Embark, Garmin add public transit support for Apple's iOS 6 Maps - Page 2

Originally Posted by Neo42 
Some of you guys/gals are hilarious.  I haven't used iOS 6 yet (don't want to lose jailbreak) but the general consensus is that Apple dropped the ball with the maps.  How the maps app(s) will evolve is irrelevant.  They hyped the feature up, declared victory over google, then took a crap directly into your hand.  The age old "it is an evolving product, just wait until a year from now" excuse is for Android users, right?  So stop using it.  Stop defending Apple.  Just. Stop. Now.

So this is what trolling has come to? "guys just stop please apple sucks guys stop please"?

Guess we won.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScrittoreSabino 

I agree with this.  In other places, such as perhaps the overall design of the iPhone 5, this statement about Steve Jobs probably would not be anywhere near to truth.  In his mind, perhaps even antennagate wasnt a real problem, as the solutions were so simple.  However, here, Maps presents a real problem for many people.  It is one where could potentially weaken the whole Apple experience for a person.  In some cases it would definitely be the opposite of "it just works"  Here was a product that they did not HAVE to release right away, it is merely one element within the system. The very first iPhone and several other products were rumored to be delayed because Steve found flaws they he thought made the product not ready.  

Perheps though, this was unavoidable.  Maybe they did have to release it as their contract with Google was expiring and they could not get one for just 1 yr.  However, Steve had a way of pushing people to stretch themselves beyond the ordinary.  This has been said about him often by many different sources.  So maybe it would have been ready if he were here.

Yes.  

What I find particularly difficult to understand is why when anyone saw this:

or this:

They wouldn't immediately just delete it from the database.  They've had years to look at all these datasets, yet they leave stuff like this in?

It's ugly and it just makes them look stupid.  Much better to simply say "no pictures for this area" than to publish all these horrible crappy satellite pics. 

The "Clock" app (that feeds off of the same data apparently), can't even find the capital city of the province I live in.  

The majority of commenters here are Americans and have no idea what the map app is really like as it's all hunky dory for them down there.  

i understand Apple's motivation(s) for moving away from Google and that's fine but as much as I might dislike Android (after using it), Google Maps does have a very nice and complete product. If Apple was going to put themselves out there like this, they needed to make sure they put up a much bigger effort than they did. The irony of course is that they touted the new maps so much, and despite the superficial polish, they're not nearly as good as google. Also, suggesting outside apps to gain back some of the functionality of google is in my opinion against the whole Apple experience. Android's the one that had half-baked apps where I needed a separate app for each function. Apple was the one with integrated, polished products. If I wasn't a dedicated mac user I would seriously think about looking at the other phones, sadly few integrate as well with mac (or anything else) as iphone. Still, given this trend to put things out in beta, and to take away functionality, I'm a little worried about the future direction of Apple (everything being soldered in on the retina MBP was another warning sign). They are siting on a pile of cash and instead of pushing the boudaries they are making some dumb calls. I support them making a real alternative and competitor to google in the maps arena, but with as much money as they have, couldn't they have done a much better job? Sad thing is we probably will not see major improvement for another year(next iOS), and i'm guessing that the maps are still not going to be anywhere near the level of detail that google has. It took then a decade to accumulate all that data, and even if Apple does the same much faster I still see it taking several years... that's several years for iOS to live without the ease and functionality it had, unless google puts out the app (which still will not integrate with everything).  I know I have access to the web google maps, and I own the TomTom app for when Im out of cellular coverage, but I do hope google makes a full featured google maps apps for iOS and soon! Some of the pictures out there, where google has info and every little building, transit line, etc vs iOS having blank space, are very telling. 

while Im sure its better for Americans than else where its def not hunky dory, unless you live in San Fran, or NYC... and even then, the amount of info present makes the apple version look empty compared to google :(

Cross your fingers for Google Maps to publish their own app. 

On quick inspection of their respective apps in the App Store, I see that Embark only offers support for subways, not buses or commuter lines.  Which isn't useless, but HopStop does it better (even though it doesn't integrate with IOS 6 Maps as far as I know).  Garmin promises transit routes in cities where available, and in some cities they even have schedules.  But it's too soon for me to tell how well Garmin integrates with Apple Maps, or how good the transit directions are.

I am a city-dweller, and Google Maps offers transit directions--with schedules--that cover buses, subways, and trains.  In many cases, they'll even complete a transit route from point A in one city to point B in another city across the country.  It's mature and (reasonably) dependable.  While turn-by-turn driving directions would be nice, I don't need them.

I hope that Apple's Maps will grow into an equally mature product.  In the meantime, I will stay with IOS 5--and Google Maps--as long as I can.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadra 610 

That'll cost you $60 US for Garmin or Navigon.  

 

Apple screws up core functionality, leaves it to third parties to fix things and then charge for it. 

 

What an awesome solution. 

See, Apple is always providing for its developers.

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer 
Google Maps was never a core application. It was a cross-license application that came as software with every iOS device.
Maps.app is a core app.

What's your take on this whole thing, mdriftmeyer? Or have you not had a chance to try Maps yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zomp 

This would explain exactly why the app just plain S..ks. There is potential - but we won't see it for years.

 

Dear Apple, I am very unhappy with maps. yes, yes, I know that one day Maps will be sensational - but with all the navigation errors, I fear it will take years before it is right. One message said to Go North when there was no North - only east and west. I've missed streets because of Lag - If Lag is a necessary evil, can't it be reversed so that I don't miss my streets??? Okay,, so I've encountered incorrect street names - the real problem was when there was a Fork in the road (not the eating type) The actual street veered to the right and the head on street had a different name - yet maps saw the head on street as the main rd.
Please pull the plug - Steve Jobs would have! He would have been furious! 
Everyone can expect a few errors, but gosh - there are WAY to many errors for a simple little 8 mile trip across town.

Cut it out already with the nonsense about Jobs doing this and that. You don't know what he would have done.

Did he kill the whole iPhone when there was no cut and paste? Did he kill Ping immediately after it was clearly not catching on? Did he kill iPhone 4 when Antennagate emerged? Just stop it the nonsense. Stop invoking Jobs's name for the sake of your own rant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gelp 


even more so isn't the core functionality of a phone to phone? But maybe there are people out there that buy a phone for navigation. LOL

So I should switch back to my Nokia 6310i ? Although I will also get battery life of 4 weeks+ when I do.... tempting ;)

Or a Nokia C5 with 2.5 weeks battery life, oh no, that one already had navigation with hi-quality worldwide maps.

Originally Posted by Neo42 
…downgrading from an established and polished functionality to a worse one…

Wow. Huh. Look at that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo42 

Some of you guys/gals are hilarious.  I haven't used iOS 6 yet (don't want to lose jailbreak) but the general consensus is that Apple dropped the ball with the maps.  How the maps app(s) will evolve is irrelevant.  They hyped the feature up, declared victory over google, then took a crap directly into your hand.  The age old "it is an evolving product, just wait until a year from now" excuse is for Android users, right?  So stop using it.  Stop defending Apple.  Just. Stop. Now.

Agree 100%