Quote:
Originally Posted by
SolipsismX 
There is absolutely no way one can rationally that FlyOver is even close to Street View, much less superior.
Here is a quick set of screenshots I just took. I'll overlook that it took me many tries to get even common places to be searchable with Apple's map database as it's not yet live and the rendering effect that makes it look like the camera used 17th century glass making techniques.
What I can't overlook is that FlyOver is available for very few places, the quality is excessively poor compared to street view, there is thing with physics and light that prevent images from going through buildings, as noted in the pics. I couldn't even use Grauman's Chinese Theater, my first pic because it would have just been obstructed by the building completely, hence the angled shot.
Also note how close you can get in with Street View. Regardless of whether you use Street View or not there is absolutely no way a rational person can say that FlyOver or FlyOver and a bunch of other misaligned services make up for Street View. It's like people saying Android is superior to an Apple product after they think of a bunch of semi-functional services that can technically do almost all of what Apple offers.
Bottom line: Apple needs it's own Street View.
You are entitled to your opinion but it is only your opinion.
iOS 6 Maps currently provides:
- 2D Mercator-variant projection with (at higher zoom levels) and without 3D projection with approximately 20 zoom levels of the entire (readily-navigable globe)
- 2D aerial and satellite imagery of the entire globe (Space Oblique Mercator projection)
- 3D aerial and satellite imagery superimposed on a digital elevation model providing a 360-degree panoramic overhead oblique view including a low level "bird's eye view" (Space Oblique Mercator-variant projection)
Every projection misrepresents the surface of the Earth in some way. Since all projections can show one or more but not all of the following; the greater the number of projections the greater the ability of the user to discern their location (although larger numbers of projections become increasingly confusing at an exponential rate); true direction, true distance, true areas, true shape.
Dead reckoning is a wholly unreliable method given that the average global positioning system (GPS) user is not trained in the technique. For the purposes of modern living, satellite navigation is vastly superior and additionally methods to supplement the model only increase navigation accuracy. Furthermore, given the limitations of 360-degree panoramic "street level" views of the entire surface of the planet which is entirely impractical versus aerial and satellite photography the superiority of the later becomes manifest.
I further submit that Apple has intentionally decided to not include multimodal navigation (e.g. pedestrian and public transportation routes) to appease otherwise upset partners who previously provided a navigation service for Apple products that many users may determine is no longer necessary. Such reasoning could apply to street level views as well as other expected high-end features and functions.
A well integrated street view would be nice but I suggest that the best method for Apple to develop such a database is to rely upon users. If Apple were to implement the hidden panoramic mode in iPhone 4S and higher, users themselves could photograph points of interest and with the exif and GPS metadata submitted to Apple along with imagery where such is "missing."
Edited by MacBook Pro - 6/12/12 at 6:52pm