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They don't want to partner with anybody. All that would do is recreate the problem they faced with Google: losing control and sooner or later negatively affecti
by TetOn 14y ago
They don't want to partner with anybody. All that would do is recreate the problem they faced with Google: losing control and sooner or later negatively affecting user experience as New Partner Co. begins to favor its interests over whatever future interests Apple may or may not have.
Far better to rip the band-aid off now, tune the dataset over time, and ultimately emerge with a better overall experience that you now control completely. Already the system-wide integration of mapping is far superior in that regard. That just wasn't going to happen with Google or any other partner which would forever live as a walled garden of an App.
Inaccurate mapping data is, after all, a (relatively) finite problem.
- notimetorelax 14y ago> Inaccurate mapping data is, after all, a (relatively) finite problem. Not if you live in the area that has very low resolution maps. IMHO "finite problem" is an antithesis to accurate maps. Mapping requires constant improvement. For example roads in the area where I live have been modified 3 times in last 5 years.
- krenoten 14y ago>>They don't want to partner with anybody They run iCloud on Windows Azure, why not run their map service using Bing Maps data?
- weiran 14y agoAzure is a redundancy service. They have their own data centre that hosts iCloud.
- glhaynes 14y agoJust curious: is that "known as a fact" now? I'd imagine that means that their own data center for iCloud is running Windows Server, too. Which doesn't really seem any less likely in today's world than Linux servers but it would be interesting just in terms of how much you could blow Apple fans' minds if you could travel back 15 years and tell them that. EDIT: I'm wrong, as pointed out below; Azure isn't just for Windows Server.
- ceejayoz 14y agoYou can run Linux in Windows Azure. http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/linux/ http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/linux/
- glhaynes 14y agoI had no idea! Thank you.
- balakk 14y agoNot just that, there are a whole set of Azure storage APIs which are just HTTP/REST. You could use them from any OS that has a HTTP stack. Apple are probably using just this.
- recoiledsnake 14y agoIsn't that a very recent feature?
- ceejayoz 14y agoAs far as I can tell, iCloud and Linux on Azure were both announced in June 2012.
- msrpotus 14y agoMapping isn't a finite problem. If you read about the Coastline Paradox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox), every map is based on abstraction. You can get more and more detail but there will always be parts that are simplified and abstracted. It's like trying to get to the door by going half the distance each time. Eventually, it'll be a small distance (and not a big problem, which is generally the case for Google Maps) but you'll never completely solve it.