Second and I disagree with the assessment that Waze arrival time is off, I have been using it for 5 yrs and it is dead on ever time. The only time I have seen it off is when traffic becomes unpredictable. Waze claims they do not do this, but I think Waze learns your driving habits or style and tend to route you base on how you drive. In my case, my driving style is path of least red lights, even if is means going a little farther than the direct path. I rather keep driving than sit at red lights. Waze tend to route me this way unless I am in the new place altogether. Also avoiding red light means you are saving on gas. Because of this I tend to drive back road more often so less traffic and able to maintain a good speed. If Waze is not learning my driving habits it is definitely figure out my paths are fast since I am not spending 1 to 3 minutes sitting at red light or stuck in more traffic.
I know google maps and Apple maps does not do this, I have used them and they always want to route you the most direct way even though backroads could be much faster or easier to drive.
That's quite a claim that you can't substantiate nor is your mind going to be objective enough to have this sort of recall. You are obviously emotionally attached to the program, since you are assigning it behaviors that even the developers say are not there. That's why people collect data instead of relying on their own feelings - so the biases that come with feelings are taken out of the equation.
I used to love using Waze but gave it up when in its effort to find the quickest paths, it would constantly change my directions while I was driving. Doing so did not change the visible arrival times, so all this effort was to save 20 seconds or so. Don't take me off the local highway and through a neighborhood just to try to save a handful of seconds. Another time, it wanted to take me an extra 20 miles to save 2 minutes on a 2 hour trip, just because it was on a faster highway.
The sensitivity is set way too high for me to bother with Waze.
Aside: Apple always overestimates my trips home from work, as the last "8 minutes" of my drive takes 5.
I have not used Waze, but here in LA, Waze apparently will route you through narrow winding roads in neighborhoods in the hills to get around construction or traffic. These narrow roads were never meant for general thoroughfare. The residents get really unhappy about all the extra traffic.
Also, I use Siri/Maps to tell me how long it will take me to get to work and home each day. Don't need directions, I know how to go. Just the info. It clearly estimates the times using the posted speed limits. So more often than not, I arrive ahead of the estimate.
@"It clearly estimates the times using the posted speed limits."
I commute into a city with terrible rush hour traffic. Time estimates using the posted speed limits do me no good whatsoever. If an app doesn't factor in the real-time traffic speeds, it's of zero use when it comes to arrival time predictions. I think that's where Waze has the leg up, the algorithms use the data from all those thousands of Wazers to calculate traffic speeds (and by extension, arrival times) along the major city arteries.
I am not going into the discussion whether it's preferable to find a few minutes shorter routes, shorter/longer estimates per all city's on the globe Apple will never even come close to the vast multi-dimensional business, geographical, tourist infobase Google has. Because it's not their core business (and they'd better concentrate on that, first) Even 6000 Apple maps "engineers" in an Indian Lab won't change that
Apple Maps had a disastrous start, but has slowly caught up with, and surpassed in some areas, Google Maps without the sacrifice of your privacy where everywhere you go is tracked and kept forever by Google. I have both an iPhone and Android phone so when I travel, which is all around the country, I usually use them both just to see the current state. Google search is still somewhat better, but both are great in accuracy of directions with Apple usually more accurate in arrival estimate. Last year Apple added the last major feature that GM had but was missing from AM- lane guidance.
It only takes a minute to install Google Maps, Waze, etc and they are free, but with a plethora of choices, the vast majority of iPhone users choose to use Apple Maps and it's now used many billions of times a week.
Also, I use Siri/Maps to tell me how long it will take me to get to work and home each day. Don't need directions, I know how to go. Just the info. It clearly estimates the times using the posted speed limits. So more often than not, I arrive ahead of the estimate.
@"It clearly estimates the times using the posted speed limits."
I commute into a city with terrible rush hour traffic. Time estimates using the posted speed limits do me no good whatsoever. If an app doesn't factor in the real-time traffic speeds, it's of zero use when it comes to arrival time predictions. I think that's where Waze has the leg up, the algorithms use the data from all those thousands of Wazers to calculate traffic speeds (and by extension, arrival times) along the major city arteries.
I think you misread the article. Waze, at least in this one informal study, was the LEAST accurate, so it hardly has the leg up on the others.
My experience with Google's directions is that I have to break the speed limit to keep up with their estimates. Nearly every time. I feel the estimates are unsafe. Apple followed that pattern as well for a long time. TomTom was padded, safe, and not assuming you would AVERAGE the speed LIMIT. Apple used TomTom mapping for a while, then estimated based on unrealistic or unsafe driving like Google, but seems to have become better lately. I feel such hasty estimates are dangerous and misleading. Prefer the Apple approach and hope realistic estimates will become the norm. I have had great directions from both, and foolish ones from both. Google may give better directions in the SF Bay area, but I have had some suggestions so foolish I can only smirk at them. Still overall amazing and helpful!
Comments
I used to love using Waze but gave it up when in its effort to find the quickest paths, it would constantly change my directions while I was driving. Doing so did not change the visible arrival times, so all this effort was to save 20 seconds or so. Don't take me off the local highway and through a neighborhood just to try to save a handful of seconds. Another time, it wanted to take me an extra 20 miles to save 2 minutes on a 2 hour trip, just because it was on a faster highway.
The sensitivity is set way too high for me to bother with Waze.
Aside: Apple always overestimates my trips home from work, as the last "8 minutes" of my drive takes 5.
I commute into a city with terrible rush hour traffic. Time estimates using the posted speed limits do me no good whatsoever. If an app doesn't factor in the real-time traffic speeds, it's of zero use when it comes to arrival time predictions. I think that's where Waze has the leg up, the algorithms use the data from all those thousands of Wazers to calculate traffic speeds (and by extension, arrival times) along the major city arteries.
Apple Maps had a disastrous start, but has slowly caught up with, and surpassed in some areas, Google Maps without the sacrifice of your privacy where everywhere you go is tracked and kept forever by Google. I have both an iPhone and Android phone so when I travel, which is all around the country, I usually use them both just to see the current state. Google search is still somewhat better, but both are great in accuracy of directions with Apple usually more accurate in arrival estimate. Last year Apple added the last major feature that GM had but was missing from AM- lane guidance.
It only takes a minute to install Google Maps, Waze, etc and they are free, but with a plethora of choices, the vast majority of iPhone users choose to use Apple Maps and it's now used many billions of times a week.