Reworked Google Maps for iOS, Android gains better search, tablet compatibility

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 60
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    Google Maps can't do this:


    [VIDEO]


    Notice the Apple Maps Zamboni...
  • Reply 22 of 60
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,616member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


     


    It might be too early to tell, but I think the poster was implying (based on the artwork accompanying the article), that Google has stolen Apple's "look" for it's map product.  


     


    I tend to agree, but AppleInsider is notorious for bad and ripped off artwork or putting pictures in stories that are barely relevant to the topic or imply something about the article that's not in evidence etc.



    You can preview the new Google Maps here (desktop version)


    http://maps.google.com/help/maps/helloworld/desktop/preview/?continue=http://maps.google.com/preview


     


    EDIT: And video is here:


  • Reply 23 of 60
    Told ya Tallest Skil... Big Companies can only get bigger. They're adding Google Now Voice Search to Chrome (OS) and their browser.

    And with these Google I/O announcements Apple better have a new product this WWDC...
  • Reply 24 of 60
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post



    Google Maps can't do this:



    Notice the Apple Maps Zamboni...


     


    That's hilarious.

  • Reply 25 of 60
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by darkdefender View Post



    Told ya Tallest Skil... Big Companies can only get bigger. They're adding Google Now Voice Search to Chrome (OS) and their browser.



    And with these Google I/O announcements Apple better have a new product this WWDC...


     


    Google has several improvements of note, but it's striking to me that none of the hype surrounding I/O really panned out, thus far. There's a lot of complaining especially about no SMS being brought to Hangouts. But MOST striking is that neither Google, nor Samsung have had any concrete direction as to where Apple is going next so they could brazenly steal their innovations! Clearly those organizations "innovate" via theft.

  • Reply 26 of 60
    msimpsonmsimpson Posts: 452member
    Wow, did I click on googleinsider.com by mistake today?

  • Reply 27 of 60
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    I have been playing around with Google Earth on my iPad 4 -- to see how it compares with 3D Flyover:

    [LIST]
    [*] In cities where 3D Flyover is available, Apple Maps wins hands down.
    [*] In cities with no 3D Flyover, Google Earth is better, sometimes... but often a tie.
    [*] In many rural sites 3D Flyover give better results
    [*] In some remote sites Google Earth is better
    [/LIST]

    Google Earth is slow and tedious to navigate -- and it maxes out storage on the 64 GB iPad 4. It crashes quite often.

    IMO, for most 3D exploring, Apple Maps is superior, IMO... as it gives good maps, good 3D views within a single app -- and it is very fast and easy to navigate.
  • Reply 28 of 60
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    Told ya Tallest Skil... Big Companies can only get bigger. They're adding Google Now Voice Search to Chrome (OS) and their browser.


    And with these Google I/O announcements Apple better have a new product this WWDC...

    Google has several improvements of note, but it's striking to me that none of the hype surrounding I/O really panned out, thus far. There's a lot of complaining especially about no SMS being brought to Hangouts. But MOST striking is that neither Google, nor Samsung have had any concrete direction as to where Apple is going next so they could brazenly steal their innovations! Clearly those organizations "innovate" via theft.

    Ha! The only thing that Google was able to "steal" was a little bit of Apple's thunder -- 48 billion Android app downloads vs 50 billion iOS app downloads.
  • Reply 29 of 60
    freshmakerfreshmaker Posts: 532member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by msimpson View Post



    Wow, did I click on googleinsider.com by mistake today?

     


    No, but Apple has nothing interesting going on at the moment and AI wants page views.  Things will be back to normal once the WWDC hits in a few weeks.  Can't wait to see what Apple has in store - I have a feeling they're going to have something special up their sleeve.

  • Reply 30 of 60
    moochmooch Posts: 113member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


     


    Google has several improvements of note, but it's striking to me that none of the hype surrounding I/O really panned out, thus far. There's a lot of complaining especially about no SMS being brought to Hangouts. But MOST striking is that neither Google, nor Samsung have had any concrete direction as to where Apple is going next so they could brazenly steal their innovations! Clearly those organizations "innovate" via theft.





    Either that or else Apple isn't going anywhere, so they have nothing to steal. Time will tell.

  • Reply 31 of 60
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    The Google rep on stage nodded to Apple's struggles in the maps arena, drawing a laugh from the crowd when he noted that Google's maps were "above all: accurate."

    Google are nervous as hell if they need to state the obvious and do a comparison between their eight year old mapping solution and a one year old one.

    And anybody who thinks the flurry of updates and improvements that they've made in both Android and iOS are a coincidence and not at all related to getting booted off iOS as the default mapping solution, and the recent introduction of Apple Maps, is suffering from the also recently introduced GDF (Google Distortion Field) and even Eric wants that decision reversed:

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57579817-94/google-still-wants-apple-to-use-its-maps-eric-schmidt-says/

    Apple Maps is going to be responsible for ALL customers, regardless of which camp you've got your teepee in, getting far superior mapping solutions from now on, and that works just fine for me.

    Thank you, Apple.
  • Reply 32 of 60
    k2directork2director Posts: 194member
    Apple 's Maps will fall dangerously behind if they treat it as a standard iOS feature to be updated once in a while. Certain strategic features, like Maps and Siri, should be improved much more aggressively.
  • Reply 33 of 60
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    New maps, great search advances, great streaming service. The level of integration is amazing. Great conference.
  • Reply 34 of 60
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    OK I have a serious question. If we use the standard Wall Street and the tech press uses for Apple was there anything in Google's keynote that was revolutionary? Anything that blew you away? Of course the anti-Apple crowd will crow about Google announcing a subscription music service before Apple but there's nothing new or revolutionary about that. And I'll say the same thing if Apple announces their own service.

    I'm not denying that Apple needs to up its game in software and services but I think Apple has the opportunity to really surprise at WWDC. I don't think this keynote was a grand slam home run that Apple can't match (or top).
  • Reply 35 of 60
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    I can with certainty say I'm swearing off CNBC good now. They give some no-name "analyst" face time to spew why he thinks Apple is only worth $240. Since this guy started his media blitz yesterday Apple stock has dropped $26. What's also a bit curious is this guy was trotted out right around the time of options expiring and on CNBC on the same day as Google's I/O keynote. I don't think that's just a coincidence.

    I uses to think CNBC was somewhat respectable but not any more. They won't be seeing my eyeballs anymore. :no:

    http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/15/apple-trainer-roic/
  • Reply 36 of 60
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member


    One of the great things about doing a search on a mobile map program like google maps is the ability to search for a generic thing like say restaurants and have all the push pins coming up showing all the closest restaurants and gas stations near you without necessarily being specific. This is probably the number one thing I do with Maps. I do not use it for navigation since it gotten me lost or the direction were complete wrong. I use a TomTom for navigation. The other issue as it has been pointed out before Google Maps many times fails to pin point the location of many place showing them in completely wrong locations.


     


    However, I will tell you of my most recent experience with google maps on an Android device. Basically I was googlize, meaning google only shared with me the information they wanted me to see not all the relevant information. I had tire blow out (On BMW, no spare) on the highway late at night.and manage to get to the next local city with hotels and such. In the mean time I am on my android phone looking for a "tire shop" the exact search, up comes some push pins with tire shops and we found a hotel near one of these shops. I go into the hotel talk to nigh clerk and explained what happen and ask about the shop down the road, he informed me there was actually 3 of them. 


     


    I was curious why the phone did not show the 3 and only the one. I pull out my Ipad and do a quick search on google in safari and same results, pull up Apple maps and search for "tire shop" and guess what all 3 showed up. Glad I found the second one since it was a discount tire place and they carried my exact tire in stock unlike the one that Google showed me it did not have the tire and would have to order it and was going to take day to get.


     


    I did found out why Google maps did not show the 2nd tire shop, If I did a search on "Discount Tire Shop" the second placed showed up and the first did not.


     


    This is a classic example of Google directing you to the information they want you to see. This has to do with their Ad words, and since I was not specific enough they only showed me part of the information. You would hope that searching a generic term like "Tire Shop" all tire shops would show up not just the one which only sold tires. The discount place as well as the other one offer other services like exhaust repairs and other similar things.


     


    I will tell you all this not an isolated case, I have seen this a number of time when trying to find a type of business verses a specific name of business. Google is steering people to the companies who pay more for ad works and such or they have some sort agreement with. In the mean time you get screwed.

  • Reply 37 of 60
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    k2director wrote: »
    Apple 's Maps will fall dangerously behind if they treat it as a standard iOS feature to be updated once in a while. Certain strategic features, like Maps and Siri, should be improved much more aggressively.

    Apple is updating maps and Siri all the time -- most of the updates are based on data and algorithms on Apple's servers.
  • Reply 38 of 60
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MJ Web View Post



    So now that Cook & Co tipped its strategy that there "is no there, there" until an unspecified date in Q3, Google has decided to bend Apple over and uh -- oh, you get the picture. A few Google blurbs and AAPL drops 10% in 2 days in a up market... A great CEO Tim Cook surely isn't!


    Actually it was the news that a number of Hedge Fund manager stated in ther SEC filing they have dump Apple from their portfolios and  some do not plan to re-invest in Apple which is driving the pricing down.


     


    It is a bunch guys who do not understand technology company assuming Apple is done from this point forward. They say people seem to like Google and Amazon (who is trading far outside what they really make). They seem to like the company who do not innovate but copy and repackage what others do.

  • Reply 39 of 60
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    rogifan wrote: »
    OK I have a serious question. If we use the standard Wall Street and the tech press uses for Apple was there anything in Google's keynote that was revolutionary? Anything that blew you away? Of course the anti-Apple crowd will crow about Google announcing a subscription music service before Apple but there's nothing new or revolutionary about that. And I'll say the same thing if Apple announces their own service.

    I'm not denying that Apple needs to up its game in software and services but I think Apple has the opportunity to really surprise at WWDC. I don't think this keynote was a grand slam home run that Apple can't match (or top).

    No of course not. Look at this way, Google is Derek Jeter, all we expect is a double maybe even a triple, and he'll get cheers, but Apple, Apple is ARod, don't hit a home run and he's going to get booed.
  • Reply 40 of 60
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    You can preview the new Google Maps here (desktop version)


    http://maps.google.com/help/maps/helloworld/desktop/preview/?continue=http://maps.google.com/preview


     


    EDIT: And video is here:




     


    Well, that totally confirms it then.  Google has basically changed Maps to look prettier and more integrated like Apple Maps and lifted a lot of the minor design details as well.  


     


     Nothing new I suppose.  A lot of companies that formerly had no f*cks to give about design issues have adopted the Apple style.  Microsoft and Google are just the most egregious examples of this.  

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