Just like more and more I am convinced people offering up google.maps are completely disingenuous.
NO, just seems to be the brand of service the ones with the mapping issues are missing the most, so it's the one I offer. My point is why are they complaining about something that is still accessible to them?
According to Business Insider, Apple officially has a fix now shown on their web site. All you Apple Map defenders with egg on your faces please say sorry.
No, turning location off in settings will not disable Apple tracking thru maps. There is currently no option to completely disable it AFAIK. By necessity Apple will log your travels and current/past locations via Apple Maps. How else to get statistics for traffic flow, road geometry errors and the like?
How do you provide map data to a device if you don't know where it is?
Easy! I am in New York, and I want to figure out how (and how long) to get from SFO (San Francisco Airport) to Apple Headquarters... Why does the map app need to know or care where I currently am?
How do you provide map data to a device if you don't know where it is?
True, but that doesn't mean that they track it and record Googleguy alleged.
In fact, there's no evidence that Apple records your location data at all - unlike Google Latitude.
I'd be willing to bet that if you have Location Services On for maps, that Apple records/logs your location for any map requests. That's one way that Apple can gather data to improve the maps app -- especially turn-by-turn issues. The real question is does Apple use that to track you for ads or any other unsavory reasons? Knowing Apple for 34 years, and based on what they say about privacy, I doubt that they would track you for any unsavory purposes.
Even if Apple records detailed tracking information about your device -- it does not mean that it provides this detail to anyone else. They might supply aggregate data to iAd advertisers, such as: 300 iDevices drove 280 from SFO to Cupertino on Friday Sep 28, 2012 between 3:00-4:00 PM.
Unfortunately, if you are in California, one of those unmanned Google cars will probably detect your cellular activity and follow your car (while taking a picture of your license number)! /s
From where I'm standing with iOS on two devices (whoops that makes me a fanboy I guess!) I don't have a problem with Apple maps, so in my mind I don't see why Tim should apologize. Quite frankly unless a poll were released to show how many people were actually affected by the issue, I choose not to listen to people who bitch and moan so loudly they drawnout everyone else. For all you know they could be a minority.
does it matter if they're a minority or not? If 10% of iOS users are upset about the change, that is SIGNIFICANT. If apple lost a quarter of those users the next time they upgrade, you're talking about a large chunk of money. 49% of users is also a minority. If it was really bad for that 49% and they all left, would that be a big deal for apple? I agree with you when the number of people complaining is a fraction of 1%, that they can easily be overlooked, but there's a far difference from being in the minority to being a fraction of 1% of users.
From where I'm standing with iOS on two devices (whoops that makes me a fanboy I guess!) I don't have a problem with Apple maps, so in my mind I don't see why Tim should apologize. Quite frankly unless a poll were released to show how many people were actually affected by the issue, I choose not to listen to people who bitch and moan so loudly they drawnout everyone else. For all you know they could be a minority.
Agreed. I was glad to get the turn by turn instructions. I've used iOS maps like 5 times and haven't had any problems. I'm sure it is missing some data, but so does Google Maps. All mapping solutions work better over time because of user data. I remember my business partner using Google maps two years ago to get us to an important lunch meeting and it took us the wrong direction. He was livid. Apple's iOS maps will be as good as Google Maps within a year. The reason is that Apple can collect A LOT of data from the millions of iPhones using it.
I don't think Steve Jobs had any rough edges in his handling of the so called "antennagate" non-issue. That should be the way these things are handled.
Never tarnish your brand with a moxy-draining fistfight, ... when you can put some extra shine on it with the humble bending of your might.
That being said, shrewd timing and a forward looking move by Apple. At a price.
does it matter if they're a minority or not? If 10% of iOS users are upset about the change, that is SIGNIFICANT. If apple lost a quarter of those users the next time they upgrade, you're talking about a large chunk of money. 49% of users is also a minority. If it was really bad for that 49% and they all left, would that be a big deal for apple? I agree with you when the number of people complaining is a fraction of 1%, that they can easily be overlooked, but there's a far difference from being in the minority to being a fraction of 1% of users.
Phil
There is a big difference between "upset" and "lost customer". We have NO data on the number of lost sales from upset customers. For all we know, the number is zero and/or the number of people that choose the iPhone because it has turn by turn instructions outnumbers the losses from the disgruntled.
More importantly, I think Apple is looking into the future and considering all the great apps that will be built off of their open Map system. Apple is going to let developers incorporate iOS maps into their third party apps. These disgruntled users obviously don't appreciate how important that is to the iOS platform and how much better their user experience will eventually be. Obvious Tim Cook can't respond by telling customers they are naive and stupid. However, it should be obvious to business savvy people that this switch was mission critical and Apple had to do it. Companies that can't make tough decisions get left behind. I'm glad to see Apple has the temperament to make good choices. Despite the grumblings, I'm inclined to buy more stock rather than sell the stock I have.
That's my view. I STILL haven't seen any evidence that it's any worse than the other solutions out there. A few anecdotal reports (including those fabricated by Google) are not valid evidence.
I wouldn't say there's no evidence for users outside America. The comparison shots for India are terrible.
Granted, America is Apple's most important market, but it's not its only market.
Easy! I am in New York, and I want to figure out how (and how long) to get from SFO (San Francisco Airport) to Apple Headquarters... Why does the map app need to know or care where I currently am?
How often does that happen? Obviously I don't have the data, but I would guess it is less than 5% and possibly much less than 1%. 99% of the time I want routing information and I click on the "use current location". Of course Apple could provide a menu that lets you shut that off, but there are only so many menu items that should be in a phone. The .00001% of people that would actually activate the feature should just go find a different phone platform. We don't want Apple mucking up our user interface to accommodate the unreasonable request of the insignificant few. As Steve Jobs once said, "it is just as important to know what not to include as what to include". (or something to that effect)
"The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get"
I don't understand. If we keep using Maps, the image on the right will gradually become the image on the left? How is that possible?
You misunderstood. Tim Cook is quoted as saying, "The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get..."
Better not worse. Better.
I am convinced now that Apple was not ready to release Maps but for marketing purposes they needed it to be released along with iOS 6. I thought it was hilarious that they didn't even make sure that the Apple retail stores were correctly mapped. I was down at the Apple Store in Fashion Island Newport Beach today to pick up my new Retina MBP and just for fun I did a search for the Apple Store and sure enough it came up to their old store location from about 5 years ago. They moved to the other side of the mall into a bigger space but the Maps data was old. I'm not going to bother reporting it but if one of you Map users want to make it better feel free to report a problem. I have better things to do right now.
Oh, and by the way I read on Mac Rumors http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1443985 that there is a problem with the LG made Retina display panels so I was really concerned that I got one of the Samsung made panels instead. We tested all of the display models and five out of six were LG. This was discouraging but the sales guy said they could open up to two new boxes to see if he could find a Samsung display. Fortunately we got lucky on the first try so now I'm off to get my new Retina MBP set up.
Edit: Also I forgot to mention there is no line at that store to buy iPhones, you just walk in and buy it.
More problems than iMap for IOS 6. I am simply trying to purchase an iPhone 5 (actually a couple of them to replace other phones on other carriers) and the process is simply not working in my case. I have tried online thru the Apple Store and the process advises me that I need to go to an Apple Store to make my purchase. I visit the local Apple Store and they advise me that they are are not capable of placing an order for the phones!.. I recall the 90's when I spent a lot of mney for apple products that simply did not deliver and failed. I took over 15 years off before reinvesting in apple Products. So , Mr. Cook if you are reading this ( I am sure you too busy with the corporation), please take the strategic steps to avoid missteps. Been there done that and as a shareholder I do not want you to fail. Oh and by the way, please fix your retail outlets. I assumed that Apple Stores are there to assist customers not turn them away! The local store by the way is the Norfolk , Virginia out;et. I know supplies are limited but I just want to acquire some of your new products realizing I have to wait a few weeks but it should be this hard! By the way, try not to release beta-products into the mainstream with a promise to make them better with user input in the future! Not good for business , not good for shareholders. Regards
So Jeff what are you saying. Tim Cook wants the Apple iphone users to be the beta testers for this not ready for prime time mapping program?
If that is the case they should have included it as a bonus program as part of OS6 and still given users full access to Google maps.
As an Apple stock holder his apology means nothing. Its offering me a drink with an empty glass.
If he truly wants people to move forward he needs to bring back the Google App period end of story.
Oh, please **** off with your self-righteous, entitled 'As a stockholder..' whining. If you actually have a few thousand shares as you say, then Apple has made you an ABSOLUTE KILLING in the last few years, and you've gotten a better return than with any other company on the planet. Apple doesn't make its product and business decisions based on the whims of stockholders (like you) who really understand little to nothing about what makes the company so great, and are just looking to how much money they can make in the next quarter, with no insight as to whats best for the future growth and long term success of the company. SJ made many, MANY decisions that enraged stockholders and seemed ludicrous at the time, but layed the foundation to Apple's success and positioning. You think stockholders wanted to hear about how 'crippled' the iPad was because it was the only tablet that didnt run flash? I remember the internet outrage and all the 'As a stockholder..' bullshit that the decision was insane. How did that turn out? SJ didn't give a shit, he believed it was the right thing to do for the future of the platform, regardless of the short term pain. He looked at the big picture. Same situation now with maps. This is a move that NEEDS to be done, to decrease Apple's dependancy on Google, and to improve the maps app with critical features, integrate it more fully with their other servies/products, and do things with it that would be impossible when licensing tiles from another company (who so happens to be their biggest competitor) along with all the restrictions. "Bringing back Google App' as the default stock app would be the MOST disastrous thing Apple could possibly do at this point, and I'm so glad Apple is above listening to the short-sighted demands of people like you. It would instantly stunt any improvement/growth of their own app, would instantly give Google back hundreds of millions of customers (which will further improve THEIR maps, and not Apple's) and basically shoot their maps app in the face and kill it on the spot, after the hundreds of millions (if not bilions) of R&D they've invested in it during the past few years. Great plan!
My advice- just sell your stock now. The rest of us with some perspective realize that this is a storm that Apple will weather, and come out stronger for it. With a new iPad mini on the horizon, new iPods, iMacs, Retina 13" MBPs, and the massive sales results of this quarter, their stock price still has no ceiling. If you don't believe in Apple's path just get out now, instead of demanding that they reverse course and starts walking backwards, crippling their platform and strengthening that of their competitor.
More problems than iMap for IOS 6. I am simply trying to purchase an iPhone 5 (actually a couple of them to replace other phones on other carriers) and the process is simply not working in my case. I have tried online thru the Apple Store and the process advises me that I need to go to an Apple Store to make my purchase. I visit the local Apple Store and they advise me that they are are not capable of placing an order for the phones!.. I recall the 90's when I spent a lot of mney for apple products that simply did not deliver and failed. I took over 15 years off before reinvesting in apple Products. So , Mr. Cook if you are reading this ( I am sure you too busy with the corporation), please take the strategic steps to avoid missteps. Been there done that and as a shareholder I do not want you to fail. Oh and by the way, please fix your retail outlets. I assumed that Apple Stores are there to assist customers not turn them away! The local store by the way is the Norfolk , Virginia out;et. I know supplies are limited but I just want to acquire some of your new products realizing I have to wait a few weeks but it should be this hard! By the way, try not to release beta-products into the mainstream with a promise to make them better with user input in the future! Not good for business , not good for shareholders.
Regards
No, I assure you that Tim Cook has not and will not read your post, as he has better things to do with his time than read some random rambling which doesn't seem to even have a point. Believe it or not, Apple is not 'refusing' to sell you a phone because it's evil, or because it hates you. If you haven't noticed, it's sold more than any phone in history in the 1st weekend and demand is off the charts. Have some perspective, patience, and realize that this stuff isn't manufactured and shipped using fairy dust.
Well, unless Google Maps has changed radically in the last year or so (I wouldn't know--I'm Degoogleizing my life as much as possible), I say good riddance. The satellite view was kind of a cool novelty (at first)--wow, that's the roof of my house!--but I got over it in a hurry. Street View doesn't tell you how to get anywhere--you're buried in the scene. The only thing you're going to consistently want to use it for is the maps--so how are the maps?
Short answer--mostly unusable. If you zoom out enough to get an overview of where you're going, the labels cover up the way the streets run and how they connect together--but the streets show through just enough to render a lot of the labels illegible. If you zoom in far enough to see the streets and read the labels, you only have a view of a few blocks, and have lost the overview of your route.
I think Apple made the right decision to keep the overview spartan and add detail and labels as you zoom in. Of course, then you get people posting views from the same zoom level together and implying that this shows that there's less detail in Apple's Maps--but what do you expect from Fandroids?
(And as for accuracy--the last time I used Google Maps was to find the nearest Emissions Testing location. I circled the block several times because they had it on the wrong side of the street.)
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by cycomiko
Just like more and more I am convinced people offering up google.maps are completely disingenuous.
NO, just seems to be the brand of service the ones with the mapping issues are missing the most, so it's the one I offer. My point is why are they complaining about something that is still accessible to them?
According to Business Insider, Apple officially has a fix now shown on their web site. All you Apple Map defenders with egg on your faces please say sorry.
http://www.businessinsider.com/category/apple
Quote:
Originally Posted by hill60
How do you provide map data to a device if you don't know where it is?
Exactly.
True, but that doesn't mean that they track it and record Googleguy alleged.
In fact, there's no evidence that Apple records your location data at all - unlike Google Latitude.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hill60
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
No, turning location off in settings will not disable Apple tracking thru maps. There is currently no option to completely disable it AFAIK. By necessity Apple will log your travels and current/past locations via Apple Maps. How else to get statistics for traffic flow, road geometry errors and the like?
How do you provide map data to a device if you don't know where it is?
Easy! I am in New York, and I want to figure out how (and how long) to get from SFO (San Francisco Airport) to Apple Headquarters... Why does the map app need to know or care where I currently am?
Available Targeting Includes:
Demographics
Application preferences
Music passions
Movie, TV and audiobook genre interests
Location
Device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch)
Network (WiFi, 3G)
http://advertising.apple.com/brands/
If they are not recording it, they're at least tracking it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Quote:
Originally Posted by hill60
How do you provide map data to a device if you don't know where it is?
True, but that doesn't mean that they track it and record Googleguy alleged.
In fact, there's no evidence that Apple records your location data at all - unlike Google Latitude.
I'd be willing to bet that if you have Location Services On for maps, that Apple records/logs your location for any map requests. That's one way that Apple can gather data to improve the maps app -- especially turn-by-turn issues. The real question is does Apple use that to track you for ads or any other unsavory reasons? Knowing Apple for 34 years, and based on what they say about privacy, I doubt that they would track you for any unsavory purposes.
Even if Apple records detailed tracking information about your device -- it does not mean that it provides this detail to anyone else. They might supply aggregate data to iAd advertisers, such as: 300 iDevices drove 280 from SFO to Cupertino on Friday Sep 28, 2012 between 3:00-4:00 PM.
Unfortunately, if you are in California, one of those unmanned Google cars will probably detect your cellular activity and follow your car (while taking a picture of your license number)! /s
Quote:
Originally Posted by Psych_guy
From where I'm standing with iOS on two devices (whoops that makes me a fanboy I guess!) I don't have a problem with Apple maps, so in my mind I don't see why Tim should apologize. Quite frankly unless a poll were released to show how many people were actually affected by the issue, I choose not to listen to people who bitch and moan so loudly they drawnout everyone else. For all you know they could be a minority.
does it matter if they're a minority or not? If 10% of iOS users are upset about the change, that is SIGNIFICANT. If apple lost a quarter of those users the next time they upgrade, you're talking about a large chunk of money. 49% of users is also a minority. If it was really bad for that 49% and they all left, would that be a big deal for apple? I agree with you when the number of people complaining is a fraction of 1%, that they can easily be overlooked, but there's a far difference from being in the minority to being a fraction of 1% of users.
Phil
Quote:
Originally Posted by Psych_guy
From where I'm standing with iOS on two devices (whoops that makes me a fanboy I guess!) I don't have a problem with Apple maps, so in my mind I don't see why Tim should apologize. Quite frankly unless a poll were released to show how many people were actually affected by the issue, I choose not to listen to people who bitch and moan so loudly they drawnout everyone else. For all you know they could be a minority.
Agreed. I was glad to get the turn by turn instructions. I've used iOS maps like 5 times and haven't had any problems. I'm sure it is missing some data, but so does Google Maps. All mapping solutions work better over time because of user data. I remember my business partner using Google maps two years ago to get us to an important lunch meeting and it took us the wrong direction. He was livid. Apple's iOS maps will be as good as Google Maps within a year. The reason is that Apple can collect A LOT of data from the millions of iPhones using it.
Never tarnish your brand with a moxy-draining fistfight, ... when you can put some extra shine on it with the humble bending of your might.
That being said, shrewd timing and a forward looking move by Apple. At a price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by philgar
does it matter if they're a minority or not? If 10% of iOS users are upset about the change, that is SIGNIFICANT. If apple lost a quarter of those users the next time they upgrade, you're talking about a large chunk of money. 49% of users is also a minority. If it was really bad for that 49% and they all left, would that be a big deal for apple? I agree with you when the number of people complaining is a fraction of 1%, that they can easily be overlooked, but there's a far difference from being in the minority to being a fraction of 1% of users.
Phil
There is a big difference between "upset" and "lost customer". We have NO data on the number of lost sales from upset customers. For all we know, the number is zero and/or the number of people that choose the iPhone because it has turn by turn instructions outnumbers the losses from the disgruntled.
More importantly, I think Apple is looking into the future and considering all the great apps that will be built off of their open Map system. Apple is going to let developers incorporate iOS maps into their third party apps. These disgruntled users obviously don't appreciate how important that is to the iOS platform and how much better their user experience will eventually be. Obvious Tim Cook can't respond by telling customers they are naive and stupid. However, it should be obvious to business savvy people that this switch was mission critical and Apple had to do it. Companies that can't make tough decisions get left behind. I'm glad to see Apple has the temperament to make good choices. Despite the grumblings, I'm inclined to buy more stock rather than sell the stock I have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
That's my view. I STILL haven't seen any evidence that it's any worse than the other solutions out there. A few anecdotal reports (including those fabricated by Google) are not valid evidence.
I wouldn't say there's no evidence for users outside America. The comparison shots for India are terrible.
Granted, America is Apple's most important market, but it's not its only market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Easy! I am in New York, and I want to figure out how (and how long) to get from SFO (San Francisco Airport) to Apple Headquarters... Why does the map app need to know or care where I currently am?
How often does that happen? Obviously I don't have the data, but I would guess it is less than 5% and possibly much less than 1%. 99% of the time I want routing information and I click on the "use current location". Of course Apple could provide a menu that lets you shut that off, but there are only so many menu items that should be in a phone. The .00001% of people that would actually activate the feature should just go find a different phone platform. We don't want Apple mucking up our user interface to accommodate the unreasonable request of the insignificant few. As Steve Jobs once said, "it is just as important to know what not to include as what to include". (or something to that effect)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBook Pro
Quote:
Originally Posted by na1ya
"The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get"
I don't understand. If we keep using Maps, the image on the right will gradually become the image on the left? How is that possible?
You misunderstood. Tim Cook is quoted as saying, "The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get..."
Better not worse. Better.
I am convinced now that Apple was not ready to release Maps but for marketing purposes they needed it to be released along with iOS 6. I thought it was hilarious that they didn't even make sure that the Apple retail stores were correctly mapped. I was down at the Apple Store in Fashion Island Newport Beach today to pick up my new Retina MBP and just for fun I did a search for the Apple Store and sure enough it came up to their old store location from about 5 years ago. They moved to the other side of the mall into a bigger space but the Maps data was old. I'm not going to bother reporting it but if one of you Map users want to make it better feel free to report a problem. I have better things to do right now.
Oh, and by the way I read on Mac Rumors http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1443985 that there is a problem with the LG made Retina display panels so I was really concerned that I got one of the Samsung made panels instead. We tested all of the display models and five out of six were LG. This was discouraging but the sales guy said they could open up to two new boxes to see if he could find a Samsung display. Fortunately we got lucky on the first try so now I'm off to get my new Retina MBP set up.
Edit: Also I forgot to mention there is no line at that store to buy iPhones, you just walk in and buy it.
Regards
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arthur123
So Jeff what are you saying. Tim Cook wants the Apple iphone users to be the beta testers for this not ready for prime time mapping program?
If that is the case they should have included it as a bonus program as part of OS6 and still given users full access to Google maps.
As an Apple stock holder his apology means nothing. Its offering me a drink with an empty glass.
If he truly wants people to move forward he needs to bring back the Google App period end of story.
Oh, please **** off with your self-righteous, entitled 'As a stockholder..' whining. If you actually have a few thousand shares as you say, then Apple has made you an ABSOLUTE KILLING in the last few years, and you've gotten a better return than with any other company on the planet. Apple doesn't make its product and business decisions based on the whims of stockholders (like you) who really understand little to nothing about what makes the company so great, and are just looking to how much money they can make in the next quarter, with no insight as to whats best for the future growth and long term success of the company. SJ made many, MANY decisions that enraged stockholders and seemed ludicrous at the time, but layed the foundation to Apple's success and positioning. You think stockholders wanted to hear about how 'crippled' the iPad was because it was the only tablet that didnt run flash? I remember the internet outrage and all the 'As a stockholder..' bullshit that the decision was insane. How did that turn out? SJ didn't give a shit, he believed it was the right thing to do for the future of the platform, regardless of the short term pain. He looked at the big picture. Same situation now with maps. This is a move that NEEDS to be done, to decrease Apple's dependancy on Google, and to improve the maps app with critical features, integrate it more fully with their other servies/products, and do things with it that would be impossible when licensing tiles from another company (who so happens to be their biggest competitor) along with all the restrictions. "Bringing back Google App' as the default stock app would be the MOST disastrous thing Apple could possibly do at this point, and I'm so glad Apple is above listening to the short-sighted demands of people like you. It would instantly stunt any improvement/growth of their own app, would instantly give Google back hundreds of millions of customers (which will further improve THEIR maps, and not Apple's) and basically shoot their maps app in the face and kill it on the spot, after the hundreds of millions (if not bilions) of R&D they've invested in it during the past few years. Great plan!
My advice- just sell your stock now. The rest of us with some perspective realize that this is a storm that Apple will weather, and come out stronger for it. With a new iPad mini on the horizon, new iPods, iMacs, Retina 13" MBPs, and the massive sales results of this quarter, their stock price still has no ceiling. If you don't believe in Apple's path just get out now, instead of demanding that they reverse course and starts walking backwards, crippling their platform and strengthening that of their competitor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RetiredJoe
More problems than iMap for IOS 6. I am simply trying to purchase an iPhone 5 (actually a couple of them to replace other phones on other carriers) and the process is simply not working in my case. I have tried online thru the Apple Store and the process advises me that I need to go to an Apple Store to make my purchase. I visit the local Apple Store and they advise me that they are are not capable of placing an order for the phones!.. I recall the 90's when I spent a lot of mney for apple products that simply did not deliver and failed. I took over 15 years off before reinvesting in apple Products. So , Mr. Cook if you are reading this ( I am sure you too busy with the corporation), please take the strategic steps to avoid missteps. Been there done that and as a shareholder I do not want you to fail. Oh and by the way, please fix your retail outlets. I assumed that Apple Stores are there to assist customers not turn them away! The local store by the way is the Norfolk , Virginia out;et. I know supplies are limited but I just want to acquire some of your new products realizing I have to wait a few weeks but it should be this hard! By the way, try not to release beta-products into the mainstream with a promise to make them better with user input in the future! Not good for business , not good for shareholders.
Regards
No, I assure you that Tim Cook has not and will not read your post, as he has better things to do with his time than read some random rambling which doesn't seem to even have a point. Believe it or not, Apple is not 'refusing' to sell you a phone because it's evil, or because it hates you. If you haven't noticed, it's sold more than any phone in history in the 1st weekend and demand is off the charts. Have some perspective, patience, and realize that this stuff isn't manufactured and shipped using fairy dust.
Regards.
Well, unless Google Maps has changed radically in the last year or so (I wouldn't know--I'm Degoogleizing my life as much as possible), I say good riddance. The satellite view was kind of a cool novelty (at first)--wow, that's the roof of my house!--but I got over it in a hurry. Street View doesn't tell you how to get anywhere--you're buried in the scene. The only thing you're going to consistently want to use it for is the maps--so how are the maps?
Short answer--mostly unusable. If you zoom out enough to get an overview of where you're going, the labels cover up the way the streets run and how they connect together--but the streets show through just enough to render a lot of the labels illegible. If you zoom in far enough to see the streets and read the labels, you only have a view of a few blocks, and have lost the overview of your route.
I think Apple made the right decision to keep the overview spartan and add detail and labels as you zoom in. Of course, then you get people posting views from the same zoom level together and implying that this shows that there's less detail in Apple's Maps--but what do you expect from Fandroids?
(And as for accuracy--the last time I used Google Maps was to find the nearest Emissions Testing location. I circled the block several times because they had it on the wrong side of the street.)