12 ms·

Microsoft: Hey, Apple Maps haters, Use Bing for iPhone instead

105 points by bmillipede 14y ago

rocky1138 14y ago
Good timing. I was in the car as the navigator two days ago, the driver handing me his iphone with iOS6. The maps app took a 15 minute trip across town and made it into an almost two-hour long journey. I tried using Google Maps through Safari but it was so slow it was unusable. As a joke I said "I know, let's use Bing maps!"
drhowarddrfine 14y ago
So Bing maps has not been dated almost all year and sucks overall. Great idea. Microsoft loses over $2 billion on Bing every year and there's a reason for that.
truebecomefalse 14y ago
Sadly the bing app won't when I click 'Directions' in the Yelp App. I wish apple were not such control freaks and we could have the intent system in iOS... even if it was an advanced feature hidden in some obscure menu.
vaultboy21 14y ago
Bing Maps have been rapidly improving over the past year and no one seems to have picked-up on it. via their deal with Nokia, Microsoft is slowly updating the backend data, incorporating Navteq's over 20+ years of mapping tech. its not quite up to parity with Nokia Maps (or Google) internationally yet, but it's come a long way and (i'm guessing) easily beats-out Apple's quickly-built homegrown implementation. for those who don't know, Nokia owns Navteq (purchased a few years ago) which powers over 85%+ of automotive navigation systems (as well as Garmin, Mapquest, and many other popular mapping services)..
- JohnsonB 14y ago
  Shame they seem to have given up on their version of street view, Streetside, however.
  - benzor 14y ago
    They haven't given up on it, it's just quite limited at the moment, only showing up in major US cities. I actually find it stitches together images much better than Google's Street View, although it could just be because Google's pictures were taken a long time ago.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  I've never used Bing Maps before, but it does look pretty nice. Anybody else seeing weird graphical glitches when panning around (in Chrome on Windows 7)?
- drhowarddrfine 14y ago
  After all these years, the best one can say about Bing Maps is "it's come a long way"? That's enough info for me to always stick with Google Maps.
- junto 14y ago
  My major problem with Bing is that it defaults the interface language based on your location. This is stupid. If I'm travelling in China, then having the entire interface in Chinese is completely useless. Bing like many other major sites, make the poor assumption that the user's location == preferred language. From a usability perspective, the interface language should primarily be based on the browser user agent Accept Language, and THEN an ip-to-geo database lookup can OFFER the user the location based user interface language. Finally there should always be a way to change language. Bing, as in the entirety of Bing, does not have a way to change language. I am currently in Germany, and there isn't a way for me to use the maps in English. It is a schoolboy mistake from a major player. Idiotic if you ask me.
  - ccozan 14y ago
    Use the "gear" on the top right, go to Worldwide ( last option) and use the US or UK. The experience will be as if in the respective countries.
    - junto 14y ago
      Awesome. I've spent months being annoyed by that!
joe_the_user 14y ago
I'm using Bing for the Palm Pre and it is garbage (can't figure out to search at my location at all). Maybe it's better for the iPhone.
- kpozin 14y ago
  I had to use Bing Maps on the Palm Pre for a few months this year after they updated the app (and partially blocked the Google Maps mobile site). Bing couldn't find anything without an exact address.
nivla 14y ago
The title of the article is just silly, sounds like a 13 year old came up with it. However, having used Bing maps, it seems like a great alternative to Google Maps. Both have Streetview, Transit maps and can also detect nearby businesses. The Bing map's layout and typography looks much cleaner and fresher than Google, but that's just my personal opinion. http://binged.it/TDK322 http://binged.it/TDK322 http://goo.gl/maps/N06xc http://goo.gl/maps/N06xc
- cvrajeesh 14y ago
  > http://binged.it/TDK322 http://binged.it/TDK322 The map is not shown when accessing it from India!!!
  - bahularora 14y ago
    It says : To search outside India, change the country appropriately (e.g. United States – English) at the top right corner of the page. Change the country to India for richer maps of top Indian cities. Edit: You will see the new bing maps once you change country to USA. Which is way better than older version.
- kevinqi 14y ago
  I don't know about that. Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details such as colors and readability of street names that really improve usability. In the Bing version, the color palette is much closer together and less visually distinguishable. And Google Maps is the only map service I've ever encountered that does zooming in and out in a non-jarring way.
  - elithrar 14y ago
    > Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details such as colors and readability of street names that really improve usability. This made me recall this great comparison between Google and Bing Maps from 2011: http://www.hostileuser.com/2011/01/06/google-map-legibility/ http://www.hostileuser.com/2011/01/06/google-map-legibility/ Added: It appears the source is no longer available.
kennywinker 14y ago
Strangely, Microsoft hasn't put the Bing app in the Canadian app store. The app's been out for ages now, and is still US only (as far as I know?). I can't for the life of me figure out a good reason for this. Bing.com has local search results for Canada, so it's not that. Not that it's putting me out. I can search bing from Safari. Just a strange move on their part. It's like the intern who's job it was to ready the international version got fired and nobody checked his pending workload.
- masklinn 14y ago
  > Strangely, Microsoft hasn't put the Bing app in the Canadian app store. Isn't in my mainland europe store either, though I have "Bing Get MeThere" which is apparently for London traffic and public transport (I'm not in the UK). > It's like the intern who's job it was to ready the international version got fired and nobody checked his pending workload. And considering the biggest issues Apple Maps have are outside the US, really doesn't make much sense to promote Bing Maps when they're not available to those who'd benefit most from them.
  - philjohn 14y ago
    It's available in the UK app store FWIW.
  - basicxman 14y ago
    I have Bing Get MeThere in the Canadian app store as well, but it doesn't appear to search any Canadian addresses.
- Fjolle 14y ago
  As an European Windows Phone user i'm doubting that they are aware that there's a world outside USA. A lot of features are disabled for no good reason, and the rest of them has no data for Denmark. For example when you play music on your phone you can set it to show pictures of the artist on the lock screen. On my phone the background just turns red. Also Local scout is disabled, though there aren't any data for it in Denmark anyway...
Raticide 14y ago
I can't find the app on the app store.
jser 14y ago
Bing Maps was the one of the first alternative maps I downloaded after the install of iOS 6. Unfortunately, the application is not ready for prime time -- the tiles are not retina, the UI is a mashup of formerly-known-as-Metro elements, and swoosh/zoom animations are overused, like a bad PowerPoint deck. If Bing released it with retina tiles and a native iOS UI, I think they could win significant market share. It could create a halo product that might make me more inclined to use and think positively of other Bing services.
- rogerbinns 14y ago
  Bing is also available on Android. I don't know how they implemented the UI but it also has a "glitchy" feel to it with lots of animation. I tried the routing and often to had to click on things twice for them to have an effect. But it did fundamentally work.
  - mitchty 14y ago
    > But it did fundamentally work. That is about all I can say on iOS too. It is... definitely a Microsoft product. That said it has way more POIs/businesses than Maps, and a few that Google doesn't include. Though to be honest knowing where comcast has an academy in my city is less than useful its rather complete and doesn't have bars listed that have been out of business for years. A for effort and data contained. C+ for execution. Would like to see what Google comes up with on iOS.
- rocky1138 14y ago
  Yes, but does it WORK?
stretchwithme 14y ago
Dunno, I installed it, popped in an address and it just sits and spins forever. iOS 5.1 maps comes back immediately.
- guywithabike 14y ago
  I had the same problem. On a cursory run through, the app seemed pre-alpha in quality. Most things didn't seem to work, and what did work was couched in awkward and annoying animations and poor image quality (especially maps).
adib 14y ago
Bing app not available in Singapore store.
kevingibbon 14y ago
I would rather be lost via Apple Maps than have to use the Bing iPhone app. awful
songgao 14y ago
I really love the satellite view in Bing maps. Clearly shows details, and the color is just right. But it seems outside US it lacks road information. If you look at China, even for a provincial capital city with over 10 M population, there doesn't seem to be many roads on the map: http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj00MC41NTUzMTI1MTg0NTQzJTdlMTE3LjgxNDgwNDA3NzE0OCU3ZTM5LjE3NDU0Nzc0NTA3NSU3ZTExNS4yMjIwMzA2Mzk2NDg= http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZX...
ftwinnovations 14y ago
Like most others with iOS6 maps I've had my share of troubles and was excited to try this out when I saw the post. My wife gave birth a few days ago and so the first thing that came to my mind was the name of the hospital - a major hospital in LA. Unfortunately, bing failed utterly. "No results found. Pan to a different area and try again". At this point I'm zoomed to all of LA. I tried again, no dice. Apple maps not only found it without a problem, but I only needed to type the first word of hospital name and the rest was suggested as I typed. Yeah, I only tested one search but it was hardly some tiny dive restaurant or other obscure landmark. App deleted.
- TallboyOne 14y ago
  Last line really got me. Totally lost it. And yes I agree, that sounds crazy. I love the app more. I loaded it up the first time and saw how it highlights parks with very vivid colors instead of a light gray outline. My first thought was "I live next to a park???" Low and behold... I live next to a park that I never knew about.
jobu 14y ago
Maybe it depends on your area, but I really think the bad press on the new iOS Maps App is overblown. I took a 700 mile road trip last weekend and Maps worked flawlessly. The turn-by-turn directions were neat, and the ETA and remaining miles were useful.
- charlesjcorn 14y ago
  Yes, cos it uses TomTom data. But try walking somewhere or using public transport, especially outside of the USA. Then you'll see the problems with Apple Maps.
eshvk 14y ago
Has any one used Bing Maps in San Francisco? If so, can you comment on how good it is with public transport?
- johns 14y ago
  It took me about 5 tries for it to actually find the address I kept searching for and tapping on, but once it 'took' the directions were accurate and easy to follow (walking to the stop, which bus, how long, etc).
  - eshvk 14y ago
    Thanks, maybe I will play with it for a while before I decide whether or not to do the upgrade.
- micampe 14y ago
  I never used Google Maps for public transport anyway because they report scheduled times, which are useless. Bing isn’t any better. Good third party options: - The Transit App – http://thetransitapp.com http://thetransitapp.com - Lumatic City Maps – http://lumatic.com http://lumatic.com - Transporter – http://www.transporterapp.net http://www.transporterapp.net - Pocket Muni – http://www.pocketbus.com http://www.pocketbus.com The first two also do routing and integrate with iOS 6 Maps. Regarding public transit I am actually happier with iOS 6 than I was before, precisely because of the 3rd party integration.
sajidnizami 14y ago
Always find maps.nokia.com better on my iPhone. Best part is it works even in places others fail. e.g. UAE.
- bruceboughton 14y ago
  Just looked at Nokia maps around my work in Central London. The business listings are all wrong and the icons are placed on top of the road names making it very hard to use.
zainny 14y ago
I arrived in Melbourne, Australia not to long ago and at the time was carrying around a Nokia Lumia 800. Being new to the city, I was heavily dependent on Bing Maps and it let me down in so so many ways. In particular, the complete lack of public transit data (which I used heavily) and poor turn-by-turn where big factors in driving me to get an Android device with Google Maps.
argimenes 14y ago
I wonder if this tendency to characterise people as 'haters' was brought about by the increasing divisiveness of American politics. It is a little disturbing that any kind of opposition or criticism toward a product can be summed up as 'hating on it'. Rather than be a hater, why not be an adversary, an opponent, a critic, a skeptic, a detractor, a gadfly, an enemy, or an antagonist? Instead of 'hating' why not dislike, distrust, oppose, criticise, be skeptical of, or consider flawed? Or if you want to be extreme why not slander, defame, denigrate, or calumniate? So if I take a balanced view and consider that there are good things about the new Apple Maps but on the whole think there was a laughable lack of quality control -- that makes me a 'hater'. Words are the functions of speech -- the API of natural language. Differentiation of meaning matters. Using crudely simplified language is like using a crudely simplified API in your programme; it restricts the scope of your expression and what you can create. If we insist on 'beautiful' APIs with our software, why not go further and reach for the right word when it comes to criticising software?
- conradfr 14y ago
  Americans seem to be overly enthusiast for anything, so maybe when everything is supposed to be "fantastic" and "amazing", any criticism can be dismissed as hating.
chmars 14y ago
If I search for 'bing' in the iOS 6 App Store app, result #1 is 'Bing Get Me There' – a travel app for London … sidewards scrolling in the new App Store app is horrible but I made it to result #20 without any sign of a real Bing map app …
prof_hobart 14y ago
Hmmm. Let's see. "Transit directions aren't available for these locations" (Nottingham, UK). Nearest pub not on the map (admittedly it's not there on either Google Maps or Apple Maps, but I guess it's only been open for about three years), and the nearest one that is listed has actually been demolished for about 3 years (it's gone on both Google and Apple maps). No traffic shown on the driving view, at least around here. Also no street view, but at least it's got aerial views of the town that aren't just clouds. So unless I'm after an aerial shot of an area and maps.google.com isn't working, it's a "no thanks" from me.
smcl 14y ago
Maybe I'm being stupid but I cannot find any maps on the Bing app. I open the app up and I get presented with a search bar and a picture of some mountains, touching the screen anywhere doesn't bring up any options for different types of searches (i.e. I wanted a map-specific one). Searching for my town "Brno" just brings up regular search results with no option to view a map. Searching for "London" brings up more, so there's a new header giving me the options of narrowing my results by "all", "images", "video" or "news" but still no maps. This is not a suitable replacement for Google maps, I'll be deleting it.
- nickpp 14y ago
  Same problem here, the Bing app doen't have any maps...
- charlesjcorn 14y ago
  Same with me, except I get pretty flowers instead if mountains! I'm in Thailand do I guess Bing maps only works for the USA. Which makes Apple's recommendation if it as an alternative to Apple maps even more breathtaking. They've forgotten the rest if the world exists.

105 points by bmillipede 14y ago

Good timing. I was in the car as the navigator two days ago, the driver handing me his iphone with iOS6. The maps app took a 15 minute trip across town and made it into an almost two-hour long journey. I tried using Google Maps through Safari but it was so slow it was unusable. As a joke I said "I know, let's use Bing maps!"

drhowarddrfine 14y ago

So Bing maps has not been dated almost all year and sucks overall. Great idea. Microsoft loses over $2 billion on Bing every year and there's a reason for that.

truebecomefalse 14y ago

Sadly the bing app won't when I click 'Directions' in the Yelp App. I wish apple were not such control freaks and we could have the intent system in iOS... even if it was an advanced feature hidden in some obscure menu.

vaultboy21 14y ago

Bing Maps have been rapidly improving over the past year and no one seems to have picked-up on it. via their deal with Nokia, Microsoft is slowly updating the backend data, incorporating Navteq's over 20+ years of mapping tech. its not quite up to parity with Nokia Maps (or Google) internationally yet, but it's come a long way and (i'm guessing) easily beats-out Apple's quickly-built homegrown implementation. for those who don't know, Nokia owns Navteq (purchased a few years ago) which powers over 85%+ of automotive navigation systems (as well as Garmin, Mapquest, and many other popular mapping services)..

JohnsonB 14y ago
Shame they seem to have given up on their version of street view, Streetside, however.
- benzor 14y ago
  They haven't given up on it, it's just quite limited at the moment, only showing up in major US cities. I actually find it stitches together images much better than Google's Street View, although it could just be because Google's pictures were taken a long time ago.
w1ntermute 14y ago
I've never used Bing Maps before, but it does look pretty nice. Anybody else seeing weird graphical glitches when panning around (in Chrome on Windows 7)?
drhowarddrfine 14y ago
After all these years, the best one can say about Bing Maps is "it's come a long way"? That's enough info for me to always stick with Google Maps.
junto 14y ago
My major problem with Bing is that it defaults the interface language based on your location. This is stupid. If I'm travelling in China, then having the entire interface in Chinese is completely useless. Bing like many other major sites, make the poor assumption that the user's location == preferred language. From a usability perspective, the interface language should primarily be based on the browser user agent Accept Language, and THEN an ip-to-geo database lookup can OFFER the user the location based user interface language. Finally there should always be a way to change language. Bing, as in the entirety of Bing, does not have a way to change language. I am currently in Germany, and there isn't a way for me to use the maps in English. It is a schoolboy mistake from a major player. Idiotic if you ask me.
- ccozan 14y ago
  Use the "gear" on the top right, go to Worldwide ( last option) and use the US or UK. The experience will be as if in the respective countries.
  - junto 14y ago
    Awesome. I've spent months being annoyed by that!

joe_the_user 14y ago

I'm using Bing for the Palm Pre and it is garbage (can't figure out to search at my location at all). Maybe it's better for the iPhone.

kpozin 14y ago
I had to use Bing Maps on the Palm Pre for a few months this year after they updated the app (and partially blocked the Google Maps mobile site). Bing couldn't find anything without an exact address.

nivla 14y ago

The title of the article is just silly, sounds like a 13 year old came up with it. However, having used Bing maps, it seems like a great alternative to Google Maps. Both have Streetview, Transit maps and can also detect nearby businesses. The Bing map's layout and typography looks much cleaner and fresher than Google, but that's just my personal opinion. http://binged.it/TDK322 http://binged.it/TDK322 http://goo.gl/maps/N06xc http://goo.gl/maps/N06xc

cvrajeesh 14y ago
> http://binged.it/TDK322 http://binged.it/TDK322 The map is not shown when accessing it from India!!!
- bahularora 14y ago
  It says : To search outside India, change the country appropriately (e.g. United States – English) at the top right corner of the page. Change the country to India for richer maps of top Indian cities. Edit: You will see the new bing maps once you change country to USA. Which is way better than older version.
kevinqi 14y ago
I don't know about that. Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details such as colors and readability of street names that really improve usability. In the Bing version, the color palette is much closer together and less visually distinguishable. And Google Maps is the only map service I've ever encountered that does zooming in and out in a non-jarring way.
- elithrar 14y ago
  > Google has done a fantastic job at a lot of details such as colors and readability of street names that really improve usability. This made me recall this great comparison between Google and Bing Maps from 2011: http://www.hostileuser.com/2011/01/06/google-map-legibility/ http://www.hostileuser.com/2011/01/06/google-map-legibility/ Added: It appears the source is no longer available.

kennywinker 14y ago

Strangely, Microsoft hasn't put the Bing app in the Canadian app store. The app's been out for ages now, and is still US only (as far as I know?). I can't for the life of me figure out a good reason for this. Bing.com has local search results for Canada, so it's not that. Not that it's putting me out. I can search bing from Safari. Just a strange move on their part. It's like the intern who's job it was to ready the international version got fired and nobody checked his pending workload.

masklinn 14y ago
> Strangely, Microsoft hasn't put the Bing app in the Canadian app store. Isn't in my mainland europe store either, though I have "Bing Get MeThere" which is apparently for London traffic and public transport (I'm not in the UK). > It's like the intern who's job it was to ready the international version got fired and nobody checked his pending workload. And considering the biggest issues Apple Maps have are outside the US, really doesn't make much sense to promote Bing Maps when they're not available to those who'd benefit most from them.
- philjohn 14y ago
  It's available in the UK app store FWIW.
- basicxman 14y ago
  I have Bing Get MeThere in the Canadian app store as well, but it doesn't appear to search any Canadian addresses.
Fjolle 14y ago
As an European Windows Phone user i'm doubting that they are aware that there's a world outside USA. A lot of features are disabled for no good reason, and the rest of them has no data for Denmark. For example when you play music on your phone you can set it to show pictures of the artist on the lock screen. On my phone the background just turns red. Also Local scout is disabled, though there aren't any data for it in Denmark anyway...

Raticide 14y ago

I can't find the app on the app store.

jser 14y ago

Bing Maps was the one of the first alternative maps I downloaded after the install of iOS 6. Unfortunately, the application is not ready for prime time -- the tiles are not retina, the UI is a mashup of formerly-known-as-Metro elements, and swoosh/zoom animations are overused, like a bad PowerPoint deck. If Bing released it with retina tiles and a native iOS UI, I think they could win significant market share. It could create a halo product that might make me more inclined to use and think positively of other Bing services.

rogerbinns 14y ago
Bing is also available on Android. I don't know how they implemented the UI but it also has a "glitchy" feel to it with lots of animation. I tried the routing and often to had to click on things twice for them to have an effect. But it did fundamentally work.
- mitchty 14y ago
  > But it did fundamentally work. That is about all I can say on iOS too. It is... definitely a Microsoft product. That said it has way more POIs/businesses than Maps, and a few that Google doesn't include. Though to be honest knowing where comcast has an academy in my city is less than useful its rather complete and doesn't have bars listed that have been out of business for years. A for effort and data contained. C+ for execution. Would like to see what Google comes up with on iOS.
rocky1138 14y ago
Yes, but does it WORK?

stretchwithme 14y ago

Dunno, I installed it, popped in an address and it just sits and spins forever. iOS 5.1 maps comes back immediately.

guywithabike 14y ago
I had the same problem. On a cursory run through, the app seemed pre-alpha in quality. Most things didn't seem to work, and what did work was couched in awkward and annoying animations and poor image quality (especially maps).

adib 14y ago

Bing app not available in Singapore store.

kevingibbon 14y ago

I would rather be lost via Apple Maps than have to use the Bing iPhone app. awful

songgao 14y ago

I really love the satellite view in Bing maps. Clearly shows details, and the color is just right. But it seems outside US it lacks road information. If you look at China, even for a provincial capital city with over 10 M population, there doesn't seem to be many roads on the map: http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj00MC41NTUzMTI1MTg0NTQzJTdlMTE3LjgxNDgwNDA3NzE0OCU3ZTM5LjE3NDU0Nzc0NTA3NSU3ZTExNS4yMjIwMzA2Mzk2NDg= http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZX...

ftwinnovations 14y ago

Like most others with iOS6 maps I've had my share of troubles and was excited to try this out when I saw the post. My wife gave birth a few days ago and so the first thing that came to my mind was the name of the hospital - a major hospital in LA. Unfortunately, bing failed utterly. "No results found. Pan to a different area and try again". At this point I'm zoomed to all of LA. I tried again, no dice. Apple maps not only found it without a problem, but I only needed to type the first word of hospital name and the rest was suggested as I typed. Yeah, I only tested one search but it was hardly some tiny dive restaurant or other obscure landmark. App deleted.

TallboyOne 14y ago
Last line really got me. Totally lost it. And yes I agree, that sounds crazy. I love the app more. I loaded it up the first time and saw how it highlights parks with very vivid colors instead of a light gray outline. My first thought was "I live next to a park???" Low and behold... I live next to a park that I never knew about.

jobu 14y ago

Maybe it depends on your area, but I really think the bad press on the new iOS Maps App is overblown. I took a 700 mile road trip last weekend and Maps worked flawlessly. The turn-by-turn directions were neat, and the ETA and remaining miles were useful.

charlesjcorn 14y ago
Yes, cos it uses TomTom data. But try walking somewhere or using public transport, especially outside of the USA. Then you'll see the problems with Apple Maps.

eshvk 14y ago

Has any one used Bing Maps in San Francisco? If so, can you comment on how good it is with public transport?

johns 14y ago
It took me about 5 tries for it to actually find the address I kept searching for and tapping on, but once it 'took' the directions were accurate and easy to follow (walking to the stop, which bus, how long, etc).
- eshvk 14y ago
  Thanks, maybe I will play with it for a while before I decide whether or not to do the upgrade.
micampe 14y ago
I never used Google Maps for public transport anyway because they report scheduled times, which are useless. Bing isn’t any better. Good third party options: - The Transit App – http://thetransitapp.com http://thetransitapp.com - Lumatic City Maps – http://lumatic.com http://lumatic.com - Transporter – http://www.transporterapp.net http://www.transporterapp.net - Pocket Muni – http://www.pocketbus.com http://www.pocketbus.com The first two also do routing and integrate with iOS 6 Maps. Regarding public transit I am actually happier with iOS 6 than I was before, precisely because of the 3rd party integration.

sajidnizami 14y ago

Always find maps.nokia.com better on my iPhone. Best part is it works even in places others fail. e.g. UAE.

bruceboughton 14y ago
Just looked at Nokia maps around my work in Central London. The business listings are all wrong and the icons are placed on top of the road names making it very hard to use.

zainny 14y ago

I arrived in Melbourne, Australia not to long ago and at the time was carrying around a Nokia Lumia 800. Being new to the city, I was heavily dependent on Bing Maps and it let me down in so so many ways. In particular, the complete lack of public transit data (which I used heavily) and poor turn-by-turn where big factors in driving me to get an Android device with Google Maps.

argimenes 14y ago

I wonder if this tendency to characterise people as 'haters' was brought about by the increasing divisiveness of American politics. It is a little disturbing that any kind of opposition or criticism toward a product can be summed up as 'hating on it'. Rather than be a hater, why not be an adversary, an opponent, a critic, a skeptic, a detractor, a gadfly, an enemy, or an antagonist? Instead of 'hating' why not dislike, distrust, oppose, criticise, be skeptical of, or consider flawed? Or if you want to be extreme why not slander, defame, denigrate, or calumniate? So if I take a balanced view and consider that there are good things about the new Apple Maps but on the whole think there was a laughable lack of quality control -- that makes me a 'hater'. Words are the functions of speech -- the API of natural language. Differentiation of meaning matters. Using crudely simplified language is like using a crudely simplified API in your programme; it restricts the scope of your expression and what you can create. If we insist on 'beautiful' APIs with our software, why not go further and reach for the right word when it comes to criticising software?

conradfr 14y ago
Americans seem to be overly enthusiast for anything, so maybe when everything is supposed to be "fantastic" and "amazing", any criticism can be dismissed as hating.

chmars 14y ago

If I search for 'bing' in the iOS 6 App Store app, result #1 is 'Bing Get Me There' – a travel app for London … sidewards scrolling in the new App Store app is horrible but I made it to result #20 without any sign of a real Bing map app …

prof_hobart 14y ago

Hmmm. Let's see. "Transit directions aren't available for these locations" (Nottingham, UK). Nearest pub not on the map (admittedly it's not there on either Google Maps or Apple Maps, but I guess it's only been open for about three years), and the nearest one that is listed has actually been demolished for about 3 years (it's gone on both Google and Apple maps). No traffic shown on the driving view, at least around here. Also no street view, but at least it's got aerial views of the town that aren't just clouds. So unless I'm after an aerial shot of an area and maps.google.com isn't working, it's a "no thanks" from me.

smcl 14y ago

Maybe I'm being stupid but I cannot find any maps on the Bing app. I open the app up and I get presented with a search bar and a picture of some mountains, touching the screen anywhere doesn't bring up any options for different types of searches (i.e. I wanted a map-specific one). Searching for my town "Brno" just brings up regular search results with no option to view a map. Searching for "London" brings up more, so there's a new header giving me the options of narrowing my results by "all", "images", "video" or "news" but still no maps. This is not a suitable replacement for Google maps, I'll be deleting it.

nickpp 14y ago
Same problem here, the Bing app doen't have any maps...
charlesjcorn 14y ago
Same with me, except I get pretty flowers instead if mountains! I'm in Thailand do I guess Bing maps only works for the USA. Which makes Apple's recommendation if it as an alternative to Apple maps even more breathtaking. They've forgotten the rest if the world exists.