Seems you're taking issue with the assertion that Google has driven map navigation competitors out of their app store, which you can claim is either true or false, but hardly 'bitter'.
Sounds more like you're being a bit defensive.
He might have been.
But you do have to be careful reading AppleInsider for an unbiased comparison of products, mainly if Daniel wrote it but with a few others too. I accidentally read a recent article recently without realising its source and thought an Apple competitor was going terribly, when they weren't.
Anyway, instead of writing "In contrast, Google created Android primarily with the intent of making sure that mobile users were using its services.", it could have been "In contrast, Google supplies navigation software for free for everyone."
Quote:
Fact is that Daniel was unusually complementary to Google features in this article.
You know I just thought about something related today. There is really no apple services on Google's devices. No itunes, no iBooks, no iAds, no iCloud. On the flip side, it seems impossible for apple to ship a device without any google services.
Google search is too good to change to something else. Apple hasn't shipped a maps alternative to google's back end yet and we don't know if it ever will (think street view and transit directions those are hard to replicate on scale of google).
On a more personal level I love gmail and google calendar and google docs. While I view that info natively through corresponding apple apps I just don't see any real alternative that would be as good as google. Perhaps with iCloud it would be a bit easier, but still remains to be seen.
Apple can't ship a maps alternative to Google's backend because they don't have a backend alternative. Besides, iOS Maps is maintained by Apple. Apple simply uses Google's backend for the data.
Unless there's a good alternative, Apple shouldn't get away from Google. But they've shown over the years that they don't fire from the hip. Apple will not take such a step without thinking it through.
Apple's iOS Maps app does cache maps for offline use. I used it quite extensively when I was overseas. I would swipe around my current location and where I was planning to go, when I was on WiFi in the hotel I was staying at, then could use this quite successfully whilst out on the street, without chewing up 3g data (on the ludicrously expensive roaming rate).
Apple iOS Maps app also does show the 3d buildings when you have zoomed in far enough. This has been there from iOS 3.1 or thereabouts.
Caching hasn't been my experience. Is it that you never left the map app and perhaps were viewing a tiny area? This is one of the top complaints about the app so it is strange that you're reporting soemthing different.
Also, those are 2D buildings when you zoom in, not 3D.
Comments
Just buy an second hand handset for about £40. Sorted.
Seems you're taking issue with the assertion that Google has driven map navigation competitors out of their app store, which you can claim is either true or false, but hardly 'bitter'.
Sounds more like you're being a bit defensive.
He might have been.
But you do have to be careful reading AppleInsider for an unbiased comparison of products, mainly if Daniel wrote it but with a few others too. I accidentally read a recent article recently without realising its source and thought an Apple competitor was going terribly, when they weren't.
Anyway, instead of writing "In contrast, Google created Android primarily with the intent of making sure that mobile users were using its services.", it could have been "In contrast, Google supplies navigation software for free for everyone."
Fact is that Daniel was unusually complementary to Google features in this article.
I agree.
You know I just thought about something related today. There is really no apple services on Google's devices. No itunes, no iBooks, no iAds, no iCloud. On the flip side, it seems impossible for apple to ship a device without any google services.
Google search is too good to change to something else. Apple hasn't shipped a maps alternative to google's back end yet and we don't know if it ever will (think street view and transit directions those are hard to replicate on scale of google).
On a more personal level I love gmail and google calendar and google docs. While I view that info natively through corresponding apple apps I just don't see any real alternative that would be as good as google. Perhaps with iCloud it would be a bit easier, but still remains to be seen.
Apple can't ship a maps alternative to Google's backend because they don't have a backend alternative. Besides, iOS Maps is maintained by Apple. Apple simply uses Google's backend for the data.
Unless there's a good alternative, Apple shouldn't get away from Google. But they've shown over the years that they don't fire from the hip. Apple will not take such a step without thinking it through.
Apple's iOS Maps app does cache maps for offline use. I used it quite extensively when I was overseas. I would swipe around my current location and where I was planning to go, when I was on WiFi in the hotel I was staying at, then could use this quite successfully whilst out on the street, without chewing up 3g data (on the ludicrously expensive roaming rate).
Apple iOS Maps app also does show the 3d buildings when you have zoomed in far enough. This has been there from iOS 3.1 or thereabouts.
Caching hasn't been my experience. Is it that you never left the map app and perhaps were viewing a tiny area? This is one of the top complaints about the app so it is strange that you're reporting soemthing different.
Also, those are 2D buildings when you zoom in, not 3D.