I don't get why Apple has their own maps. Google Maps is what I use and don't think Apples are as good
It’s pretty simple. Due to their rivalry, Google stopped implementing new features into Apple’s version of Google maps. No doubt this was deliberate. As a result, Apple decided to do their own maps app. It takes billions, and years. Google’s maps were pretty bad for the first few years, but after some time, became pretty good, but far from perfect.
when Apple came out with theirs in 2012, it used TomTom for all of the mapping data. TomTom is, or was at the time, the largest supplier of mapping data. But it proved to be lacking. Apple was blamed for TomTom’s imperfect data. But the app itself wasn’t quite ready. So there were problems. Over time, Apple has been making more of its own data, and maps is far better today.
Is Google maps still better? Well, I guess it depends on who you talk to, but it’s pretty good. I’ve been using it for some time, and haven’t had a problem. Over time the two must converge as fewer bits of information are left to add. And please, Google maps makes plenty of errors too.
I don't get why Apple has their own maps. Google Maps is what I use and don't think Apples are as good
Uh, because Google Maps started withholding key features such as turn by turn directions from the iPhone and Apple thought that Google was collecting too much data form its users. If you're using Google Maps on your iPhone and you honestly think that it's better than Apple Maps, you really have Apple Maps to thank for that because if memory serves me right Google only started improving Google Maps on the iPhone once Apple Maps was released.
Personally, Apple Maps works just fine with me, and I almost never have a problem with it to the point where I can't remember the last time I used Google Maps (I may have even deleted it off my phone, I honestly can't remember.) I am also happy to have one less Google thing in my life tracking me.
10 years has gone by pretty darn fast here, with people forgetting this argument already. More like 8 since Apple Maps came out, but the fracturing of the Apple-Google partnership started in earnest in 2010 at least. It’s actually good news that this Google versus Apple Maps argument has basically gone quiet for a few years now, indicating that the functionality between the two are close enough such that the differences don’t matter much anymore.
Also interesting that the Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant whatever they call it arguments have gone fairly quiet lately too. Could be indicative that we’ve reached a plateau on what smart agents can do for us, for awhile at least.
I’ve been looking at maps of Arkansas on my various Apple devices, and on my Mac, the update has rolled out, but on my iPhone and iPad, it’s still the old one.
Now that Apple has first-rate maps, at least in mainland USA, I hope it starts to be used by more third parties. Or that those third parties (like Yelp, Shiptracker, etc) offer users a choice. The only time I've personally come across Apple Maps in the third party wild is with birding apps from Cornell University. If AI is looking for someting new to track....
The iOS Yelp app uses it and the DuckDuckGo web site offers it as an option to name the two that I know of but I agree, more third party use would be good. What I’d like to see is a WordPress plugin for Apple Maps.
To do what, out of curiosity? Display basic maps? Because the documentation for MapKit JS has all that info for you already, and examples of how to do more complex stuff as well. You need a Developer account to get to some of the docs and get an API key as well. Not sure what the benefit of a plug-in would be.
I want Apple to eventually give us offline capability, but I don't think that will ever happen.
No, I don't think they'll offer a completely offline option, but you can set a trip and it will grab map data for that route that can still be applied if you're in an area that doesn't have service. I think they all offer that, and it has saved my arse a few times.
Thanks for comments. Good to know some users having wider success. Funny, using iphone 11 Pro, ios 13.1, and safari on 27Dec2019 the Yelp review for a local restaurant still gives me -- gasp-- Google Maps. But yes I recall with AppleWatch capability too Yelp working more closely w Applemaps. Don't know what variables determine it. But I'd like a toggle for AppleMaps in Safari ios, as they do for ck for ApplePay.
I was talking about the Yelp iOS app. They use Google Maps on the web. They’d have to do quite a lot of work to implement MapKit JS on the site, and it’s only been out a year and a half and is still in beta. Maybe eventually. No variables determine it; presumably they implemented MapKit in the iOS app because of its deep integration (for directions etc) and not everyone has the Google Maps app on their device. Websites need to be built by the developer using the MapKit JS API and as I said it’s still pretty new. Duck Duck Go switched to it in January of this year. You don’t just toggle which you want to use in the browser and websites magically use one or the other.
Seems to be a work in progress where I live/drive.
It is not the dumpster fire it once was, but is still not the best for routing or avoiding construction or accidents along your route.
In case there is someone from Apple lurking, please do look around for Zip Code 98281 - Pt Roberts, Wa. Google has never added street view.
Haha Port Roberts? They haven’t done Seattle yet. It’s only in very limited places so far. Here’s the list as of October 1:
California
Los Angeles County (Alhambra, Arcadia, Arleta, Artesia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Bradbury, Brentwood, Burbank, Calabasas, Canoga Park, Carson, Cerritos, Chatsworth, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Cudahy, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte, El Monte, El Segundo, Encino, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Granada Hills, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Huntington Park, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lake Balboa, Lake View Terrace, Lawndale, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Maywood, Mission Hills, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Northridge, North Hollywood, Norwalk, Pacoima, Palos Verdes Estates, Panorama City, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Porter Ranch, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rosemead, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Sierra Madre, Signal Hill, South El Monte, South Gate, South Pasadena, Studio City, Sunland, Sun Valley, Sylmar, Tarzana, Temple City, Toluca Lake, Torrance, Tunjunga, Universal City, Van Nuys, Vernon, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Whittier, Winnetka, Woodland Hills) [Not supported yet: Augora Hills, Lancaster, Palmdale, Paramount. Santa Clarita, Westlake Village, West Hills]
Alameda County (Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City)
San Francisco
San Mateo County (Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Woodside)
Santa Clara County (Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale) [Not supported yet: Gilroy, Morgan Hill]
Hawaii
Oahu
Nevada
Clark County (Henderson, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas) [Not supported yet: Boulder City, Mesquite]
New York
New York City (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens)
The scale of this is actually pretty incredible. I wonder how far they are with mapping other countries and how much of Apple's mapping capture system is fully automated from capture to service. (As that would be a valuable asset for bringing Apple's maps up to speed in certain regions where all of the available services are quite lacking.)
I don't get why Apple has their own maps. Google Maps is what I use and don't think Apples are as good
AI/DED has written many articles about it. Do you remember when Apple used Google Maps in iOS? Do you remember that Google wouldn't offer Apple vector mapping or turn-by-turn directions unless Apple ponied up copious amounts of personal user data?
FWIW DED was not privy to the negotiations between Apple and Google over maps so he's guessing at who wanted what and why, just as we all are. Apple had started putting together their own mapping resources years before those negotiations too so things are not as one-sided as DED portrayed it IMO.
I don't get why Apple has their own maps. Google Maps is what I use and don't think Apples are as good
AI/DED has written many articles about it. Do you remember when Apple used Google Maps in iOS? Do you remember that Google wouldn't offer Apple vector mapping or turn-by-turn directions unless Apple ponied up copious amounts of personal user data?
FWIW DED was not privy to the negotiations between Apple and Google over maps so he's guessing at who wanted what and why, just as we all are. Apple had started putting together their own mapping resources years before those negotiations too so things are not as one-sided as DED portrayed it IMO.
All that really shows is that Apple was aware early on, that Google was working to exclude them from the latest developments and features, nothing more. And as we know, incognito mode doesn’t exactly work. Google lies a lot about not tracking Apple users. We know that as a fact, and you do to.
I don't get why Apple has their own maps. Google Maps is what I use and don't think Apples are as good
AI/DED has written many articles about it. Do you remember when Apple used Google Maps in iOS? Do you remember that Google wouldn't offer Apple vector mapping or turn-by-turn directions unless Apple ponied up copious amounts of personal user data?
FWIW DED was not privy to the negotiations between Apple and Google over maps so he's guessing at who wanted what and why, just as we all are. Apple had started putting together their own mapping resources years before those negotiations too so things are not as one-sided as DED portrayed it IMO.
All that really shows is that Apple was aware early on, that Google was working to exclude them from the latest developments and features, nothing more.
Six months give or take after the very first Android phone went to market? Not likely Mel.
You are as aware as anyone that Apple wants everything under their wing, as much as is rational anyway. Maps were rational since it was a big selling point for the original iPhone. IMO there's no such thing as a long-term Apple partner outside of Foxconn (by necessity) and that one may get throttled back eventually. In recent years Foxconn itself has made noises about the unwise dependence on one major client.
The scale of this is actually pretty incredible. I wonder how far they are with mapping other countries and how much of Apple's mapping capture system is fully automated from capture to service. (As that would be a valuable asset for bringing Apple's maps up to speed in certain regions where all of the available services are quite lacking.)
Except for street view, Apple maps is as good as or better than Google maps. I use both all the time. This is outside the US.
I think it's been over a year since an apple maps van drove by my work, so whatever they're doing, it's taking them some time to get "lookaround" rolled out. what's taking that & "flyover" so long to implement, I of course have no idea. I agree though, they are both quite a bit better than the googabet variants... if you're lucky enough to have them when you need them.
Too bad that the rollout hasn't really happened for the southeast and central US. I still get the old maps for these regions on fully updated macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. All these reports in the news must be just for selected users and not the public at large.
Comments
when Apple came out with theirs in 2012, it used TomTom for all of the mapping data. TomTom is, or was at the time, the largest supplier of mapping data. But it proved to be lacking. Apple was blamed for TomTom’s imperfect data. But the app itself wasn’t quite ready. So there were problems. Over time, Apple has been making more of its own data, and maps is far better today.
Also interesting that the Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant whatever they call it arguments have gone fairly quiet lately too. Could be indicative that we’ve reached a plateau on what smart agents can do for us, for awhile at least.
I was talking about the Yelp iOS app. They use Google Maps on the web. They’d have to do quite a lot of work to implement MapKit JS on the site, and it’s only been out a year and a half and is still in beta. Maybe eventually. No variables determine it; presumably they implemented MapKit in the iOS app because of its deep integration (for directions etc) and not everyone has the Google Maps app on their device. Websites need to be built by the developer using the MapKit JS API and as I said it’s still pretty new. Duck Duck Go switched to it in January of this year. You don’t just toggle which you want to use in the browser and websites magically use one or the other.
California
Hawaii
Nevada
New York
https://ios.gadgethacks.com/news/locations-where-look-around-works-right-now-ios-13s-apple-maps-0207950/
I wonder how far they are with mapping other countries and how much of Apple's mapping capture system is fully automated from capture to service. (As that would be a valuable asset for bringing Apple's maps up to speed in certain regions where all of the available services are quite lacking.)
Apple had started putting together their own mapping resources years before those negotiations too so things are not as one-sided as DED portrayed it IMO.
"Privacy" became the public excuse bandied about but the plans were in place to dump the partnership long ago, just 2 years after the iPhone was introduced. No doubt Google was even more aware of what was going on within Apple and geo-services.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/01/apple_purchased_google_maps_competitor_placebase_report
Also FWIW Google Maps for iOS does have an "Incognito mode". Certainly not perfect privacy but a major improvement.
https://blog.google/products/maps/updates-incognito-mode-and-your-timeline-maps/
You are as aware as anyone that Apple wants everything under their wing, as much as is rational anyway. Maps were rational since it was a big selling point for the original iPhone. IMO there's no such thing as a long-term Apple partner outside of Foxconn (by necessity) and that one may get throttled back eventually. In recent years Foxconn itself has made noises about the unwise dependence on one major client.
I think it's been over a year since an apple maps van drove by my work, so whatever they're doing, it's taking them some time to get "lookaround" rolled out. what's taking that & "flyover" so long to implement, I of course have no idea. I agree though, they are both quite a bit better than the googabet variants... if you're lucky enough to have them when you need them.