Embark, Garmin add public transit support for Apple's iOS 6 Maps
Garmin and Embark announced on Thursday that they have updated their iPhone navigation software to add public transportation features to the new Maps in iOS 6.
Navigon now features integration with Apple Maps in iOS 6, giving users the ability to find public transportation information in the new mapping software. The Navigon app has also been updated to take advantage of the larger 4-inch display on the iPhone 5, which will be available on Friday.
Garmin will also update its StreetPilot Onboard iPhone application in the near future with support for public transportation data, the company said Thursday.
"With our recent updates our apps can now serve as an extension to Apple Maps, providing iPhone users advanced navigation capabilities," said Joern Watzke, vice president mobile phone business at Garmin Wuerzburg GmbH. "This includes our new public transportation functionality as well as many additional premium features that aren't available on free navigation apps."
Embark, which makes mobile mass transit applications for the iPhone, also announced that its lineup of software is now available for free on iOS 6 and is designed for the iPhone 5. Embark offers step-by-step directions tailed to specific metropolitan regions, giving riders the fastest routes to their destinations.
Embark said Thursday that its public transit applications for iPhone are now integrated closely with Apple's new Maps in iOS 6. The company has routed more than 40 million public transit trips to date, and says it is the No. 1 public transit application for all markets it serves.
"We believe it should be easy to get around big cities in the age of the smartphone," said Embark CEO David Hodge. "With our support for iOS 6, iPhone 5, and the new Apple Maps, we?re making sure transit riders always have access to the information that they need to get where they want to go."
When the new Maps in iOS 6 were announced in June, Apple revealed that it would use third-party options for transit and walking directions. That's a change from the previous iOS mapping software by Google, which included built-in transit directions.
Apple's iOS software chief Scott Forstall explained that third-party developers would be able to register their software as a routing app. Their services are then made available to the entire system, and show up within Apple's native Maps application.
"When building Maps, we looked around and realized the best transit apps for metros, for hiking, for biking, are coming from our developers," Forstall said in June. "And so instead of trying to develop those ourselves, we are going to integrate and feature and promote your apps for transit right within the Maps app in iOS 6."
Apple's rules for routing apps allow for software that can provide biking or hiking directions, air routes, and subway or other public transportation lines.
Navigon now features integration with Apple Maps in iOS 6, giving users the ability to find public transportation information in the new mapping software. The Navigon app has also been updated to take advantage of the larger 4-inch display on the iPhone 5, which will be available on Friday.
Garmin will also update its StreetPilot Onboard iPhone application in the near future with support for public transportation data, the company said Thursday.
"With our recent updates our apps can now serve as an extension to Apple Maps, providing iPhone users advanced navigation capabilities," said Joern Watzke, vice president mobile phone business at Garmin Wuerzburg GmbH. "This includes our new public transportation functionality as well as many additional premium features that aren't available on free navigation apps."
Embark, which makes mobile mass transit applications for the iPhone, also announced that its lineup of software is now available for free on iOS 6 and is designed for the iPhone 5. Embark offers step-by-step directions tailed to specific metropolitan regions, giving riders the fastest routes to their destinations.
Embark said Thursday that its public transit applications for iPhone are now integrated closely with Apple's new Maps in iOS 6. The company has routed more than 40 million public transit trips to date, and says it is the No. 1 public transit application for all markets it serves.
"We believe it should be easy to get around big cities in the age of the smartphone," said Embark CEO David Hodge. "With our support for iOS 6, iPhone 5, and the new Apple Maps, we?re making sure transit riders always have access to the information that they need to get where they want to go."
When the new Maps in iOS 6 were announced in June, Apple revealed that it would use third-party options for transit and walking directions. That's a change from the previous iOS mapping software by Google, which included built-in transit directions.
Apple's iOS software chief Scott Forstall explained that third-party developers would be able to register their software as a routing app. Their services are then made available to the entire system, and show up within Apple's native Maps application.
"When building Maps, we looked around and realized the best transit apps for metros, for hiking, for biking, are coming from our developers," Forstall said in June. "And so instead of trying to develop those ourselves, we are going to integrate and feature and promote your apps for transit right within the Maps app in iOS 6."
Apple's rules for routing apps allow for software that can provide biking or hiking directions, air routes, and subway or other public transportation lines.
Comments
One day later and the App is improving already.
LOVE IT !!!!
Now, if my iPhone 5 (Black 64GB, of course) Arrives tomorrow,
it will make for a sweet weekend playing around.
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.
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.
Embark, as pictured, is free. I haven't tested it yet, but I think it will work independently of Navigon.
Quadra610 is a consumer -- wants stuff for free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by waldobushman
Great solution. Giving developers the ability to tap into Apple maps is the best of both worlds. Of course, Apple itself will have to fix some of the current bugs in their maps application but this shows that they have created a modular system where corrections and improvements can be incremental.
Quadra610 is a consumer -- wants stuff for free.
Look at a Nokia Lumia with high-quality maps, public transport and turn-by-turn navigation, worldwide and free
Quote:
Originally Posted by waldobushman
Great solution. Giving developers the ability to tap into Apple maps is the best of both worlds. Of course, Apple itself will have to fix some of the current bugs in their maps application but this shows that they have created a modular system where corrections and improvements can be incremental.
Quadra610 is a consumer -- wants stuff for free.
Apple consumer: wants stuff done right.
It isn't a question of money.
Sorry quoted the wrong post meant as a response to waldobushman and his comment of "Quadra610 is a consumer -- wants stuff for free."
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.
Gosh I can't wait until a time, maybe three days or a week from now, when we can look back at that time when Apple's new Maps app wasn't all things to all people, gosh that what a fun few days that was.
FYI - I have used MapQuest on my iPhone for turn by turn spoken navigation for some time - Google is still superior at deciphering what I type into a specific location than MapQuest - but since Copy and Paste were added I use each app for what it does best.
Shhh.... Apple is not giving the whiners from the previous thread a chance to catch their breath.
This is the problem with freetards from the prior thread. They shoot first, ask questions later. Zero patience to see the big picture, or wait for something better to come out of it.
No, they want it "now", better-options be damned!
Originally Posted by Zomp
Steve Jobs would have! He would have been furious!
Stop this now.
Apple's Map App is going to quickly improve with the help of 3rd party developers.
I think nearly all problems will be gone from it soon.
Finally!
Google is going to come out with a Google Maps app for the iPhone.
AND IT WILL HAVE ADs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
So much for the "Apple Maps sucks because it won't direct me to the train station" argument.
Except the apps cost ridiculous amounts of money, they only work for the USA-ians (again), and there's no guarantee they will even work if you bite.
Annoying to me also is the fact that Apple has decided to let these scam-like apps into the App store in most countries regardless of the fact that they only work in the USA. The top four selections when I go looking in my country are all apps that if you read the fine print, only serve transit information for the United States.
I mean what where they thinking to let an app in the Canadian store that only has directions for the USA? They aren't clearly marked as such either, they all have confusing made-up names and none seem to be from any recognised authority. To make matters worse, in my province, there actually is a recognised authority and the information is online in web form.
Reaching out to the actual transit authorities in the run up to the release of the app would have solved at least half if not more of the f*ck-ups. But no one thought of that I guess.
As we speak there are probably dozens of foolish people clicking on these expensive SCAMS and finding out too late that they have been robbed of 40 dollars for an app that is actually completely useless.
Apple has seriously dropped the ball here even in terms of user experience. The majority of customers aren't even aware of half the things we are discussing on this forum, have no idea what's going on and are likely very, very, pissed off right now. All of this rage will be directed at Apple.
The fact that no one at Apple seems to have even thought of this or realised what a cluster-f*ck it was going to be means that they probably justly deserve said rage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mausz
Look at a Nokia Lumia with high-quality maps, public transport and turn-by-turn navigation, worldwide and free
Too bad the Lumia 920 is currently pure vaporware -- no release date, no price. By the time it finally gets released, Apple will have fixed the map situation. Good luck with that, Nokia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Stop this now.
Sez you.
I think this is one of the few times when this comment is actually quite justified. Steve Jobs wouldn't have even allowed them to continue using that silly icon with the directional error in it, let alone released a product with so many obvious flaws that would be so easy to correct if someone had the brains to think about it before hand.
I think it's almost guaranteed that several people would have been fired over this if Steve was still around. As it is, we probably will never know who screwed up and why and they will continue to work at Apple in some capacity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jameskatt2
Just watch.
Google is going to come out with a Google Ads app for the iPhone.
AND IT WILL HAVE MAPs.
FTFY.