iPhone 5 - Page 94

Please explain.

Well one of the reasons I bought the iPhone was for the GPS / handheld mapping for when I get lost on foot.

Is Foot in MA? I get lost there too sometimes.

Unfamiliar cities, like LA or SF. Parts where I have not yet explored.

I'm sure the GPS / Google map app or just the internet will be fine. Making a big deal out of nothing really.

The time shows 'we' have become too dependent on technology.

I wonder if a hipster will freak out when their phone says turn left but here is a wall there. Nah, they'll probably try climbing over.

I figure most people who want a working map will still use Google Maps. Be it via browser or an app.

Former colleagues and friends work on Maps for Google, and the Atlantic article has public info that can be shared. Apple's Maps is really behind what Google's doing, and that's just where they're starting from. The infrastructure Google has for developing Maps is very impressive and huge. I wish Apple the best of luck and admire their pluck in trying to do this themselves, but it will be a very long, very steep uphill climb for them.

Anyway, this may be moot soon as the rumor mill says the Google Maps app has been submitted, awaiting approval from Apple. http://9to5mac.com/2012/09/20/google-has-an-ios-6-maps-app-awaiting-approval-it-is-solely-up-to-apple-to-approve

Loading slowly and other similar issues aren't indicative of the quality of the Maps, only that perhaps you had a bad data connection or reception. The compass waving thing is necessary to calibrate the compass in the iPhone. It's a hardware thing, not a property of Maps.

The issue with Maps is the quality of the data, and how good the search is for stuff in the Maps. Here's a good illustration of how much more information Google has:

http://9to5mac.com/2012/09/20/as-apples-new-maps-get-ridiculed-its-partners-feel-the-burn-lash-out

That may be, but constantly using Google Maps in the browser would be clumsy experience compared to an app. You would also not have any type of GPS which is a selling point. Now it's possible that Google will release a map app with GPS, but this is speculation for now. It's something I hope we see.

People could always use other 3rd party GPS solutions, but that would still be a negative for Google in usage data even if it hurts Apple at the same time.

The main thing to keep in mind is that historically people stick with the built in apps. Until Apple opens up the OS to allow 3rd party apps to be set as the default, I don't see this changing.

Wait, what was that mapping and seeing all those 3-D buildings about? Is that based on Apple's OS or another GPS provider/app?

Updated to io6. Really hoping for a Google Maps app soon.

Agree with your statement here. I do believe that Apple's Map solution is behind Google's right now. That's a fact that is not being disputed. My point focused on the key area that will allow Apple to improve it's app over time and will remove a large portion of the dataset that Google's been using to improve theirs. Is this something you disagree with?

It's going to be a long, challenging process for Apple. Will generate a lot of negative PR and word of mouth as we are already seeing.

I wish they had not made this move, but I do not believe it will be a deal breaker for me.
Edited by Jr Mouse - 9/20/12 at 2:09pm

Perhaps. Without internal knowledge, it's hard to say how much iPhone usage improves their maps compared to the many other mechanisms (Android phones, Mapmaker, camera cars and planes, desktop users, internal development work, etc.) they have for doing so.

I play a very small role in this, and yes the whole infrastructure is pretty mind boggling.

I LOLed:



Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/world/europe/botched-restoration-of-ecce-homo-fresco-shocks-spain.html

For those wanting GoogleMaps back, a work-around:

The issue is not purely that apple maps is worse.

The issue is that if I currently own a phone with google maps installed and upgrade to ios6, all of my other apps stick around but Apple forcibly removes google maps (since its not a user-installed app) and puts in their far inferior replacement.

I'm sorry, but I find that absolutely unacceptable.

Why not keep google maps and install Apple maps and hope that users are wooed over by some stupid 3d shit...or more likely, by the fact that they can now get turn by turn nav. It could essentially make inroads as Apple Nav instead of Apple Maps (on android, the navigation app is separate from maps...and that doesn't stop people from using nav).

Disabling features doesn't make people happy...especially people in new york or chicago who use their phone all of the time to get directions--only they want public transit directions which apple won't give.