4 ms·

I feel like I'm one of the few people that really likes the new mapping in iOS6. Granted I don't live on a college campus nor do I travel to rural areas often.

I feel like I'm one of the few people that really likes the new mapping in iOS6. Granted I don't live on a college campus nor do I travel to rural areas often. The 9 or 10 times I've used the navigation so far it's been flawless. I used to have a Droid Incredible and the navigation in iOS6 is far better in my opinion. The GPS seems to be a bit more accurate and the map UI just seems cleaner as well.

bryanlarsen 14y ago
Have you tried a recent version of Google Maps on Android? It has improved a lot over the last couple of years.
- adambratt 14y ago
  I last used it about a year ago. However, I think that was on Android 2.3 still.
  - ZeroGravitas 14y ago
    The internet at large seems to have picked up the "Android doesn't get updates meme" and so remains unaware of that fact that even crappy low-end Android's running 2.3 (and before) get the latest updates to Google Maps and have been streets ahead of iOS Maps for a very long time.
- shawnc 14y ago
  As will Apple Maps in a few years. Good to have some decent alternatives out there. I know, people will argue with me that Apple is the evil one here...
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    Hmm, mature, tested, and working platform now, or broken and weak platform which may be better "in a few years". Difficult decision.
    - erichocean 14y ago
      I see you're talking about Android circa 2009. We're talking about Apple's new Maps app.
      - Karunamon 14y ago
        Very funny. Unfortunately I was talking about the Maps application, of which Android's offer is currently better in every conceivable way.
        arrrg 14y ago
        It's not better in every conceivable way. Traffic info in Germany kind of sucks from Google, it's the best you can get (TomTom's traffic info) in Apple's app. Extremely detailed, extremely current.
        Karunamon 14y ago
        What use is the traffic data if the underlying map/POI data can't plot a decent route to overlay traffic info on?
        arrrg 14y ago
        Funny you should say that. Turn-by-turn (and especially the walking directions) kind of suck on Google Maps in Germany. It sends you on very weird routes. Turn-by-turn in Apple's maps app is kinda great. No weird routes and such. TomTom is pretty great in Germany. I can't speak for any other countries. The POIs do suck and some labels are seriously out of place. Also, search sometimes tends to send you to weird places. Those are serious inexcusable issues, but the whole turn-by-turn part is pretty great and the actual maps are pretty comprehensive (at least in Germany).
    - shawnc 14y ago
      It's odd to me that Google was allowed to go through growing pains, but another company attempting to do the same be criticized for it. Seriously - would you expect Google to make a different decision if the roles were reversed? Re: your reply below. Well, that I believe. It had better be since it's had those years to perfect itself. And I can understand why people would be unhappy with the switch away from Google Maps on iOS - if it were as good as that on Android. Which is wasn't, and sounds like would have been an ordeal to make it so. Google didn't make the app, Apple did. Why put the effort into perfecting the Google Maps app, when they could put that same (more obviously) effort into perfecting their own?
- arrrg 14y ago
  Turn-by-turn is not so great in Germany. Traffic info sucks. Both of those are much better in Apple's new maps (especially the traffic info, extremely current and detailed). Sure, that's limited, but it isn't all bad.
pohl 14y ago
You're not alone. It has been working well for me, too. But maybe Omaha is well covered or I'm not using it enough. I have been wondering, though, whether there has been any effort to quantify exactly how bad iOS 6 Maps really are. I mean: if this topic were about anything else, HN denizens would be quick to lecture us about how all the complaints are coming from a self-selected sample, not a random one, and how the examples are cherry-picked - not necessarily representative, and how the plural of anecdote is not data. While there are clearly a lot of errors (and some of them very funny) the world is a very, very big place. So I wonder how bad is "bad", really? What unit(s) of measurement would one use to quantify it? I imagine you would need a different unit of measurement for each kind of error: one for the melted bridge, one for not finding the Starbucks down the street, one for having an airport in the middle of a field...

bryanlarsen 14y ago

Have you tried a recent version of Google Maps on Android? It has improved a lot over the last couple of years.

adambratt 14y ago
I last used it about a year ago. However, I think that was on Android 2.3 still.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  The internet at large seems to have picked up the "Android doesn't get updates meme" and so remains unaware of that fact that even crappy low-end Android's running 2.3 (and before) get the latest updates to Google Maps and have been streets ahead of iOS Maps for a very long time.
shawnc 14y ago
As will Apple Maps in a few years. Good to have some decent alternatives out there. I know, people will argue with me that Apple is the evil one here...
- Karunamon 14y ago
  Hmm, mature, tested, and working platform now, or broken and weak platform which may be better "in a few years". Difficult decision.
  - erichocean 14y ago
    I see you're talking about Android circa 2009. We're talking about Apple's new Maps app.
    - Karunamon 14y ago
      Very funny. Unfortunately I was talking about the Maps application, of which Android's offer is currently better in every conceivable way.
      - arrrg 14y ago
        It's not better in every conceivable way. Traffic info in Germany kind of sucks from Google, it's the best you can get (TomTom's traffic info) in Apple's app. Extremely detailed, extremely current.
        Karunamon 14y ago
        What use is the traffic data if the underlying map/POI data can't plot a decent route to overlay traffic info on?
        arrrg 14y ago
        Funny you should say that. Turn-by-turn (and especially the walking directions) kind of suck on Google Maps in Germany. It sends you on very weird routes. Turn-by-turn in Apple's maps app is kinda great. No weird routes and such. TomTom is pretty great in Germany. I can't speak for any other countries. The POIs do suck and some labels are seriously out of place. Also, search sometimes tends to send you to weird places. Those are serious inexcusable issues, but the whole turn-by-turn part is pretty great and the actual maps are pretty comprehensive (at least in Germany).
  - shawnc 14y ago
    It's odd to me that Google was allowed to go through growing pains, but another company attempting to do the same be criticized for it. Seriously - would you expect Google to make a different decision if the roles were reversed? Re: your reply below. Well, that I believe. It had better be since it's had those years to perfect itself. And I can understand why people would be unhappy with the switch away from Google Maps on iOS - if it were as good as that on Android. Which is wasn't, and sounds like would have been an ordeal to make it so. Google didn't make the app, Apple did. Why put the effort into perfecting the Google Maps app, when they could put that same (more obviously) effort into perfecting their own?
arrrg 14y ago
Turn-by-turn is not so great in Germany. Traffic info sucks. Both of those are much better in Apple's new maps (especially the traffic info, extremely current and detailed). Sure, that's limited, but it isn't all bad.

pohl 14y ago

You're not alone. It has been working well for me, too. But maybe Omaha is well covered or I'm not using it enough. I have been wondering, though, whether there has been any effort to quantify exactly how bad iOS 6 Maps really are. I mean: if this topic were about anything else, HN denizens would be quick to lecture us about how all the complaints are coming from a self-selected sample, not a random one, and how the examples are cherry-picked - not necessarily representative, and how the plural of anecdote is not data. While there are clearly a lot of errors (and some of them very funny) the world is a very, very big place. So I wonder how bad is "bad", really? What unit(s) of measurement would one use to quantify it? I imagine you would need a different unit of measurement for each kind of error: one for the melted bridge, one for not finding the Starbucks down the street, one for having an airport in the middle of a field...