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I don't think Apple gets a pass here. If they are forcing users onto their product it had better be competitive, no matter how hard it is. Microsoft got so such

• Mythbusters 14y ago
  talking of pass, you should checkout the new nokia maps on the lumia. It's f awesome!!!
  • zimpenfish 14y ago
    ...but faked.
    • Mythbusters 14y ago
      source?
      • bobwise 14y ago
        Busted.
  • bergie 14y ago
    It seems every comment you've made here in the past few days has been about Nokia's new device. Astroturfing or just a fan?
• shawnc 14y ago
  Does Apple have a Maps program on the Android devices? Are there other Maps programs available on the iOS devices? Saying Apple is 'forcing' users onto their product is a bit much.
  • adildoatemybaby 14y ago
    You're being obtuse, people have money invested in the Apple ecosystem, it's not easy to switch, and no other mapping app will have the iOS integration Maps does. Until a comparable app is available on the OS, yes Apple is forcing users onto their product.
    • taligent 14y ago
      You're not forced to upgrade to iOS6 nor is Apple blocking Google Maps on the browser.
      • mavhc 14y ago
        Unless you want, say, security updates. You're also forced to buy a new phone/device if you want them after x years too, where x is a low number
        • astral303 14y ago
          Where X is a number considerably higher than for Android. Look at the number of years the 3GS has survived and compare that with your average Android phone not getting latest OS updates or any security updates. But I agree that anyone buying a new phone is stuck with iOS 6.
          • fpgeek 14y ago
            It depends on what kind of updates you're talking about. OS updates are a problem, but I personally know that the G1 got around 3 years of Maps app updates, and given the current OS version distribution newer devices are likely to do even better than that.
          • jronald 14y ago
            My Motorola droid is able to run Android 4.1 - not a super snappy experience, but it does run. It released in october of 2009. Every feature in 4.1 works on it. I don't have the "fun" apple is pulling with a guessing game on what features work on what phones: http://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/ http://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/ Also, while the 3GS (June 09) is getting ios6, the original ipad (April 2010) is not. Apple will abandon their equipment just as fast if it suits them.
  • chmars 14y ago
    As of today, I don't know of any Apple Maps alternatives in the iOS App Store. And switching a mobile platform is neither trivial nor a short-term perspective … I hope Google is busy worki on its own Maps app for iOS — for the time being, Google Maps in Mobile Safari has to do it for me.
    • DigitalJack 14y ago
      There are 100s of navigation apps and almost all have maps, directions, gps integration.
      • jasonlotito 14y ago
        And can be set as the default app so when I click on a location, it takes me to that location without forcing me to jump through hoops in copying the text, and then clicking over and eventually pasting it? You know, like it was in iOS5? Awesome!
        • dholowiski 14y ago
          That is not a "map" thing that's an IOS thing. If you want to change default applications, better switch to android.
          • kordless 14y ago
            You got it.
            • headShrinker 14y ago
              Wow, that was easy. I have a bridge to sell you.
          • fpgeek 14y ago
            Or jailbreak, from what I understand.
          • 14y ago
  • danparsonson 14y ago
    Yes there are other maps programs available for iOS - the Google Maps app that comes with iOS 4 and 5 is very capable.
    • hadem 14y ago
      That app has been replaced with the Apple Maps. Google maps is only available via the browser in iOS6 (at this time).
  • kamechan 14y ago
    > does apple have a maps program on the android devices? not that i'm aware of. i don't believe there to be a browser interface for their maps "solution". i could be wrong. > are there other maps program available on the ios devices? yes. google maps, or any other maps via the browser. sure, not the kind of integration one gets from an app. but there, nevertheless.
  • sylvinus 14y ago
    iTunes is certainly going to ask people to upgrade without giving them a warning about the Maps downgrade!
• chriswarren 14y ago
  It's not known if Maps was removed because of Apple or Google or both. So while there's no choice on having Google's Maps removed in iOS 6, the reason it happend isn't clear. When it came time to renew the contract one or both parties could have made unacceptable demands, leading to the current situation.
  • zmmmmm 14y ago
    Yes, it's interesting how everyone has been assuming Apple booted Google off of iOS as an act of vindictive retribution. Everybody assumed that Apple's maps would have magical qualities that would leave Google looking second rate. Now that it seems to be the other way around you have to wonder if it was actually Google that pressed the big red button on the maps contract.
    • r4vik 14y ago
      I think it's not really a case of who booted who off. I assume that Google wouldn't let Apple have any of the good features like vector maps or turn-by-turn navigation. Google Maps on iOS was already the shittiest mapping app across all platforms. So Apple have replaced it with an even worse alternative but at least it has some headroom to improve vs 2004 Google maps experience which was never going to get any new features. I think Apple made the right move. Even if Google is 10 years ahead in mapping, the experience you got on the iPhone was Google maps from 2004. So Apple is only 2 years behind 'iOS 5 Google Maps' and given the resources they have to throw at the problem it'll probably improve quicker than that.
      • deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
• napierzaza 14y ago
  Yes WP7 was an entire platform that was underdevelopped. Maps is just one (crucial) feature that was dropped out. They never owned Google maps and it's in contention who or why it was discontinued. But since Google hasn't prepped a version (with ads or otherwise) looks as if they want to hobble Apple by not including it. If it's a dealbreaker for you than it's a dealbreaker. I think more people who would never buy an iPhone will say it's a dealbreaker than actual people who would actually consider buying one.
• cooldeal 14y ago
  >Microsoft got so such pass with WP7 and that was an entirely new OS/platform! Well, around tech circles, Apple and Google frequently get more free passes compared to Microsoft. And that's kind of funny because Nokia just put out a comparison with Apple and Google maps to cash in on this hoopla. http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/09/20/benchmarking-mobile-maps/ http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/09/20/benchmarking-mobil...
  • toyg 14y ago
    Nokia acquired Navteq, which was already a top player in the mapping space. For about a year, their horrible S60-based models were selling well because they all had free high-quality mapping apps with turn-by-turn navigation and TomTom directors were shitting their pants. Then Apple and Google "divorced" while the iPhone was exploding, Google basically stopped improving Maps on iOS (all features went to Android), and here we are today, with the best-selling smartphone falling 5 years behind. Not Apple's finest moment.
    • angryasian 14y ago
      >Google basically stopped improving Maps on iOS incorrect: maps was an apple app that use google maps service. So it was apple that stopped improving maps on Ios
      • _djo_ 14y ago
        Depends on what the terms of the Apple-Google agreement were. It's possible it did not include the additional features.
        • angryasian 14y ago
          correct it is speculation, but from a business perspective I wouldn't see it as beneficial for Google for them to not allow apple (at one time the most popular smart phone worldwide) additional features upon request. Googles bread and butter is search and data collection. But yes there could possibly be a reason.
• spitx 14y ago
  Jobs would have fired the whole Maps team, en masse. Furiousness is a skill. Tim Cook falls short here.
  • enraged_camel 14y ago
    Actually, Jobs would never have allowed Maps to be released in this state to begin with.
    • ryannielsen 14y ago
      So… you two both personally knew SJ? And SJ, while he was leading Apple, was always without fault? If that's the case, how do you explain Ping? MobileMe? The G4 Cube?
      • misnome 14y ago
        At least they were functional, and it's not like they pushed ping and blocked every other social network from working on macs. As far as what Jobs would have done; the state of the maps is a plain embarrassment - I can't see why anyone has released this, let alone anyone with as much care about details as Jobs.
        • Mythbusters 14y ago
          What is equally sad is that people put up with this substandard implementation of a core smartphone functionality. That Nokia 920 looks more and more appealing at this point of time with Navteq maps an OIS enabled camera, the two most used functions on a smartphone.
          • bergie 14y ago
            If those two were the most important smartphone features, Nokia would have never have gotten to the trouble they're now in. They've had pretty much the best camera and navigation features ever since the circa 2007 N95. So, camera and maps are clearly not the primary features influencing smartphone buyers.
• LnxPrgr3 14y ago
  Anyone here actually used this version of Maps to find someplace yet? Not just to break it and point and laugh, but to actually use it? I can only see 3D maps as a gimmick, so I can't bring myself to care too much that it's broken. I'm slightly surprised that feature shipped in that state, but meh. What I care about: can it get me where I'm going? It's 2012 and I've still found nothing that can do that without occasional issues. This version of Maps hasn't been in my hands long enough to judge it properly. Considering the update was just released to the general public less than 48 hours ago, has anyone had time to judge it properly? Worth noting: I've had the old Maps try to send me through concrete walls, or direct me 400 miles away looking for the nearest branch of a bank. My dedicated GPS unit has told me I've arrived at my destination… in the middle of a busy highway, and it too has asked me to turn through concrete barriers more than once. I've had both direct me to locations well off of where I was trying to go. This is all from actual usage. So if anyone knows of something that doesn't have these problems, I'd love to hear from you!
  • caycep 14y ago
    It works most of the time. Especially for businesses, as I think it accesses the yelp directory. If it gets point a and b correct, the routing seems ok. Most errors seem to be that of string parsing - the biggest sin is not recognizing town/state portions of search strings consistently. Ironic since I'd bet some of the best language parsing people are busy working on llvm and clang somewhere else on apple campus.
    • LnxPrgr3 14y ago
      For that matter, they have people working on natural language processing, though my phone's too old for me to know how that's working out for them.
  • eyko 14y ago
    Here in London you're only guaranteed to find where you're going if you search by postal code. And the directions are quite bad too… through parks and etc.
  • spitx 14y ago