Good lord... you sound like Eric Schmidt raving about how people should just 'get over' the idea of privacy.
Let me guess... you're 20 years old and tweet photos of all your meals too.
Well that description is pretty much the opposite of me. :-)
Eric Schmidt is a card-carrying idiot with no moral sense at all and I resent being compared to him. I'll have to remember to throw a personal insult your way next time.
The issues are not the same at all. Street view is just pictures of the street. It's not an invasion of privacy in any way shape or form. Such images have always been legal and there is no reason for them now to be illegal. The only reason they've now been made illegal is that a lot of "sensitive" people complained and forced various governmental bodies to actually re-write the law to placate them and cater to their "feelings" of violation, which are not based on anything factual or evidentiary. Google then followed suit and made the changes world-wide based on these few, vociferous objections. There are no reported cases anywhere of people being at risk, no copyright violations etc. In fact, there was no harm at all (other than "feelings"), and no reason to do it, but it was done anyway.
I think it's perfectly reasonable to get upset about this state of affairs. It's officially authorised insanity. You should be alarmed that you live in such a retarded, anti-intellectual culture that allows things like this happen.
I would like to emphasize that the people who post (and read) these forums are not typical consumers. In my experience (as a technology consultant), the average person doesn't even use turn-by-turn navigation with dynamic routing on their mobile phone.
While I previously believed that many people do use turn-by-turn navigation apps (as I previously lived in Silicon Valley where such is common), I now know that most people don't use such features even on Android-based smartphones. I regularly meet people who have had smartphones for some time who are unaware of Google Maps with Navigation on their Android-based smartphone or Navigon, TeleNav, Waze, etc. They are unaware of Google Street View on their smartphones as well. I usually recommend Waze and get many compliments for suggesting Waze. According to Matt McGee of Search Engine Land, 50% of his Twitter followers were unaware of Google Street View on the iPhone as of 30 January 2010) (although Google Street View was introduced on the iPhone in 2008).
Google Street View has a purpose. Apple 3D Flyover has a purpose. I suspect the average consumer will be pleased by the addition of voice-enabled turn-by-turn navigation with dynamic routing and will accept the consequence of losing Google Street View. The average consumer will be more than satisfied with Apple Maps even if they occasionally must refer to one of several Google apps to accommodate similar features and functionality on Apple Maps.
Here is the high barrier for Google Maps and Navigation on Apple iOS (with the introduction of iOS 6):
Currently only Google Earth is available though Google could easily provide more features and functions or replace the app entirely but
Not the default Maps app
Not voice-enabled (at least not as integrated as Siri)
Navigation is not provided
Commuter directions are not provided
Traffic information is not provided
Search function doesn't automatically provide feedback (must push the "Search" button)
Panoramio Photos in Google Earth are no better than Yelp images
Labels are difficult to read in Google Earth
Scrolling is not smooth
Business listings are difficult to see
Apple is not finished with Apple Maps. Apple Maps will almost certainly improve even after iOS 6 is released to the public. If Apple enables the existing (but hidden) Panoramic Mode in the iPhone, Apple could potentially rival Google Street View within one year by enabling consumers to capture imagery. Alternatively, Apple could offer to purchase Nokia's NavTeq (including Nokia City Scene) to provide Nokia a much needed cash infusion with a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide license back to Nokia.
*Fixed the date of Matt McGee's survey to 2010 rather than 2012 as previously listed
Does street view need to be static images stitched together in a panorama?
What if that rotating camera took video images that could later be separated into continuous directional video.
Then you could play/pause/step the continuous video -- rather than the cumbersome UI that street view currently has.
One reason is that the Street View images are much higher resolution than video so you can zoom in. Among many other technical reasons, the panoramic files are much less data than 30 frames per second of video which makes them ideal for mobile devices which are the most prevalent device for such a technology.
Another distinct advantage of Flyover over StreetView is that in StreetView, the user must proceed through panoramic nodes one step at a time. With Flyover, users can hover above a location, viewing the entire street and surrounding streets all at the same time, seeing a continuous representation of an entire path through a given neighborhood.
I never liked the "slideshow" effect of StreetView. Feels too much like Myst.
Therefore I rarely use StreetView. Looking forward to iOS 6 and the new Maps technology.
I'm looking forward to Apples new fly over. Google street view is very fun and useful. I am also looking forward to when Google releases it as a stand alone app for iOS. I can have my cake and eat it too.
Frankly, as an Apple stock holder, I agree with the strategy of starving Google of data mining and revenue from arguably one of their best products. Google started this war when they developed Android and Google Maps is the collateral damage,
I think this may be the most absurd article of all time on Apple Insider, and no surprise it's from DED, the fanboy extraordinaire. It's wrong on so many levels I wouldn't even know where to begin, so I won't. Truly astounding stuff though, I mean the guy should get a medal for pushing fanboy insanity to never before reached levels.
Street View: It is much better than fly over for virtually visiting a location. I use it all the time and fly over is no replacement. HOWEVER: Most users never even knew that street view was available in the maps app. Even though I did know where it was I never used it in that app. I think that when Google releases a new GMaps app that street view will be a lot easier to use so I see this as a benefit to both the Maps app and Google Maps. I will probably use both apps for different purposes and because having more than one photo image of an area can be quite handy.
The real problem with the new Maps app is that the photo images are not as detailed in most areas with low populations. I do expect this situation to improve over time but it will create a lot of user complaints at first.
The huge new feature of the new Maps app is this: "Siri, directions to the Los Angeles Convention Center" Once you try this you will be hooked for life. I may never use my Tom Tom again.
In five years of owning iPhones, I have never actually needed street view. When I did use it, it was to wow someone unfamiliar with modern smartphones. I'm sure there are lots of people who use it often, but I'm not one of them. Since installing iOS 6, I haven't looked back. I also find Apple's Flyover useless. Cool to look at, but useless. I won't even talk about Google Maps' lousy accuracy.
Exactly - it is a work in progress and there really are no shortcuts. When Street View came out (and still) there were many areas it did not cover. Apple should strike a deal with UPS and mount camera's on their trucks, just to get going, and develop from there.
Great idea, but UPS doesn't necessarily touch every street, path in the country...I presume? Although they could be paid to.
However the USPS does touch every street(at least with a delivery address).
But your general point is valid, why hire your own fleet when there are others out there that could be equipt to do so and in theory cheaper. Same for foreign countries.
As for flyover versus streetview. Agree, streetview is vastly more usefull.
Isn't Google planning to release it's own stand-alone iOS Maps app? Problem solved. It wouldn't integrate into the OS but it would be better than nothing. And comparing StreetView to Flyover makes no sense. They are completely different. Flyover is "gee whiz" play with it once and never use it again. StreetView is actually useful on a day-to-day basis.
I really feel bad for all you people who have to rely on a mapping program to find your way and better yet, you need pictures to know if you on the right street or in front of the right store or restaurant. Are you completely lost if your battery dies? Yeah most guys hate asking for direction, but it is not that hard to find a location, you all know streets have names and building have numbers.
I will tell you and I have seen this with Google maps a number of time, it takes you to the wrong physical locations, it will say a place in one locate and the stupid street view is correct for where you are standing but, the actual place it down the road a piece with the correct address and all. So you can be standing there looking at the map with the pin and a street view picture showing you are in the right place but you did not find what you were really looking for. However, if you were just looking for house or building numbers you would have known you were not there yet.
The best part of this, I personal seen these Google maps mistake in Mountain View CA the home of Google, you think they would gave their own neighborhood perfect.
I understand the sentiment of this post, but it's completely short-sighted. It would be great if we all lived in your perfect little city where every road and building has a name or number... Alas, my city is not so perfect.
Welcome to Halifax, NS... Where half of the streets are not labeled, the street signage is like something out of 1910, not nearly enough commercial building display their numbers in visible locations, and there are more one-way streets than not (many of which recently changed directions - talk about infuriating). Trying to navigate this city, even for locals, can be damn near impossible -- let alone for visitors.
Thankfully, for those of us that will want it, Google will likely release a stand-alone version of their Maps app, so we can still Street View to our hearts content.
I am a frequent traveler and use Street View a lot. I have been an iphone user since the initial launch of the original iPhone. This whole maps enhancement/downgrade/change/politics issue will mark the first time that I dont upgrade to the latest version of iOS as soon as it launches. Crossing my fingers that google launches a native maps application. Although I am worried that apple may pull the "duplicate functionality" play from the rule book. Also, why is nobody talking about the ability to set default applications for certain actions? For example using a native google app to open an address location on a map, or being able to set default browser other than Safari?
because those topics are not what this thread is discussing. The article talking about Google's street View VS. Apple's Fly-over.
I am a loyal Apple user, which is why I come to pro-Apple sites like AppleInsider. But articles like this go well beyond slant, squarely into the territory of spin. I literally felt nauseated from the constant efforts throughout the article to bend the truth, and make any possible dig at Google and say any possible positive thing about Apple. Just how much stock do you own again?
This is a very good point, except for claiming you literally felt nauseated. Really? You felt like you were going to barf!
This is one of these things when reading a pro-Apple site (and the comments) does come across as slightly ridiculous, since the articles seem to have a massive aversion to being critical of anything Apple do.
The fact is, for some people (and I include myself here), losing Street View is a pain in the arse (and that's all it is, a pain in the arse, it's not the worst thing ever, and it's not like the worlds going to end). No amount of effort to suggest the Flyover thing is going to completely replace it is going to work - it won't. Even the photos you show in the article suggest that. It's telling that you picked a picture of buildings on Steiner Street, but buildings that overlook Alamo Square Park, so there is clear ground allowing a good shot of the front of the buildings. Why didn't you try and focus on the buildings one block over, on Steiner Street between Hayes & Fell? Is it possible that you can't actually get a good view of the front of those buildings because the buildings on the other side of the street are in the way? You can, however, get a really good view of those using Street View since, gasp, there isn't a truck or bus in the way, which you seem to suggest is an amazingly frequent problem for Street View!
I'm sure there will be some use cases where Flyover will actually be a benefit, and will help you in a way that Street View can't, but because there are sometimes when Flyover is useful won't negate completely the fact that Street View has it's uses. To try and suggest otherwise is childish.
Sadly, the articles here are so determined to see everything Apple do as being utterly wonderful, and as an extension of that, anything Apple don't do as terrible, that they lose a lot of their value. It will also seem ridiculous if Apple either themselves, or through a third party, come up with a Street View replacement of their own - then the authors opinions will lurch in completely the other direction, though obviously while finding reasons why Apples solution is still massively superior to Googles.
So we don't get street view because of politics between Apple and Google? I thought Apple was all about providing the best consumer experience. Does an iPhone user really give a shit if their maps are coming from Google or in-house from Apple? No they just want the best experience possible and right now that is street view, not flyover.
I really feel bad for all you people who have to rely on a mapping program to find your way and better yet, you need pictures to know if you on the right street or in front of the right store or restaurant. Are you completely lost if your battery dies? Yeah most guys hate asking for direction, but it is not that hard to find a location, you all know streets have names and building have numbers.
I will tell you and I have seen this with Google maps a number of time, it takes you to the wrong physical locations, it will say a place in one locate and the stupid street view is correct for where you are standing but, the actual place it down the road a piece with the correct address and all. So you can be standing there looking at the map with the pin and a street view picture showing you are in the right place but you did not find what you were really looking for. However, if you were just looking for house or building numbers you would have known you were not there yet.
The best part of this, I personal seen these Google maps mistake in Mountain View CA the home of Google, you think they would gave their own neighborhood perfect.
I understand the sentiment of this post, but it's completely short-sighted. It would be great if we all lived in your perfect little city where every road and building has a name or number... Alas, my city is not so perfect.
Welcome to Halifax, NS... Where half of the streets are not labeled, the street signage is like something out of 1910, not nearly enough commercial building display their numbers in visible locations, and there are more one-way streets than not (many of which recently changed directions - talk about infuriating). Trying to navigate this city, even for locals, can be damn near impossible -- let alone for visitors.
Thankfully, for those of us that will want it, Google will likely release a stand-alone version of their Maps app, so we can still Street View to our hearts content.
While not a replacement for street view, I find the iOS 6 3D map view quite useful. If you zoom out you get a nice 3D perspective view -- and as you zoom in you get more and more detail revealed, including grey outlines of buildings. It is very fast and fluid to navigate -- much better than the iOS 5 Maps app.
Streetview is also useful to virtually explore the world, such as the Kennedy Space Center or shelters used by Antarctic explorers. The other day I was poking around inside the White House with Street View.
Frankly, I think Google has the best free mapping apps available. Maps has Street View, 45-degree oblique imagery (similar to Bing's Birds-Eye view), Streetview, internal building maps, walking, biking, and transit directions. Earth has 3D. There's no need to choose, or write long-winded "articles" like this justifying the lack of features.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQB
Good lord... you sound like Eric Schmidt raving about how people should just 'get over' the idea of privacy.
Let me guess... you're 20 years old and tweet photos of all your meals too.
Well that description is pretty much the opposite of me. :-)
Eric Schmidt is a card-carrying idiot with no moral sense at all and I resent being compared to him. I'll have to remember to throw a personal insult your way next time.
The issues are not the same at all. Street view is just pictures of the street. It's not an invasion of privacy in any way shape or form. Such images have always been legal and there is no reason for them now to be illegal. The only reason they've now been made illegal is that a lot of "sensitive" people complained and forced various governmental bodies to actually re-write the law to placate them and cater to their "feelings" of violation, which are not based on anything factual or evidentiary. Google then followed suit and made the changes world-wide based on these few, vociferous objections. There are no reported cases anywhere of people being at risk, no copyright violations etc. In fact, there was no harm at all (other than "feelings"), and no reason to do it, but it was done anyway.
I think it's perfectly reasonable to get upset about this state of affairs. It's officially authorised insanity. You should be alarmed that you live in such a retarded, anti-intellectual culture that allows things like this happen.
I would like to emphasize that the people who post (and read) these forums are not typical consumers. In my experience (as a technology consultant), the average person doesn't even use turn-by-turn navigation with dynamic routing on their mobile phone.
While I previously believed that many people do use turn-by-turn navigation apps (as I previously lived in Silicon Valley where such is common), I now know that most people don't use such features even on Android-based smartphones. I regularly meet people who have had smartphones for some time who are unaware of Google Maps with Navigation on their Android-based smartphone or Navigon, TeleNav, Waze, etc. They are unaware of Google Street View on their smartphones as well. I usually recommend Waze and get many compliments for suggesting Waze. According to Matt McGee of Search Engine Land, 50% of his Twitter followers were unaware of Google Street View on the iPhone as of 30 January 2010) (although Google Street View was introduced on the iPhone in 2008).
Google Street View has a purpose. Apple 3D Flyover has a purpose. I suspect the average consumer will be pleased by the addition of voice-enabled turn-by-turn navigation with dynamic routing and will accept the consequence of losing Google Street View. The average consumer will be more than satisfied with Apple Maps even if they occasionally must refer to one of several Google apps to accommodate similar features and functionality on Apple Maps.
Here is the high barrier for Google Maps and Navigation on Apple iOS (with the introduction of iOS 6):
Currently only Google Earth is available though Google could easily provide more features and functions or replace the app entirely but
Not the default Maps app
Not voice-enabled (at least not as integrated as Siri)
Navigation is not provided
Commuter directions are not provided
Traffic information is not provided
Search function doesn't automatically provide feedback (must push the "Search" button)
Panoramio Photos in Google Earth are no better than Yelp images
Labels are difficult to read in Google Earth
Scrolling is not smooth
Business listings are difficult to see
Apple is not finished with Apple Maps. Apple Maps will almost certainly improve even after iOS 6 is released to the public. If Apple enables the existing (but hidden) Panoramic Mode in the iPhone, Apple could potentially rival Google Street View within one year by enabling consumers to capture imagery. Alternatively, Apple could offer to purchase Nokia's NavTeq (including Nokia City Scene) to provide Nokia a much needed cash infusion with a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide license back to Nokia.
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }*Fixed the date of Matt McGee's survey to 2010 rather than 2012 as previously listed
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Here's something to consider...
Does street view need to be static images stitched together in a panorama?
What if that rotating camera took video images that could later be separated into continuous directional video.
Then you could play/pause/step the continuous video -- rather than the cumbersome UI that street view currently has.
One reason is that the Street View images are much higher resolution than video so you can zoom in. Among many other technical reasons, the panoramic files are much less data than 30 frames per second of video which makes them ideal for mobile devices which are the most prevalent device for such a technology.
Quote:
Another distinct advantage of Flyover over StreetView is that in StreetView, the user must proceed through panoramic nodes one step at a time. With Flyover, users can hover above a location, viewing the entire street and surrounding streets all at the same time, seeing a continuous representation of an entire path through a given neighborhood.
I never liked the "slideshow" effect of StreetView. Feels too much like Myst.
Therefore I rarely use StreetView. Looking forward to iOS 6 and the new Maps technology.
I'm looking forward to Apples new fly over. Google street view is very fun and useful. I am also looking forward to when Google releases it as a stand alone app for iOS. I can have my cake and eat it too.
Frankly, as an Apple stock holder, I agree with the strategy of starving Google of data mining and revenue from arguably one of their best products. Google started this war when they developed Android and Google Maps is the collateral damage,
I think this may be the most absurd article of all time on Apple Insider, and no surprise it's from DED, the fanboy extraordinaire. It's wrong on so many levels I wouldn't even know where to begin, so I won't. Truly astounding stuff though, I mean the guy should get a medal for pushing fanboy insanity to never before reached levels.
Street View: It is much better than fly over for virtually visiting a location. I use it all the time and fly over is no replacement. HOWEVER: Most users never even knew that street view was available in the maps app. Even though I did know where it was I never used it in that app. I think that when Google releases a new GMaps app that street view will be a lot easier to use so I see this as a benefit to both the Maps app and Google Maps. I will probably use both apps for different purposes and because having more than one photo image of an area can be quite handy.
The real problem with the new Maps app is that the photo images are not as detailed in most areas with low populations. I do expect this situation to improve over time but it will create a lot of user complaints at first.
The huge new feature of the new Maps app is this: "Siri, directions to the Los Angeles Convention Center" Once you try this you will be hooked for life. I may never use my Tom Tom again.
In five years of owning iPhones, I have never actually needed street view. When I did use it, it was to wow someone unfamiliar with modern smartphones. I'm sure there are lots of people who use it often, but I'm not one of them. Since installing iOS 6, I haven't looked back. I also find Apple's Flyover useless. Cool to look at, but useless. I won't even talk about Google Maps' lousy accuracy.
Great idea, but UPS doesn't necessarily touch every street, path in the country...I presume? Although they could be paid to.
However the USPS does touch every street(at least with a delivery address).
But your general point is valid, why hire your own fleet when there are others out there that could be equipt to do so and in theory cheaper. Same for foreign countries.
As for flyover versus streetview. Agree, streetview is vastly more usefull.
Imagine if Google and Apple (or Saab, really) had joined forces a few years ago to merge street level imaging with bird's eye imaging ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harbinger
Imagine if Google and Apple (or Saab, really) had joined forces a few years ago to merge street level imaging with bird's eye imaging ...
Apple and Google working together probably would create some kind of rip in the space time continuum and destroy the universe!
Isn't Google planning to release it's own stand-alone iOS Maps app? Problem solved. It wouldn't integrate into the OS but it would be better than nothing. And comparing StreetView to Flyover makes no sense. They are completely different. Flyover is "gee whiz" play with it once and never use it again. StreetView is actually useful on a day-to-day basis.
I LOVE those Painted Ladies!!
Mark
http://markshangout.com
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maestro64
I really feel bad for all you people who have to rely on a mapping program to find your way and better yet, you need pictures to know if you on the right street or in front of the right store or restaurant. Are you completely lost if your battery dies? Yeah most guys hate asking for direction, but it is not that hard to find a location, you all know streets have names and building have numbers.
I will tell you and I have seen this with Google maps a number of time, it takes you to the wrong physical locations, it will say a place in one locate and the stupid street view is correct for where you are standing but, the actual place it down the road a piece with the correct address and all. So you can be standing there looking at the map with the pin and a street view picture showing you are in the right place but you did not find what you were really looking for. However, if you were just looking for house or building numbers you would have known you were not there yet.
The best part of this, I personal seen these Google maps mistake in Mountain View CA the home of Google, you think they would gave their own neighborhood perfect.
I understand the sentiment of this post, but it's completely short-sighted. It would be great if we all lived in your perfect little city where every road and building has a name or number... Alas, my city is not so perfect.
Welcome to Halifax, NS... Where half of the streets are not labeled, the street signage is like something out of 1910, not nearly enough commercial building display their numbers in visible locations, and there are more one-way streets than not (many of which recently changed directions - talk about infuriating). Trying to navigate this city, even for locals, can be damn near impossible -- let alone for visitors.
Thankfully, for those of us that will want it, Google will likely release a stand-alone version of their Maps app, so we can still Street View to our hearts content.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnoel
I am a frequent traveler and use Street View a lot. I have been an iphone user since the initial launch of the original iPhone. This whole maps enhancement/downgrade/change/politics issue will mark the first time that I dont upgrade to the latest version of iOS as soon as it launches. Crossing my fingers that google launches a native maps application. Although I am worried that apple may pull the "duplicate functionality" play from the rule book. Also, why is nobody talking about the ability to set default applications for certain actions? For example using a native google app to open an address location on a map, or being able to set default browser other than Safari?
because those topics are not what this thread is discussing. The article talking about Google's street View VS. Apple's Fly-over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harbinger
Imagine if Google and Apple (or Saab, really) had joined forces a few years ago to merge street level imaging with bird's eye imaging ...
I am pretty sure that was Apple's plan all along until Google decided to roll out Android.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jugney
I am a loyal Apple user, which is why I come to pro-Apple sites like AppleInsider. But articles like this go well beyond slant, squarely into the territory of spin. I literally felt nauseated from the constant efforts throughout the article to bend the truth, and make any possible dig at Google and say any possible positive thing about Apple. Just how much stock do you own again?
This is a very good point, except for claiming you literally felt nauseated. Really? You felt like you were going to barf!
This is one of these things when reading a pro-Apple site (and the comments) does come across as slightly ridiculous, since the articles seem to have a massive aversion to being critical of anything Apple do.
The fact is, for some people (and I include myself here), losing Street View is a pain in the arse (and that's all it is, a pain in the arse, it's not the worst thing ever, and it's not like the worlds going to end). No amount of effort to suggest the Flyover thing is going to completely replace it is going to work - it won't. Even the photos you show in the article suggest that. It's telling that you picked a picture of buildings on Steiner Street, but buildings that overlook Alamo Square Park, so there is clear ground allowing a good shot of the front of the buildings. Why didn't you try and focus on the buildings one block over, on Steiner Street between Hayes & Fell? Is it possible that you can't actually get a good view of the front of those buildings because the buildings on the other side of the street are in the way? You can, however, get a really good view of those using Street View since, gasp, there isn't a truck or bus in the way, which you seem to suggest is an amazingly frequent problem for Street View!
I'm sure there will be some use cases where Flyover will actually be a benefit, and will help you in a way that Street View can't, but because there are sometimes when Flyover is useful won't negate completely the fact that Street View has it's uses. To try and suggest otherwise is childish.
Sadly, the articles here are so determined to see everything Apple do as being utterly wonderful, and as an extension of that, anything Apple don't do as terrible, that they lose a lot of their value. It will also seem ridiculous if Apple either themselves, or through a third party, come up with a Street View replacement of their own - then the authors opinions will lurch in completely the other direction, though obviously while finding reasons why Apples solution is still massively superior to Googles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bcode
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maestro64
I really feel bad for all you people who have to rely on a mapping program to find your way and better yet, you need pictures to know if you on the right street or in front of the right store or restaurant. Are you completely lost if your battery dies? Yeah most guys hate asking for direction, but it is not that hard to find a location, you all know streets have names and building have numbers.
I will tell you and I have seen this with Google maps a number of time, it takes you to the wrong physical locations, it will say a place in one locate and the stupid street view is correct for where you are standing but, the actual place it down the road a piece with the correct address and all. So you can be standing there looking at the map with the pin and a street view picture showing you are in the right place but you did not find what you were really looking for. However, if you were just looking for house or building numbers you would have known you were not there yet.
The best part of this, I personal seen these Google maps mistake in Mountain View CA the home of Google, you think they would gave their own neighborhood perfect.
I understand the sentiment of this post, but it's completely short-sighted. It would be great if we all lived in your perfect little city where every road and building has a name or number... Alas, my city is not so perfect.
Welcome to Halifax, NS... Where half of the streets are not labeled, the street signage is like something out of 1910, not nearly enough commercial building display their numbers in visible locations, and there are more one-way streets than not (many of which recently changed directions - talk about infuriating). Trying to navigate this city, even for locals, can be damn near impossible -- let alone for visitors.
Thankfully, for those of us that will want it, Google will likely release a stand-alone version of their Maps app, so we can still Street View to our hearts content.
While not a replacement for street view, I find the iOS 6 3D map view quite useful. If you zoom out you get a nice 3D perspective view -- and as you zoom in you get more and more detail revealed, including grey outlines of buildings. It is very fast and fluid to navigate -- much better than the iOS 5 Maps app.
Streetview is also useful to virtually explore the world, such as the Kennedy Space Center or shelters used by Antarctic explorers. The other day I was poking around inside the White House with Street View.
Frankly, I think Google has the best free mapping apps available. Maps has Street View, 45-degree oblique imagery (similar to Bing's Birds-Eye view), Streetview, internal building maps, walking, biking, and transit directions. Earth has 3D. There's no need to choose, or write long-winded "articles" like this justifying the lack of features.