Apple 'working hard' to rectify Maps issues, appreciates 'customer feedback' - Page 5

 

If you're disappointed with Apple, I shudder to think what you'll experience with MS. They can't even get their barely-adequate platform off the ground. Their attempts in mobile are failing, Nokia is running out of time (rumour has it Nokia might go Android to save themselves), some major carriers have no plans to carry Windows Phone devices, and Win 8 is turning into a dud - whether it's Pro or RT or whatever they're calling it. 

 

Apple, even on their worst day, is still miles better than MS on their best. 

 

The only real problem with iOS 6 is Maps. That's about it. Other than that, it'll be at the fore of a blockbuster holiday quarter for Apple. 

Press hold to drop a pin

Press iI on the pin flag to open it

Tap "Report a problem"

To the blind Apple fanboys who are upset that people are complaining about iOS6's Map app, if staying silent would fix this problem, then we would! (but we know differently don't we?)

I remember the initial backlash that came for Final Cut Pro.  Now everyone says it's the best.

 

I really like the Apple maps.

 

I don't need StreetView since I have FiyOver.

 

Time will tell. 

Let me know when you are in Singapore. Some of us rely on this. Do you own your own transport? Well try to stay in Singapore and the cheapest car cost USD$80,000 (excluding other costs)

 

10 year old is for Google Maps age. Not the iPhone.

 

I am not even comparing Google Maps on a PC version when I have iPhone 3Gs and 4S.

 

Yes 10% usable is because I can only search for places which is accountable to 10% and some is not even accurate.

 

More importantly is public transit is NOT EXISTENT. 

 

I don't use Street View as Google Maps Street Views are 2-3 years old. So I don't rely on that at all.

Aren't there map apps in the App Store better than iOS 6 native app is right now?

IDK... If so, are these better than the iOS 5 maps app?

Yes, it tracks your location and logs travel speeds, where you've stopped, for how long, what roads you've driven or walked, and other assorted location data useful for mapping and traffic flow. I don't know that anyone is claiming Apple stores/logs that for any purposes other than identifying traffic speeds and ties-ups when combined with other user's travel stats, and perhaps for aggregated advertising demographics. I seriously doubt they care where you personally are or what you're doing, No worries there at all as far as I'm concerned.

 

And to answer the second part of your question,  no you cannot opt-out of tracking with the new Apple maps. 

I see. So for your number to be correct, then the ONLY thing an iPhone will do is maps - and it's wrong 90% of the time.

I'd love to see your evidence for either of those premises.

Then you use one of the free third party apps which are available to get you to the train station or bus.

No something about Forstall has always bugged me. This is a PR disaster. Forstsll is responsible for the map team. He needs to take accountability for this screw up.

 

He's responsible for iOS. I'm sure there's someone between him and the Maps team.

I haven't been reading the comments here for a couple of years, because the Android shill infestation became intolerable, but I thought I'd check back to see how they squeal about this issue. I guess things haven't changed much.

The only reason I'm adding a comment is to register my surprise that there are people depending on these kind of phone apps for mission-critical directions. Surely that's hyperbole? "Smart" phones and similar techno-toys are just that—toys. Google Maps is for entertainment value. Period. If iMaps is less entertaining, then they have a problem...otherwise not.

If you really need to find your way anywhere with reasonable accuracy, you're going to have to get a real map. I have a current three-county book of Thomas Brothers maps in my car, and hardly a week goes by that I don't find a mistake in them. Google Maps isn't remotely in the same universe.

If people are really depending on these entertainment apps to the extent they say they are, a lot of them are going to be grievously disappointed...and a few of them are going to get killed—seriously, it's already happened. Techno-hipsterism has become a life-threatening ailment!

I have no opinion on the new Apple maps service vs. Google since I haven't used it yet, but please give it a decade or five before you start really depending on these services with your life—and I wouldn't, even then.

Edited by Mac-sochist - 9/20/12 at 7:34pm

 

It's 2012, not 1912. I disagree. Though you make many valid points otherwise.

I tend to agree! Can you even buy paper maps today... That are less than 10 years out of date? Where? At your corner gas station/mini mart?

Digital maps are what we have... There are no alternatives!

My office in down the street about a 100 meters from the former world headquarters of Thomas Maps and the property is still vacant. Very nice building though I wish I could afford to buy it.They were essentially killed with the web mapping revolution. I know the founders. They relied heavily on Freehand as their design application and when Adobe Illustrator became the default vector drawing application they became very isolated from a technical perspective. Before the Internet revolution, every ambulance, fire truck and police car in California was required to carry Thomas maps onboard. Not any more since they all have online map access. Thomas is toast. interestingly another company that I am familiar with is augmenting fire house response teams with local data such as streams, creeks, swimming pools, etc. where they can get water as well as numbers of house hold pets, and number of residents so in firefighting efforts they have localized information.

 

If there's one thing paper I wish we didn't have today, it's phone books. Though there again, digital equivalents ARE still somewhat lacking.

Wow, I just realized that Tallest Skil is a moderator over at 9to5Mac as well:
http://************/2012/09/20/as-apples-new-maps-get-ridiculed-its-partners-feel-the-burn-lash-out/

Well, I guess it's safe to say that we here at AI aren't the only ones to receive your venom :-)

Of course you have choice, and lots of them. There are other map apps available in the app store, and you can always access google maps via the web browser. Put on your big boy pants and let it go. Realize that this is V1 and will get better rapidly. Google was holding a gun to apple's head with their app, both monetarily and with lower feature set than their own android app. Why aren't you screaming about that? Give Apple credit for taking on Google, the new evil, and preventing them from gaining total world domination!

PR disaster? No, how about a great opportunity for headline baiters, trolls and FUD pushers! This is V1, there are many alternate map app alternatives for the iPHone, and there is still web access to google maps. Everyone complaining, put on your big boy pants and grow up. Things will get better quite rapidly with Apple's offering.

Think about encyclopedias... Like World Book or Britannica!

 

I fail to see what this has to do with anything or how it's incorrect. Liars deserve no recourse.

1) Yes, only when you perform a search. See:




As soon as you interface with the map, the ad disappears:


2) Yes, if location services are enabled

3) Ads: No. Tracking: By disabling location services

4) If it means giving up location-awareness, no.

5) Not really. In the 5+ years that I've been using Google maps, I've yet to see my location or personal data used for anything other than better targeted ads.

I know Apple has an thing against beta software, but for something as dependent on cloud-sourced data as maps is, an open beta period makes a lot of sense. It gives people a chance to fix major things before launching to the general public; no they're not going to catch every minor misplaced road with it, but it would've launched without all the major mistakes like entire cities being misplaced.

I have no doubt that Apple Maps will get better with time, however, I do doubt Apple's level of commitment to this service. Google is heavily vested in maps because it ties in so nicely with their core business (i.e. search). I just can't see Apple justifying the same level of resources and manpower to mapping as Google; especially considering its a service limited to iOS devices. To me, mapping seems to be another one of their 'hobbies,' and I would be sadden if the service becomes as neglected as the Mac Pro.

 

 

Yes, and that is a good reliable source. Not. 

Oh sure, but the buck stops with him as the maps team reports up through him (I'm assuming).

Nope it is a PR disaster. Just wait till millions of people (who don't follow tech blogs or fan sites) start using this crappy app. Why do you think Apple is working round the clock to get some of these issues fixed? I'm sure Google and Samsung have big smilies on their faces right now.

this is Blackberry mentality..add a feature then will fix it later..they screwed up period

 

 

Yes, that is what I don't get. Google has always given iOS users a lessor experience. Further, an article came out two days ago saying how developers are starting to prefer Android because Google gives developers access to things like a users call history and location data. Again, it shows you with Google you are the product, not the customer.  If it were Microsoft, people would be screaming. Yet, Microsoft is actually putting out good apps for iOS. 

 

Moreover, I suspect many people who actually wanted a full service map solution weren't using Google maps on an iPhone. I am using Navigon because I like features like  Turn by Turn. I haven't used Google maps on the iPhone in two years. Heck, Map Quest's free IOS application is better than Google maps on an iPhone. It gave you turn by turn for free.  Apple's solution seems pretty good to me. Moreover, I like how Maps gets data from places like Yelp instead of Google places, which just ripped Yelp off (and not as good). 

It's missing a lot that iOS 5 Maps had but it also has plenty that it doesn't. For me, this is an overall downgrade, as I've expressed for months, but it's not the disaster some are making it out to be. Unless the turn-by-turn directions are disastrously bad I doubt anything will come of it and I bet most will trade StreetView for TbT*.



* I'm not one of them as I do love my TomTom app.

 

 

I honestly don't get this. Google Maps on iOS sucked big time. Free apps like Map Quest worked better. I gave up with it and used Navigon. Any problem the iOS map app has is mostly related to needing more data. Apple provided an easy way to report improper data. In the end, the Map app will be much better than what Google was giving us. 

 

The only reason this is a PR disaster is because the media needs to find something bad to report about.

no need to assume, you're exactly right.  He's the Senior Vice President of iOS development

Yeah but core mapping is connected to all apps that need mapping or localized search or location aware data so it is more than just saying there are other map apps, this is core functionality.

You have it backwards. The complainers seem to think that whining about it here is going to fix the problem. A number of people (no doubt a very tiny number) are saying that they would refuse to buy an Apple product or would refuse to upgrade to iOS 6 because of the issue. Neither of those solves the problem.

Solving the problem would involve actually sending a bug report to Apple on the problem - which is what all the "Blind Apple fanboys" have been suggesting all along.

Scott Forestall is a bonehead. if they dont have the apples of steel to sack him, they should at least make sure that smirking jerk never appears again at a keynote and is locked away somewhere on the apple campus to do rudimentary work, including getting coffees and lunch for the guys who now have to work weekends to fix this mess.

Consumers treated as not only mice but lab mice!

Dear Beloved Apple Map Team:

 

I know you are busy getting a lot of hate mail about the new iOS 6 maps but I would like to point out that I'm trying purchase some properties which don't appear on your new maps app. When you get around to it could you please focus more on actual map data and less on hyping how advanced your new mapping technology will revolutionize the way we think about maps. I just want accurate up to date aerial photography so I can make property purchasing decisions based on location as viewed on online. Without that I would have to find another mapping application. I appreciate all of your effort in developing the smartphone but accurate mapping is very important to my line of business and I feel that your latest offing is less than adequate. Thanks very much, Signed devoted Apple fan.

It's quite obvious to anyone not living in a bubble or affected by the reality distortion field exactly what has happened here.

 

When Steve took his big ol temper tantrum and threatened to "go thermonuclear" on Android, it set actions in motion to eliminate Google as a partner.  Even though Maps clearly isn't ready for PrimeTime, Apple shipped it anyway because it's more important for them to them to hurt Google than it is to help customers.

 

It's bullshit that Apple deliberately crippled iOS6 for iPhone 4 users. We don't receive features like turn-by-turn directions, panoramic photos, FaceTime over cellular, etc even though the hardware is more than capable of running them.  How do I know this?  Because there are a TON of apps that perform these exact features. iOS users can no longer make fun of Android fragmentation. iOS is equally as fragmented. Version numbers have nothing to do with it.

And let's not forget the jerkoff they hired to run retail.  The first thing he did was fire people...  in a bad economy...  when Apple Retail is making more money per square foot than anyone else.

I do not like where the company has been headed lately.  They're the richest company in the world and instead of spending more money on R&D (4% compared to 12% at MS and GOOG) and innovating, they're taking advantage of an obsolete patent system by bullying and litigating.  You know who used to do that?  Microsoft.  You know who else?  The "Big Brother" character in Apple's 1984 commercial.  As a result, Android has more market share and features while Windows Phone has a better GUI.

iPhone has become stagnant.  And Apple has become fat and happy.

So this Xmas I'm switching to Windows Phone.  They have the best GUI and since Microsoft is in third place, they're going to fight the hardest for my business...which means the platform is only going to get better.

In the end, it's all about who has the best ecosystem. With Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, XBOX, SkyDrive, and MyFord Touch, Microsoft has all the bases covered--except for a decent watch.
 

  

 

 

Edited by Waverunnr - 9/20/12 at 9:48pm

If you want to know what Apple must do with Maps, and why Google is so far ahead, read this:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/how-google-builds-its-maps-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-everything/261913/

Try Nokia Maps with public transportation and routing using the Mobile HTML5 version for iOS 6 here http://m.maps.nokia.com/

Being a new service is no excuse for this kind of horrible cartography. It was in beta for a year. If that wasn't enough, they should have left Google Maps as default until iOS 7.

There is one reason I haven't upgraded my iPad to iOS 6: The Maps. I upgraded my iPhone and now regret it because, short of Google making an Maps app or using some lousy web-app, now I can't see what building my classes are in on campus. I already had Waze for navigation, I didn't need this. Thanks a lot Apple.

I had to walk 3 miles across the west area of Boston today, after upgrading last night. It was utterly horrible. I couldn't even see the public transportation stations at the wider zoom levels, the font was antiquated and ugly. I hope that gets resolved and would love to know where I can "complain" to apple.

It was a brave move to replace Google Maps but Apple's will improve markedly in the next 12 months, as will SIRI. I really like the smooth performance of iMaps.