6 ms·

It is obvious that they have better data for certain parts of the world. The problem with maps is that if your data is, say, 10% bad or inaccurate (whatever th

It is obvious that they have better data for certain parts of the world. The problem with maps is that if your data is, say, 10% bad or inaccurate (whatever that means) and you are serving two billion searches per week you have to contend with tens of millions of unhappy users. Bad problem to have. Will they fix it? Probably. How long? Someone far more knowledgeable of the challenges in mapping will have to answer that one. For me and those close to me it is about the potential to break something that works very well right now. That alone is keeping us from upgrading software and hardware. It's the old "if it ain't broke don't fix it" saying. As for turn-by-turn. I live in SoCal. I rarely need it. When I do, I throw an old GPS I keep in the car on the dashboard and it works just fine. Most of the time (99% ?) I use Google Maps on my 4S.

bunderbunder 14y ago
> 10% bad or inaccurate Or even 0.1% bad. I recently had a family member (who doesn't use a smartphone) call me up to ask if I could recommend a brand of print map to her. After just one instance of getting lost due to a mislabeled road in her atlas, she was ready to jump ship on a brand that she had probably been loyal to for decades. All over an error that was probably insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But to her it meant an hour's worth of lost time, confusion and wasted gasoline, and it was very significant.
- barista 14y ago
  One bad experience can change the perception. Interesting snub at Google by recommending Bing maps over Google :)
  - tlack 14y ago
    That may have just been because they want to emphasize a native mobile app rather than HTML5-based mobile experiences, and Google has not yet released their own native maps app for iOS.
    - blhack 14y ago
      Are you sure about that? Doesn't google have a maps application that is pending approval in the app store?
      - reaganing 14y ago
        No, it's still being built and is probably months away[1] [1]: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3407614/apple-over-a-year-left-on-google-maps-contract-google-maps-ios-app http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3407614/apple-over-a-year-...
  - metamatt 14y ago
    Actually, the open letter also recommends Google and Nokia maps, via their websites (because native apps don't exist). BTW: Am I the only one that thinks it's fishy that Google's claiming (a) they only had 3 months notice of this change and (b) 3 months isn't enough to produce their own iOS maps app? I don't believe either of those claims.
    - icarus127 14y ago
      Why would it matter? If they decide to not release a maps app at all that would be their prerogative.
Tuna-Fish 14y ago
I've talked to people who have IOS6, and the consensus is that the maps are fine in California, and completely useless everywhere else. In Finland, a guy I know got directions that told him to go through a road that hasn't existed for 6 years. Also, most of the market for iPhone users are city-dwellers, and most of those don't own cars. Having good timetable/route planner for public transit is very important. As I understand, Maps doesn't work for that at all.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- microtherion 14y ago
  When you ask for transit directions, you get presented a selection of 3rd party apps from the app store to give you directions, and those directions are then integrated with Apple Maps. The app I used, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transit-directions-public/id561866269?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transit-directions-public/id5... was pretty bad on iOS 6 launch day (with instructions like "take a bus", without mentioning the line), but a week later improved to be perfectly usable here in Switzerland.
- mitchty 14y ago
  I have had no issues in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I think you're overblowing things with your statement of "completely useless everywhere else". I've even compared the directions against a friends s3 with google maps and Apple maps did better at some local routing than google maps did for what its worth.
  - astrec 14y ago
    It places my house 150m out to sea, and puts a rehabilitation centre that doesn't exist at the actual location of my house. In my town, a suburb of Melbourne AU, the Apple product is completely useless.
  - LargeWu 14y ago
    I saw a news story in, I think, the Star Tribune with a picture of the new Maps app locating the Guthrie Theatre at its old location at the Walker. It hasn't been there for 3 years. Admittedly, I haven't used the new Maps app, but only because I've avoided upgrading my phone to iOS6 solely because I've heard the new Maps is so terrible.
robomartin 14y ago
> the consensus is that the maps are fine in California I'm in So. Cal., we happened to be visiting friends in Valencia. We were going to meet at Valencia Mall. I searched for "Valencia Mall". I sent us a mile or two away from the true location. Google Maps got it right. Based on this single data point I would venture to guess that, no, things are not fine in California. If it can't find the major shopping mall in a city like Valencia I don't even want to know what else it might screw up. One of the issues with maps is that people have come to rely on them for all sorts of things, even emergencies. Nobody uses the yellow pages or print maps any more (well, some do). Imagine searching for the local hospital in an emergency and being sent to the wrong spot. This stuff is important. It's not a toy any more.

bunderbunder 14y ago

> 10% bad or inaccurate Or even 0.1% bad. I recently had a family member (who doesn't use a smartphone) call me up to ask if I could recommend a brand of print map to her. After just one instance of getting lost due to a mislabeled road in her atlas, she was ready to jump ship on a brand that she had probably been loyal to for decades. All over an error that was probably insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But to her it meant an hour's worth of lost time, confusion and wasted gasoline, and it was very significant.

barista 14y ago
One bad experience can change the perception. Interesting snub at Google by recommending Bing maps over Google :)
- tlack 14y ago
  That may have just been because they want to emphasize a native mobile app rather than HTML5-based mobile experiences, and Google has not yet released their own native maps app for iOS.
  - blhack 14y ago
    Are you sure about that? Doesn't google have a maps application that is pending approval in the app store?
    - reaganing 14y ago
      No, it's still being built and is probably months away[1] [1]: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3407614/apple-over-a-year-left-on-google-maps-contract-google-maps-ios-app http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3407614/apple-over-a-year-...
- metamatt 14y ago
  Actually, the open letter also recommends Google and Nokia maps, via their websites (because native apps don't exist). BTW: Am I the only one that thinks it's fishy that Google's claiming (a) they only had 3 months notice of this change and (b) 3 months isn't enough to produce their own iOS maps app? I don't believe either of those claims.
  - icarus127 14y ago
    Why would it matter? If they decide to not release a maps app at all that would be their prerogative.

Tuna-Fish 14y ago

I've talked to people who have IOS6, and the consensus is that the maps are fine in California, and completely useless everywhere else. In Finland, a guy I know got directions that told him to go through a road that hasn't existed for 6 years. Also, most of the market for iPhone users are city-dwellers, and most of those don't own cars. Having good timetable/route planner for public transit is very important. As I understand, Maps doesn't work for that at all.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
microtherion 14y ago
When you ask for transit directions, you get presented a selection of 3rd party apps from the app store to give you directions, and those directions are then integrated with Apple Maps. The app I used, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transit-directions-public/id561866269?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transit-directions-public/id5... was pretty bad on iOS 6 launch day (with instructions like "take a bus", without mentioning the line), but a week later improved to be perfectly usable here in Switzerland.
mitchty 14y ago
I have had no issues in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I think you're overblowing things with your statement of "completely useless everywhere else". I've even compared the directions against a friends s3 with google maps and Apple maps did better at some local routing than google maps did for what its worth.
- astrec 14y ago
  It places my house 150m out to sea, and puts a rehabilitation centre that doesn't exist at the actual location of my house. In my town, a suburb of Melbourne AU, the Apple product is completely useless.
- LargeWu 14y ago
  I saw a news story in, I think, the Star Tribune with a picture of the new Maps app locating the Guthrie Theatre at its old location at the Walker. It hasn't been there for 3 years. Admittedly, I haven't used the new Maps app, but only because I've avoided upgrading my phone to iOS6 solely because I've heard the new Maps is so terrible.

robomartin 14y ago

> the consensus is that the maps are fine in California I'm in So. Cal., we happened to be visiting friends in Valencia. We were going to meet at Valencia Mall. I searched for "Valencia Mall". I sent us a mile or two away from the true location. Google Maps got it right. Based on this single data point I would venture to guess that, no, things are not fine in California. If it can't find the major shopping mall in a city like Valencia I don't even want to know what else it might screw up. One of the issues with maps is that people have come to rely on them for all sorts of things, even emergencies. Nobody uses the yellow pages or print maps any more (well, some do). Imagine searching for the local hospital in an emergency and being sent to the wrong spot. This stuff is important. It's not a toy any more.