining that his Google SEO doesn't carry over to the new Apple app?

DeepDuh 14y ago
"Hey Joe, thanks for that article you submitted this morning. Listen, it's a bit too technical, could you add something, you know, more emotional?"
jusben1369 14y ago
I think that's relevant though. Essentially the article states that for end users of the mapping application it's a poorer experience and step back. Secondly, business users who have come to rely upon iPhone customers to find them via search are also upset by the changes. Of course, the first group is clearly an Apple customer and therefore Apple should be concerned. It's less clear that the second group is an Apple customer so it falls more into the "People talking negatively about our brand" problem area.

sigzero 14y ago

It's a one-dot-oh release. So that is the level of expectation that I am giving it.

hahainternet 14y ago
It's been deployed globally on tens of millions of devices removing the existing solution. That's the level of expectation that I'm giving it.
- rimantas 14y ago
  In contrast with Android where Google can remove most of the apps and majority of users stuck with 2.x versions won't even know. On the serious note, I guess this sucks most for US users. In other parts of the world transit data was not available anyway, so nobody cares.
  - smackfu 14y ago
    Except the non-US mapping data seems to suck more than the US one, so they do care.
  - hahainternet 14y ago
    > In contrast with Android where Google can remove most of the apps and majority of users stuck with 2.x versions won't even know. This isn't the place for childish digs at competitors. Apple removed maps and replaced it with an inferior version for millions of their customers. As a result, the poor quality of these maps has made front page news. Trying to invoke "Android isn't up to date" is childish and uninformed. Maps is distributed via the Play Store. You are wrong in every substantial respect.
    - rimantas 14y ago
      Not sure about childish, but regarding uninformed: there is some information for you: http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html To compare this to the iOS6 (released just a couple of days ago) is left as an exercise for you :)

jusben1369 14y ago

Poor old Tom Tom is completely on the back foot and trying to distance itself as far as it can without throwing a super major partner under the bus.

jreposa 14y ago
None of us will know the complete depth of their relationship, but TomTom shouldn't be so removed from this PR. What they should have said is "Although Apple provides additional layers of functionality on top of our map data, we've reached out to Apple to help support in fixing these issues." That sounds a lot nicer than "it's not our problem"...

outworlder 14y ago

>Users also reported missing local places, such as schools, or strange locations. Another screenshot showed a furniture museum that was apparently located in a river. From a twitter account called @fake_iOS6maps ? Seriously, BBC?

hahainternet 14y ago
The irony here is that you didn't bother to check what the fake_ bit means. It's like fakesteve, the images aren't faked, the account is not an official iOS6 account.
- niggler 14y ago
  Why wouldn't the person use "SteveSays"/"iOS6Maps_Gaffes" or something along those lines?
  - hahainternet 14y ago
    Because of FakeSteve.

chippy 14y ago

Try installing a native OpenStreetMap app - there's plenty to choose from: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/IOS

Karunamon 14y ago

Not sure what the hell they were expecting to happen. You don't take an existing, working, mature, and proven solution and then replace it en masse with something unproven and untested. This particular bit of sour grapes over Google is going to bite them in the arse.

cletus 14y ago

Since the passing of Steve Jobs there has understandably been a lot of speculation about what will happen to Apple given Steve's laser-like focus on user experience above almost all else. Some self-proclaimed "power users" did of course rail against the Apple ecosystem but like most things Apple does (did?) it was right most of the time for most users. I've been an avid iPhone user since the iPhone 4 and have bought every iPad so far. iOS 6 may mark a turning point to me such that the 4S that I have now may well be my last iPhone. My phone for me is probably beyond anything else a way of getting places (ie maps). Even more than phone calls, SMS or the Internet. I sympathize with the position that Apple wants to control the entire experience but I really am dumbfounded that they've sacrificed user experience to do it. So much so that I don't think I want to update to iOS 6. When compared to Android, the one remaining pillar for the iPhone for me is battery life. The 4S simply trumps any Android I've used or witnessed to date. I typically have to charge my phone only every 2-3 days. The Droid I have (which admittedly was a terrible phone) is lucky to last a day. The Galaxy S3 is better but still... I look forward to the next Android phone running out-of-the-box 4.1 (or whatever the latest release is at that point).

reubensutton 14y ago
I'm always confused about people who complain about battery life not lasting over a day. How often are you not near a source of electricity at least once a day? That being said, my Nexus S tends to run out after about 10 hours now, which is intensely frustrating.
- TillE 14y ago
  > How often are you not near a source of electricity at least once a day? It's a major issue when traveling, which is when you want your fancy smartphone mapping features the most. If you want to be able to use it later in the day, you have to be careful not to use it too much earlier. I've been pleasantly surprised with the Galaxy Nexus battery life though, which usually lasts me just about two days.
  - thornofmight 14y ago

brudgers 14y ago

It's just Apple's turn. It has been said many times, "It's an early version of an application Company X copied from another company. I'm sure Company X will improve it to a workable but inferior product in future versions." The first debacle with their Maps app (not crediting OpenStreetMap.org) gave me the feeling that Apple doesn't really have experience with software and data at the scale upon which they are currently operating. Sometimes it looks as if they are using too many interns to write important code. What is a concern is that there seems to be no grasp of the difference in responsibility a developer must recognize between GarageBand and a mapping application. Sure it is irritating if one's remix of Call me Maybe doesn't come out quite the intended way. But an appendicitis sufferer may die if they wind up five miles from the hospital.

vsl 14y ago
Correction: OSM data was used in iPhoto (and on OS X, I think?), not maps.

saturdaysaint 14y ago

Around me (SE Michigan) it's a huge improvement over both the old Maps app and any of the turn-by-turn iOS alternatives I've tried. Using Siri and saying "directions to..." any local business I can think of brings up turn-by-turn directions in a snap, and it looks great. Smooth animations, great fit and finish on the UI. I suspect that their European maps are of lower quality and/or the writer cherry-picked some entertaining but not terribly representative examples.

stephen_g 14y ago
The maps around me in Brisbane, Australia seem pretty good, but I only spent five minutes playing around. All the searches I tried (some for street addresses, some for POIs) got the right address. So far it seems no worse around the city than Google Maps but only time will tell if that's the case.

jsz0 14y ago

Apple's Maps have been good for me so far in the north east United States. I greatly prefer the UI of Apple's Maps to Navigation on Android which is way too cluttered IMO. I find it easier to get things done with Apple Maps especially with the way turn-by-turn is integrated with the pop-over notifications and lock-screen integration.

andrewcooke 14y ago

is this particularly bad in the uk? there's now a guardian article too - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/20/apple-maps-ios6-station-tower http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/20/apple-maps-...

epo 14y ago
No, just people piling on, and probably the Guardian using the BBC as a news source.
- objclxt 14y ago
  Actually, I'll disagree with you there and say that I have found the Apple map tiles to be pretty poor in London. Paddington Station, one of the main commuter rail hubs in the city, is missing entirely (the Underground station got added in recently, but the mainline station remains invisible), and the geo-coder is considerably poorer than Google's. I develop iOS apps for a living, and I really like the platform. I've also been using the beta for about three months, and frequently I've had to pull my Galaxy S2 out to use the Android maps app. Most people won't have that luxury.
  - anu_gupta 14y ago
    I'm looking at the map tile for London Paddington Rail Station on my iOS6 iPad right now. It's clearly there.
prof_hobart 14y ago
It is certainly not great where I am (Nottingham). The satellte view is currently, depending on which area of Nottingham you are in, either a vague grey cloud or huge pixelated squares. I've got a cafe that seems to have appeared three doors down from me in a residential street, and if I search for public transport it suggests the best app for me to get to work on is one for the Paris Metro. I am a big Apple fan, and although I've also got a Galaxy SII (for work), I've pretty much never felt the need to use that ahead of my iPhone so far. It's just become my go-to phone for mapping though.
14y ago

lectrick 14y ago

1) Go to maps.google.com in Safari on your iPhone or iPad 2) Hit Yes when it wants to know your location 3) Hit Yes when it pesters you to add it as an icon (for once, it's not bothering me). The icon is snazzy. 4) Enjoy your almost-as-good-as-the-app-was mobile Google Maps experience. Complete with transit directions. But, alas, no Street View.

panacea 14y ago
Permit me a small moment of pride at my choice of life-partner. I asked my wife if I could upgrade her phone to the new OS, but that the map app has changed for the worse and 'You may not like it... How often do you use it?' 'A few times a week'. She's not a geek whatsoever. Has never installed an app and barely touched a preferences setting. Loves listening to the podcasts I subscribe to for her and tell her which app to use. So I hand her the 'upgraded' phone and ask her to check out the new map app. She does a search for the office she's working in tomorrow and it pinmarks the completely wrong end of the street. I felt bad about 'upgrading' her phone, but a minute later she hands it back to me. She's moved the Apple map app onto the second screen and replaced it with a weblink to the Google maps site. Clever girl ;]
mikeevans 14y ago
Almost-as-good, but it doesn't open the app when you click an address, since there's no way to make it the default app. It'd be the same problem even if Google did release their own native Maps.

uslic001 14y ago

The new maps is way off. I took 4 pictures last night while fishing. When I looked at the gps data of where I caught the fish one was on land and three others were 4 miles off as they had me on the other end of the lake I was fishing on. Apple really messed up with this change.

joelhooks 14y ago

I've been using the maps and find them MUCH improved in the car. I wish I could turn off the voice prompts, but it is very usable and has got me where I'm going reliably.

spitx 14y ago

>Here in Manhattan, where I live, basic search by building names is profoundly degraded in Apple's maps search. "Bloomberg" doesn't find the Bloomberg Tower; on Google Maps it's the first result. Searching for its address "731 Lexington Avenue" yields that address on Lexington Avenue in Brooklyn. It's fine to think that perhaps I wanted the address in Bed-Stuy, but even appending "NY, NY" or "Manhattan, NY" still yields the Brooklyn address. Google maps has none of these comprehension issues. I understand this is due to Apple partnering with Tom Tom, whose maps are considered to be lower in quality than other players like Nokia, but I'm not informed enough to say with certainty whether that's the case. http://dashes.com/anil/images/lexington-map.jpg http://dashes.com/anil/images/lexington-map.jpg Source: http://dashes.com/anil/2012/09/who-benefits-from-ios6s-crappy-maps.html http://dashes.com/anil/2012/09/who-benefits-from-ios6s-crapp...

potatolicious 14y ago
I've noticed this problem also. With the old Google Maps app, there were very rare and very infrequent obvious failures of searches. If I searched "741 Lexington" it'll take me to the right place in Manhattan always. Whereas in iOS6, I swear, the search is wrong more often than it's right. It will take me across state lines, across the country, and sometimes even across the ocean for a search that Google has no problems comprehending. This isn't a data issue, this is a technology issue.
gyardley 14y ago
Noticed this today. I wanted to get the cross-street of an address on Broadway. First, I get an address on Broadway in Bayonne. Okay, almost plausible, since I was in Hoboken. I append 'New York, NY' to the address. Now I get an address in Brooklyn. Completely ridiculous. I append 'Manhattan, NY' to the address. Still Brooklyn. At that point I added Google Maps to my home screen. If someone posts a clear guide to jailbreaking iOS 6 and re-adding the native Google Maps app, I'll probably do it.

cstross 14y ago

Another annoying loss; no pedestrian or cycle routes, as far as I can see. As I'm mostly a pedestrian -- I have a car, but live in the centre of a dense city where parking is a nightmare, so I walk rather than driving if at all possible -- from my point of view, this is a major regression.

marknutter 14y ago
There was never an option to see cycle routes.
objclxt 14y ago
There are pedestrian routes in some cities, but not all. I only know this because I was in San Francisco last week and I actually got offered them, whereas in London I'm SOL.

NameNickHN 14y ago

Apple probably underestimated the complexity of creating and providing useful maps. I read an article recently that explained how much effort Google puts into their maps. From what I understand, every map tile has been manually reviewed and reworked based on satellite images and the data from the Google street view cars. Google is years ahead of Apple with this. It'll take a while until Apple's maps are par with Google's.

epo 14y ago

I wonder what the behind-the-scenes truth of this is? Apple must have known that their mapping solution wasn't ready for release. Perhaps Google forced their hand or Google pulled the plug knowing that Apple would dump them eventually but weren't ready to do so quite yet. If so, then don't expect Google to offer a maps app for some time yet because it is to their advantage to let Apple stew.

oozcitak 14y ago

There are localization issues as well. Some place names in Turkey appear to be transferred over from legacy windows-1254 code page (e.g. Avcılar displayed as Avcýlar) Some have replacement letters for certain characters (dotless i, ş, ç, ğ). For example, "Sık orman" (dense forest) became "Sik orman" (penis forest). Overall (at least in Turkey) the legends appear to come from an old, low quality source.

kalleboo 14y ago
Here in Japan, I managed to spot a place with a Hangul (Korean) label! God knows how that happened...

blinkingled 14y ago

According to Gruber and Rafer Apple seems to have a plan : for this plan to work however, iOS users must keep using the inferior Apple maps and Google must stay away from giving them a chance to continue to use their own ones - that will make quality of Apple maps go up and Google maps go down - they will meet in 18 months. Gotta admire people's willingness to stretch here :) But seriously I think Google will just release a Maps app for iOS sooner or later. They've done that with most of their apps - it may not be as good and functional as Android one but it doesn't have to - the bar has been lowered.

MattRogish 14y ago

As a long-term Apple user/fan, I'm both incredibly disappointed and intensely optimistic with this change. I've been using iOS6 since the first beta and saw the backlash coming. I think "Street View" is Google Maps' killer feature and no amount of "3D View" is going to replace the ability to virtually drive your route (or see the storefront, the turn you need to make, etc.). On the other hand, Google has a habit of releasing amazingly disruptive products (maps, gmail, etc.) and then the pace of innovation of each app slows dramatically. What was the last "innovation" gmail did? Priority inbox? Buying Sparrow? I'm optimistic this is the start of an arms race in the mapping area (Apple: please tackle email next); this needed to occur sooner rather than later. We don't know the circumstances of the switch (it seems equally likely that Google precipitated the change as Apple did) but given Apple's knack for taking a MVP and continually, doggedly improving it, I think the future is bright for iOS Mapping.

mburshteyn 14y ago
Do you think Apple would have any chance in an arms race over Search with Google? If the answer is no, why do you think Apple has any chance in Maps?
- MattRogish 14y ago
  On the desktop? No. On iOS devices? Absolutely.
w1ntermute 14y ago
The issue here is that maps is about data, not about UI or hardware, or any of Apple's core competencies. Whereas Apple doesn't know anything about data, it's Google's bread and butter. Sure, there are a few things you can do with the UI, but ultimately the new "wraparound" feature when you go around a corner in Apple Maps is worthless when you're driving, since your eyes should be on the road. But ultimately, creating a good maps product requires year after year of intense data collection and sorting, something that you can't just rush through. > On the other hand, Google has a habit of releasing amazingly disruptive products (maps, gmail, etc.) and then the pace of innovation of each app slows dramatically. What was the last "innovation" gmail did? Priority inbox? Buying Sparrow? Sounds a bit like everyone's favorite mobile OS from Cupertino. What was the last "innovation" in iOS? Siri? Barely works in real life, regardless of what they might claim in TV ads. Notifications that actually work? That was in Android for years before Apple copied it whole hog. Copy and paste? Are you shitting me?

psychotik 14y ago

The Bing iOS app has transit and good mapping features. I'm surprised folks aren't using that as an alternative.

bdreadz 14y ago

Said it in another thread. maps.google.com in iOS. Bookmark to home screen. To the people talking about this is a sign of Steve Jobs being gone. I'm sure he had his hand in wanting to get away from Google Maps. These types of things were still part of his plan. AppleTV (the none hobby version) is part of his plan. We haven't seen that. There is still a trail that Steve laid down we are walking on. It's more 5-10 years from now I imagine that will lack the touch. Maybe it is fading. It's still there though. imho.

caycep 14y ago

from what i've seen, the real issue is probably the text parsing algorithms need work. I tried a few addresses - about 70% were correct. the ones that weren't just seemed like the algorithm wasn't recognizing town, state, etc

scottschulthess 14y ago

I find the new maps app really good, one of the best driving direction apps I've seen. It is an improvement over waze in UI and the enhance backgrounding is awesome. Maybe not as feature rich as some of the alternatives, but what do you expect in a v1? They will iterate, though the yearly releases means it will take time but it will get there. In the mean time the app store provides a lot of options for users to replace lost functionality.

siri 14y ago

I am using IOS 6 beta since last few months in India, it just gives the message directions could not be found even for a locations 100 meters away.

eckyptang 14y ago

Another plus for Microsoft/Nokia. Windows Phone with Nokia Maps / Nokia Drive is actually really good and it's not about to disappear overnight.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

I am reminded once again at how much it takes to put together a "maps" experience like Google Maps does. That Apple's initial version sucks rocks isn't particularly surprising, there is a lot of integration and a lot of data, the world is a really really big place. Its very hard for humans to curate it too. Next up, Apple will get their own direct source of satellite imagery, then they will drive/fly around major towns getting direct information about local restrictions, then they will build a system which does nothing more than cross-connect and correlate GIS data from various sources and test for sanity. Perhaps they will create a crowd sourced tool for directly feeding map errors into the system to triage the worst areas. Its a big undertaking.

tptacek 14y ago

I like the new Maps app. I know it's objectively horrible and am not disputing any of the ironclad cases everyone else has made against it. All I'm saying is this: I punched in directions to Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown last night, driving from Oak Park. I threw my phone on the passenger seat and drove. The sensible route it plotted for me was unworkable due to traffic, so I detoured through UIC campus. The moment I diverged from its route, without me doing anything, it replotted a new route, and then a series of new routes as I ignored those directions, until I got to Roosevelt and followed its directions the rest of the way there --- which were much better than the route I would have taken. Obviously, I fall into a specific class of Maps user: * Using directions primarily when I'm driving * In a major city But that's a big class of users and, so far, Maps is better for that use case. The Maps app from 10.5 was unusable for driving.

mootothemax 14y ago
But that's a big class of users and, so far, Maps is better for that use case. The Maps app from 10.5 was unusable for driving. Thank you, you've written a more useful summary review of the new maps app than anything else I've read lately. I've tried driving with the previous Maps app - with a borrowed iPhone, I don't yet own one - and was really surprised at how unusable it was. I was left thinking that not a single person on that project could have attempted to drive on their own with it, otherwise how else could it be so bad? rant over
- ryanpers 14y ago
  I also gave the driving directions a shot, the voice cues are great, the visuals look fantastic and really awesome. Also when you deviate it doesnt give you some "ROBOT RECALCULATING" voice, instead she smoothly cuts over to the next set of directions. The new 3d looks good, the map tiles need work but they just look DIFFERENT and not necessarily "worse" to me. This is in SOMA San Francisco.
myndpage 14y ago
>The moment I diverged from its route, without me doing anything, it replotted a new route, and then a series of new routes as I ignored those directions, until I got to Roosevelt and followed its directions the rest of the way there --- which were much better than the route I would have taken. That's how every directions' app is working. You are seriously impressed about that?

dkroy 14y ago

As a developer this kind of update makes me happy since it might result in Apple giving up some of its mobile phone market share to Microsoft and Google. I would much rather develop in Java or C#, instead either struggle through Objective C or use a third party developer tool to avoid doing so. Although, as an iPhone user it makes me sad. The UX with the iPhone has been amazing. I chose to use this phone even though I dislike all that is apple, just because to me when it came to my user experience it was leaps and bounds ahead of any other. Now that one of my most used apps has been pushed out temporarily it kind of makes me nervous. I have even heard who have applied iOS6, have lost all of their photos, luckily since I rely on a few jailbroken apps had not updated.

JofArnold 14y ago

Assuming Google releases an iOS Maps app, I'd much prefer them to do that and make regular updates than leave it to Apple just 3 times a year. Having said that, the fact they didn't include an option just to save $1b a year is beyond absurd.

001sky 14y ago

Satellite images of various locations, particularly in Scotland, are obscured by cloud. --Satalite images obcured by clouds. TomTom=WTF.

labizaboffle 14y ago

Does anyone remember when Mapquest and then Google Maps first started? Bad directions, etc. was the norm. The only thing that is wrong with Apple doing this is that they didn't release as "beta" and make a big deal about how users can turn on the "beta" switch to test the cool new things, or the "alpha" switch and get shit that might break their phone but gives them superpowers no other geek has.

epaga 14y ago

In my mind, this will be the first major test of Tim Cook as a CEO. This is not "I get a bad signal if I hold the phone the wrong way". This is "my iPhone drove us to the wrong hospital so I wasn't able to say goodbye to my grandfather". Problem is, I don't see what they are supposed to do except throwing massive amounts of money and manpower at the problem - but even that will take a long time to fix the major issues that are in iOS6 Maps. It will be very interesting to see how they react to this problem.

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