LOLZ.
I live in Ajax Ontario. My parents have a cottage outside Algonquin Park. During the drive we sometimes stop in Bowmanville, Peterborough, Young's Point, Bancroft, Maynooth and Whitney.
Of these cities and towns, Maps displays Bowmanville as Clarington, doesn't know Young's Point or Maynooth (but, amusingly, does know POI's in them), and completely ignores Whitney and doesn't even display the streets there when you zoom in. Bancroft is placed in the middle of a field, miles away from its actual location, and zooming out slightly one can see that all of the towns within 100 miles are either in very wrong places, or missing entirely. Of all these points, only Peterborough works as it should.
Massive, complete, FAIL.
At least you can see it. Apple's solution is almost invisible, and doesn't work at all for the multi-lane hiways. Zoom in on Google and you can see different colors for individual parts of the hiway.
The good news is that there are apps that overlay Google data on Apple's vectors. That works fine.
I don't believe the following paragraph from the article is accurate -- it cives the impression that "it can't automatically build photorealistic models of cities, bridges and other small-scale man-made structures.Apple has to manually build models of cities"
Consider:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/423838/ultrasharp-3-d-maps/2/
Sure, let's get real..keep in mind the detail in the below shots is limited by hardware (RAM/cpu)..
Yeah, so fucking appalling. Quit your trolling.
Yeah, if you zoom into some buildings there WILL be distortions and imperfections. It's systematic and part of the insanely complex process to generate this stuff. It's still above and beyond what any other company is doing out there in respects to 3D, its infinitely better than a flat satellite photo, and any such distortions in no way impede one's usage. Such a whining, spoiled, bitchy, entitled viewpoint- we get pretty mind-blowing tech like this rolled out, and all people like you are bitch about the imperfections. I mean, really? Are you being inconvenienced by them? Should companies not embark on ambitious projects such as this until the tech is 100% perfect to the brick? Apple is now by far leading the pack in mapping the entire planet in fully manipulatable 3D, in pretty impressive detail, almost photorealistic at many angles, something that has been a fictional fantasy for so long. Yet all people like you can do is bitch and whine, pretending that the product is not up to your special little "standards", even though it beats the pants out of everything else out there. Insanely pathetic, and from my experience people like you are the ones who have never created anything worthwhile in their lives- because if they had, they would be more aware of the massive amounts of work involved to do so, without being so quick to bash and criticize- especially when the small flaws don't impede usage of the product in the least.
I just reset my devices (iP5, iP4S, iPad 3, iPad 2) and the Hoover Dam FlyOver 3 D image is still screwed up!
If you have correct images, please post them.
Post pictures to support your assertion!
Post pictures to support your assertion!
Give him some time to Google 'IOS6 MAPS IS HORRIBLE' and get some pics, it's not like he actually owns it.
Also, most smaller buildings will show distortion at close zoom levels- the point is, who cares? The tech isn't optimized for ULTRA CLOSE inspection, and from a distance everything looks amazing. It's just whining nitpicking, trying to find shit to bitch about that doesnt affect the user experience. At the end of the day flyover is still a mind-blowingly amazing tech, I've wasted hours exploring cities, and not once did "melting buildings" temper that fascination. You only need a shred of perspective to think about what the tech is doing, and how incredibly accurate it is keeping in mind the sheer scale of it all.
Thanks for those links!
Just before Apple bought C3 technologies, I remember seeing videos showing some of the places that they had 3D mapped -- These included London, Oslo, etc. For some reason, these were not included in the original iOS 6 release (London was added later, as was the Statue of Liberty)...
It makes me wonder if Apple did not automatically get rights to the data... or there was some political or military reasons fro not including some 3D maps...
I'd bet there are some pretty detail 3D maps over the middle east (that are unavailable to the public).
Apple is just starting into the Map business. I bet when they update maps (just like they did with SIRI) it will be a major plus. I would use it now as it is. I have to take a 250 mile trip soon and will use iOS 6 Maps.
I just finished a 2100 mile trip from the Chicago area through Texas then to Roswell NM and then to Mogollon Rim country in AZ. I used my cars built in Sync Nav system (with current maps upgrade) with the new Apple iOS 6.0 maps navigation. In all, iOS far far outperformed the built in system with navigation (I stayed off of freeways mostly) making a single mistake on the off backroads in a State Park within NM.
The iOS 6.0 maps proved to be very up-to-date and actually very accurate. Siri always found a place to eat though I know I was missing many available options. The one thing I really really missed was:
1) The ability to pause.
2) The ability to set way-points.
3) sometimes iOS Maps would aggressively reroute on a missed turn and take me to route option 1 instead of my selected route 2 or 3.
I was very impressed with iOS to navigate in obscure back county dirt roads and get the road names and addresses correct. The Sync system would give the "Incomplete map data. Navigation cannot be provided in this area. Please refer to the map for details."
Did you enjoy the "Muggy-yon" Rim? Hope you visited Red Rock Country, Taos, Santa Fe... and did you "save a day for Canyon De Chelly"?
BTW, Santa Fe, NM was founded 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock!
Are you suggesting Apple's Maps are equal to Google's in Tokyo? Seriously? y2an is dead on. The difference is huge, and all in Google's favor. No exit information for stations. Otemachi station probably has over 50 exits scattered over blocks. Not being able to find a specific exit before you arrive is a problem. It's make meeting people at stations easy, instead of a nightmare. I have to keep google maps, or another alternative available just for this. Lack of underground walkways is a problem for many of the areas around Tokyo. They also miss most 98% it seems of pedestrian overpasses and underpasses. Also a big problem. Search in Japan is a problem.
The lack of visible train lines until you zoom is a major usability flaw. Nearly all maps have the major train lines visible from a very high level and that's how most people living here can jump to a location in a map quickly. Not having them means I take three times longer or more to find major stations, and a lot longer for minor ones. They really need to have subway lines on the map too. They can disappear once you go into navigation mode (driving only), but they should be there for everything else.
Search is an issues, more so for foreigners mainly because English search is so bad. A lot of stores here basically have their names in both English and Japanese and one may not work, or the search results are different depending on what you search for. I have English labels off, but many places appear in English that never use English characters for their name.
Address divisions aren't done well at all. At the ku level (municipalities) it's ok, but trying to work down to smaller chome (city district) is nearly impossible. Often the names don't appear, or the numbers are missing. It's pretty much worthless and I'd need to rely on Yahoo or Google maps.
They did improve the points of interest system, but I still think it's a mess. You say it has a density comparable to San Francisco or Paris. That's exactly the problem. It should be ten times as dense. The POI system works well for most cities, but it completely falls apart in a city like Tokyo, or even a quarter as dense. Having 10+ restaurants + other shops in a single smallish building isn't unusual. A building nearby me probably has about 40 bars in it, 10 floors, 4 each level I think. It's clearly not designed for cities in Japan.
EDIT: I forgot another problem with Apple's POI system, it obscures building names which are often used for directions here. A lot of instructions say go to the 5ft floor of the Velvia building, or the 8th floor of the BLD building, basement of the Sony building... etc. You meet your friends at the ALTA building, Tokio building, Maru building. These names are often obscured on the POI markers. Sometimes they'll appear when zoomed in close, often they don't appear at all. That's far more important information than the name of a store in that building that probably isn't even visible. The whole system really just needs to be removed in Tokyo and replaced with something else.
As y2an said, it's designed for western cities were people drive. It's going to have to change a lot to work for Tokyo.
I like what Apple is doing a lot and I'm looking forward to it getting better. I think it works quite well in the US, but don't suggest it's anywhere close to Google maps in Japan. Apple has their work cut out for them.
I think that one thing that Apple can do is provide an option where there is a slider that the user can change to a (djust the level of detain shown at any zoom level (overriding the defaults). I think that this can be implemented without going to the servers for additional data.
Indeed, oriented vs orientated... In the UK both are equally accepted and are interchangeable, though the longer form appeared later. However the idea that the US can help determine "proper" English always makes me laugh. This is the country that believes "normalcy" and "burglarised" are proper words, instead of "normality" and "burgled". It still galls me that Adobe want to install everything on my machine as "International English"...
My favorite is "athleticness"
LOLZ.
I live in Ajax Ontario. My parents have a cottage outside Algonquin Park. During the drive we sometimes stop in Bowmanville, Peterborough, Young's Point, Bancroft, Maynooth and Whitney.
Of these cities and towns, Maps displays Bowmanville as Clarington, doesn't know Young's Point or Maynooth (but, amusingly, does know POI's in them), and completely ignores Whitney and doesn't even display the streets there when you zoom in. Bancroft is placed in the middle of a field, miles away from its actual location, and zooming out slightly one can see that all of the towns within 100 miles are either in very wrong places, or missing entirely. Of all these points, only Peterborough works as it should.
Massive, complete, FAIL.
Did you report these errors?
Every time I read a Daniel Eran Dilger article I ask myself: is there anything Apple can do that he'd disagree with? This mapping series is atrocious for how defensive it is. When even Tim Cook comes out and apologizes for how bad maps is (a move one would only take when it's the last resort), it's time to stop defending and start helping them.
A true friend tells you when you have egg on your face. He doesn't tell you that the color of the egg on your face compliments your eyes.
And defenders are, by saying what isn't broken.
Fun with Fuji
Here's an interesting side effect on the way (multiple image sources) Apple maps generates 3D images:
That's really not true. A real defender would point out what would be improved.
After all, the CEO of the company came out and said 'please use our competition until we make things better.'
So: start pointing out how things could be better! Make a list. This isn't a game where the side with the loudest advocates wins, it's a game where the best products win. You can't get to the best products without constructive criticism.
I've read zero words of constructive criticism in this maps series. There's no balance at all.
I'm not looking for Apple-sucks-style criticism that I see on other sites, I'm looking for good, constructive feedback on what can be improved.
I've read zero words of constructive criticism in this maps series. There's no balance at all.
Then you haven't been reading much!
So: start pointing out how things could be better! Make a list. This isn't a game where the side with the loudest advocates wins, it's a game where the best products win. You can't get to the best products without constructive criticism.
Find error > drop pin > report with comment.
What else is there to know?
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
Here's the kind of thing that's possible with Apple maps 3D FlyOver view -- that just can't be done with Google StreetView when no public roads exisL
and
:^)>
http://www.akademifantasia.org/north-america/bizzare-picture-of-the-back-of-mount-rushmore/
See those two capital letters in your last sentence? COME OFF THEM. It's called satellite view, not hybrid view.
Why we let you continue to spew this crap is beyond me.
I think that one thing that Apple can do is provide an option where there is a slider that the user can change to a (djust the level of detain shown at any zoom level (overriding the defaults). I think that this can be implemented without going to the servers for additional data.
That won't work, at least it's not the right solution. It needs to show the right information, and Apple maps sometimes doesn't do that any zoom level. Pedestrian cities just require different info to be visible. In cases like Tokyo where the addressing system is fairly different you need to approach it from a different angle I think. You can see how it's oriented for drivers by the names Apple attempts to put on the roads here. They may be technically correct, but no one I've ever met knows them. A few major streets near me, Meiji-dori and Komazawa-dori are actually labeled with names, but also with numbers like 416 and 305 that are useless.
Google maps on iOS didn't work, for example there was no voice guidance.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
On the ground,
Where else would they be...
...hang on a tick, be back shortly...
/cue sound of footsteps running down stairs, door opening and closing, pause, door opening and closing, footsteps running up stairs...
...yep, my house is still on my street, right where I left it.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
Here's the kind of thing that's possible with Apple maps 3D FlyOver view -- that just can't be done with Google StreetView when no public roads exisL
:^)>
http://www.akademifantasia.org/north-america/bizzare-picture-of-the-back-of-mount-rushmore/
Isn't that what you see as you leave...
...in the REARVIEW mirror?
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes", is a saying that applies a lot to companies who provide products and services. -KDarling on Google Search.
Which map provider did you use when you were in Tokyo? What did you find to be done poorly there in Google Maps?
melior diabolus quem scies
"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012
melior diabolus quem scies
"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012
I'm not saying it isn't doable. I'm saying they aren't doing it. I write software for a living, I know the difference. The fact is it's not a good implementation for Japan (or at least the major cities) and calling them out on it is fair game. I think it will get better. I don't expect it to happen in a month, I know it will take some time. Knowning Apple I'm not sure if it's every going to be as good as it should be. They can be pretty stubborn, and as long as their emphasis is driving it will probably still have a lot holes.
Google maps are complete garbage in Tokyo? You obviously don't live here or I wouldn't be hearing such s**t out of your mouth. Google maps are pretty damn good here. It looks like they get their info form Mapion which also has good maps. Yahoo isn't bad, and just looking at maps I'd probably say Bing is more useful for most people. I haven't tested search between them, but I think Google wins out there in most cases too. If you consider searching in English (and maybe other languages) google definitely wins.
Apple maps doesn't have to be Google maps in Tokyo. I'm sure Google has patents or other legal mechanisms to prevent it, but Apple maps is pretty much garbage here currently. They've got a long way to go to make usable maps for Tokyo.
Which map provider did you use when you were in Tokyo? What did you find to be done poorly there in Google Maps?
I don't think Macbook Pro has visited Japan much less lived here or he wouldn't be putting down Google maps as much as he is. If you can't search in Japanese Google maps is probably the only way to find anything there.It's not perfect, but it beats out all options if you don't write Japanese well. It may not be the top in other areas, but I don't think it's far off. I've found it's searching to be better than Yahoo which was traditionally the stronger company in Japan. I hadn't used them in years, but I was surprised to see the difference between the services recently.
Yeah great, just what the world needs, ANOTHER proprietary POI database.
OpenStreetMaps has all of this stuff already. I'd be much happier if Apple just used them.
