51 ms·

Apple Maps up to five times more data efficient than Google Maps

31 points by iPhone1 14y ago

highwind 14y ago
Can anyone compare this to the Google Maps on Android? Downloading vector based map will obviously use less data than raster map image (different one at different zoom level nonetheless). I don't see how this is much of a news.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  It's news to anyone with an iPhone that has to pay for their data when downloading maps @ $0.15/megabyte when traveling internationally. I've racked up $20-$30 just using the maps application on a single trip, so this is positive news for me.
ftwinnovations 14y ago
Apple maps has caused me plenty of headaches so far, but hearing this definitely pleases me. I remember traveling lost in Beijing and just ripping through my AT&T international data plan using maps to get back to my hotel. Sure, with Apple maps I won't even find my hotel, but at least I'll do it five times more efficiently!
- ghshephard 14y ago
  The reports that I've seen suggest Apple has better map tile/POI detail in China than Google does. China is one of the places that Apple comes out ahead of Google in terms of Map Data Quality.
mtgx 14y ago
The title is a little misleading. It may be more efficient compared to the 5 years old Google Maps app on iOS, but Google Maps for Android has been vector based since December 16th, 2010, when they launched Google Maps 5.0. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-for.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-googl... Also don't forget Apple's Maps retrieve a lot less data than Google Maps, since they don't actually have that data. Google Maps offers a lot more information.
- jonursenbach 14y ago
  The title isn't misleading because the test has nothing to do with Android. They're comparing the two iOS map offerings, not cross-platform.
  - recoiledsnake 14y ago
    How would you infer that from the title? Bandwidth used by apps can and is frequently constant across platforms. Won't adding a "on iOS" at the end help clarify things?
    - jonursenbach 14y ago
      It's assumed. If you can't grasp that, I'm sorry.
      - mparlane 14y ago
        In the title two competing products are mentioned. Google Maps and Apple Maps. The article is comparing iOS Google Maps to iOS Apple Maps. iOS Google Maps is not the same as the product Google Maps. If you can't grasp the difference of those two, I'm sorry.
        lostsock 14y ago
        Not to mention the old iOS mapping app was actually written by Apple, it was only using Google's tiles
- taligent 14y ago
  >Also don't forget Apple's Maps retrieve a lot less data than Google Maps, since they don't actually have that data. Google Maps offers a lot more information. Well this is just stupidity at its finest. A few extra POIs/streets would pale in comparison to the difference between vector and raster images.
  - 14y ago
ghshephard 14y ago
This would be an assessment over the application and the efficiency of using vectors - thought it is interesting to hear that the satellite maps show a win as well. When I'm traveling internationally, and have roaming disabled, I use Google Maps in "Standard View" very cautiously - keenly aware of that $0.15/megabyte charge I'm racking up. So, for those cities that do have decent road layouts, routing, and POI information - this actually is a nice little benefit.
jtchang 14y ago
Of course you use less data when you don't need to download anything important...like oh say, roads, important subway stations, or cities!
- robert_nsu 14y ago
  Yeah, I'd rather wait 5 minutes for correct information instead of waiting 2 minutes for incorrect information.
  - Timmy_C 14y ago
    This is a false dichotomy. The data you're getting in iOS is not wholly incorrect. You're right that there are some big holes. But, in apps like foursquare, the speed gains are significant. Especially when you just need the map to find what your geo coordinates are.
ChrisLTD 14y ago
That's great, but I'm sure most people would rather spend more data in exchange for more accurate and complete maps. Another thing to remember: with LTE larger maps wouldn't even take much longer to download.
capo 14y ago
For the umpteenth time: There was never a Google Maps app on the iPhone, there was an Apple app powered by Google's data. The correct way of stating this is that Apple's iOS6 maps app is more data efficient than previous versions. As for the main reason the current app is more efficient is that it relies on vector graphics instead of image tiles, a technique Google have been using on Android for nearly 2 years: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-for.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-googl... Another Android maps feature lets users select areas to cache offline, which I imagine saves even more data (it auto-caches frequented areas): http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/06/go-offline-with-google-maps-for-android.html http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/06/go-offline-with-g... That feature is also worth mentioning for when Apple duplicates it and some people try to convince themselves that it was Apple's idea.
- taligent 14y ago
  Calm down. Everyone is just calling it Google Maps out of simplicity. And yes it is vector on Android which was rumored to be one of the reasons Apple even started on this whole maps adventure. Because Google wasn't willing to license the vector data to give Android a competitive advantage.
  - nwienert 14y ago
    The title is still misleading, should read "old iOS Maps".
  - capo 14y ago
    I'm just a bit bothered by this phenomena of discovering features on the iPhone that were present on Android for ages and then attributing them to Apple: the notifications shade, voice input, voice actions, the ability to answer phone calls with canned texts, and now maps among many other things. Many in the press keep omitting the fact that Android did it first, which I think is important in this climate where Apple is very litigious regarding this stuff and the press keeps touting their originality while simultaneously dismissing other innovators.
chaz 14y ago
Google Maps for Android has an offline cache, which is a huge advantage, especially for those traveling in subways without a data connection. Would love to see that show up on iOS.
lilc 14y ago
I find it ironic that Apple is using RPC-encoded Google protocol buffers for communication in their Maps product.
- sli 14y ago
  I'd like to hear more about that. Care to elaborate?
  - lilc 14y ago
    During the last XCode beta, I was playing around with the iPhone simulator and using a proxy I saw the server would respond to geocoding requests with an 'application/x-protobuf' header. That header has since been removed, but the data is still encoded the same (comparing the same request before and after). I was going to try to figure out the RPC encoding method Apple's using, but I lost motivation after reading that they are rate-limiting the API, making it less useful to me.
DigitalSea 14y ago
I guess, it's a lot easier to be data efficient... When you have next to no map data to retrieve in the first place. I am tired of hearing about Apple's Maps, whether it's good or bad, everyone can agree (even Apple themselves agree) that the maps application is sub-par and finding nice things to say about it doesn't change the fact that if you want to get somewhere the new Apple Maps can only promise to get you within 80km of the location you want to be in (if you're lucky), not to mention the missing landmarks, weird black and white colouring of some areas and missing roads. Let's not detract away from the real problem here. Lets see if Apple Maps are as data efficient in 5 years when they catch up to half the level that Google Maps are currently at provided they work day and night to get to that stage.
- zarify 14y ago
  No, but I'm sure we _can_ all agree that map quality and POI quantity/accuracy will vary significantly by area. Let's not detract from the real problem here: the lack of sea monsters and other mythical beasts in all smartphone mapping offerings (sure Google included them in their 8 bit maps, but they tried to pass that off as a joke).
mapgrep 14y ago
Customer: It's not much of a cheese shop, is it? Owner: Finest in the district! Customer: (annoyed) Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please. Owner: Well, it's so clean, sir! Customer: It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese.... http://www.minderella.com/words/cheeseshop.htm http://www.minderella.com/words/cheeseshop.htm
lurkinggrue 14y ago
In other news: Apple Maps missing 5 times the data that Google offers.

31 points by iPhone1 14y ago

Can anyone compare this to the Google Maps on Android? Downloading vector based map will obviously use less data than raster map image (different one at different zoom level nonetheless). I don't see how this is much of a news.

ghshephard 14y ago
It's news to anyone with an iPhone that has to pay for their data when downloading maps @ $0.15/megabyte when traveling internationally. I've racked up $20-$30 just using the maps application on a single trip, so this is positive news for me.

ftwinnovations 14y ago

Apple maps has caused me plenty of headaches so far, but hearing this definitely pleases me. I remember traveling lost in Beijing and just ripping through my AT&T international data plan using maps to get back to my hotel. Sure, with Apple maps I won't even find my hotel, but at least I'll do it five times more efficiently!

ghshephard 14y ago
The reports that I've seen suggest Apple has better map tile/POI detail in China than Google does. China is one of the places that Apple comes out ahead of Google in terms of Map Data Quality.

mtgx 14y ago

The title is a little misleading. It may be more efficient compared to the 5 years old Google Maps app on iOS, but Google Maps for Android has been vector based since December 16th, 2010, when they launched Google Maps 5.0. http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-for.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-googl... Also don't forget Apple's Maps retrieve a lot less data than Google Maps, since they don't actually have that data. Google Maps offers a lot more information.

jonursenbach 14y ago
The title isn't misleading because the test has nothing to do with Android. They're comparing the two iOS map offerings, not cross-platform.
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  How would you infer that from the title? Bandwidth used by apps can and is frequently constant across platforms. Won't adding a "on iOS" at the end help clarify things?
  - jonursenbach 14y ago
    It's assumed. If you can't grasp that, I'm sorry.
    - mparlane 14y ago
      In the title two competing products are mentioned. Google Maps and Apple Maps. The article is comparing iOS Google Maps to iOS Apple Maps. iOS Google Maps is not the same as the product Google Maps. If you can't grasp the difference of those two, I'm sorry.
      - lostsock 14y ago
        Not to mention the old iOS mapping app was actually written by Apple, it was only using Google's tiles
taligent 14y ago
>Also don't forget Apple's Maps retrieve a lot less data than Google Maps, since they don't actually have that data. Google Maps offers a lot more information. Well this is just stupidity at its finest. A few extra POIs/streets would pale in comparison to the difference between vector and raster images.
- 14y ago

ghshephard 14y ago

This would be an assessment over the application and the efficiency of using vectors - thought it is interesting to hear that the satellite maps show a win as well. When I'm traveling internationally, and have roaming disabled, I use Google Maps in "Standard View" very cautiously - keenly aware of that $0.15/megabyte charge I'm racking up. So, for those cities that do have decent road layouts, routing, and POI information - this actually is a nice little benefit.

jtchang 14y ago

Of course you use less data when you don't need to download anything important...like oh say, roads, important subway stations, or cities!

robert_nsu 14y ago
Yeah, I'd rather wait 5 minutes for correct information instead of waiting 2 minutes for incorrect information.
- Timmy_C 14y ago
  This is a false dichotomy. The data you're getting in iOS is not wholly incorrect. You're right that there are some big holes. But, in apps like foursquare, the speed gains are significant. Especially when you just need the map to find what your geo coordinates are.

ChrisLTD 14y ago

That's great, but I'm sure most people would rather spend more data in exchange for more accurate and complete maps. Another thing to remember: with LTE larger maps wouldn't even take much longer to download.

capo 14y ago

For the umpteenth time: There was never a Google Maps app on the iPhone, there was an Apple app powered by Google's data. The correct way of stating this is that Apple's iOS6 maps app is more data efficient than previous versions. As for the main reason the current app is more efficient is that it relies on vector graphics instead of image tiles, a technique Google have been using on Android for nearly 2 years: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-google-maps-50-for.html http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/under-hood-of-googl... Another Android maps feature lets users select areas to cache offline, which I imagine saves even more data (it auto-caches frequented areas): http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/06/go-offline-with-google-maps-for-android.html http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/06/go-offline-with-g... That feature is also worth mentioning for when Apple duplicates it and some people try to convince themselves that it was Apple's idea.

taligent 14y ago
Calm down. Everyone is just calling it Google Maps out of simplicity. And yes it is vector on Android which was rumored to be one of the reasons Apple even started on this whole maps adventure. Because Google wasn't willing to license the vector data to give Android a competitive advantage.
- nwienert 14y ago
  The title is still misleading, should read "old iOS Maps".
- capo 14y ago
  I'm just a bit bothered by this phenomena of discovering features on the iPhone that were present on Android for ages and then attributing them to Apple: the notifications shade, voice input, voice actions, the ability to answer phone calls with canned texts, and now maps among many other things. Many in the press keep omitting the fact that Android did it first, which I think is important in this climate where Apple is very litigious regarding this stuff and the press keeps touting their originality while simultaneously dismissing other innovators.

chaz 14y ago

Google Maps for Android has an offline cache, which is a huge advantage, especially for those traveling in subways without a data connection. Would love to see that show up on iOS.

lilc 14y ago

I find it ironic that Apple is using RPC-encoded Google protocol buffers for communication in their Maps product.

sli 14y ago
I'd like to hear more about that. Care to elaborate?
- lilc 14y ago
  During the last XCode beta, I was playing around with the iPhone simulator and using a proxy I saw the server would respond to geocoding requests with an 'application/x-protobuf' header. That header has since been removed, but the data is still encoded the same (comparing the same request before and after). I was going to try to figure out the RPC encoding method Apple's using, but I lost motivation after reading that they are rate-limiting the API, making it less useful to me.

DigitalSea 14y ago

I guess, it's a lot easier to be data efficient... When you have next to no map data to retrieve in the first place. I am tired of hearing about Apple's Maps, whether it's good or bad, everyone can agree (even Apple themselves agree) that the maps application is sub-par and finding nice things to say about it doesn't change the fact that if you want to get somewhere the new Apple Maps can only promise to get you within 80km of the location you want to be in (if you're lucky), not to mention the missing landmarks, weird black and white colouring of some areas and missing roads. Let's not detract away from the real problem here. Lets see if Apple Maps are as data efficient in 5 years when they catch up to half the level that Google Maps are currently at provided they work day and night to get to that stage.

zarify 14y ago
No, but I'm sure we _can_ all agree that map quality and POI quantity/accuracy will vary significantly by area. Let's not detract from the real problem here: the lack of sea monsters and other mythical beasts in all smartphone mapping offerings (sure Google included them in their 8 bit maps, but they tried to pass that off as a joke).

mapgrep 14y ago

Customer: It's not much of a cheese shop, is it? Owner: Finest in the district! Customer: (annoyed) Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please. Owner: Well, it's so clean, sir! Customer: It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese.... http://www.minderella.com/words/cheeseshop.htm http://www.minderella.com/words/cheeseshop.htm

lurkinggrue 14y ago

In other news: Apple Maps missing 5 times the data that Google offers.