What a shamefully cynical move, timing the announcement simply to 'me-first!' Apple.
This is why rumor sites are damaging to Apple. They give its competitors all the time in the world to react, pull some shit together, and claim 1st dibs on a concept.
Who cares? Rumors are always devoid of specifics and iOS Maps on iOS 6.0 might well put Google's latest and greatest to shame.
The rumors sites all worked extra hard to make sure Google got as much advanced warning as possible.
I agree! I really hope they figure out how to keep their plans secret. I would feed false information to suspected leakers over time and then figure out who they are. Then remove them from any access to any info at all.
I'm not sure if the picture is supposed to be a hint, but if it is ... maybe they are finally merging Google earth and google maps?
In my opinion, yours is the most accurate prediction as Google has recently rebuilt Google Maps using OpenGL, which is used by Google for Google Earth.
Indeed. Apple's the one who needs to save face in this case. They're the ones with something to poove.
I don't know about that. Apple is a huge influencer and Google's maps are far from perfect. Plus they have the negative PR from the whole wifi lurking etc. They are perhaps the ones with egg on their faces. Losing Apple as a client might be even more egg. And if Apple really is adding some kind of 3D feature and Google adds it later it will look like more copying. So Google would have a vested interest in making it look like they had the idea first. But to do that they need to release it basically same day. If they announce and it's not ready folks will see it for what it is. An announcement based on rumors to copy those rumors. Which will be more egg on Google's face.
Meanwhile Apple might not mention 3D and will just be switching to their own maps database using the tech they bought and have been finetuming that information since then. To ensure they have the most accurate maps, best driving directions etc. They might even announce that they are adding features that let people report local road construction etc that would affect routes, submit their fav routes for inclusion, rate routes to show which are really best etc. Something Google doesn't do and they also make it bloody hard to correct truly wrong info (like a route that takes someone the wrong way on a one way street that has been that way for decades). Their 'street view' might only include public spaces, government and commercial buildings with no private homes that weren't asked if they wanted to be photographed and no people. They might also have mapped inside major buildings like malls and airports to have accurate placement of stores etc. Which would be good cause that is one thing that Google's database sucks for. Case in point the Apple store nearest my studio is in a mall and according to the map on Google the store is located in the middle of the parking lot. Ooops. Accurate maps would also allow me to see that I left my iPad in the dressing room at Macys and not at the Gap (or whatevers under it) rather than something that vaguely seems to maybe be the food court or the building next door.
Hmm I wonder why competitors would claim 1st dibs on something..oh wait it's because they did it first. The first maps application was done by MapQuest some 16 years ago, not Google or Apple. Nor was speech recognition (Siri, Android voice recognition, etc...). Hell the first smartphone was some brick of a device by IBM in the 90's.
The only reason Apple "seems" to be first, is just for the very same reason you argue for them....marketing. Apple will put together a bunch of other common technologies/concepts and claim they are innovating, when really they are just presenting the technology that has been out for years in a pretty package.
I do believe Apple innovates, they put patents in for new technology every year, but you cannot claim that Apple is 1st on a concept like maps applications, because this technology has been around longer than iPhone or Android itself.
In this situation, Google simply beat Apple to the finish line. Doesn't mean that the new iOS maps is gonna be worse or better. Just means they didn't do it first. Google has had 3-D views on Google Maps for a while now. It's not an innovation, its a reproduction in a different form. Which is fine. I am a software engineer for a living. The same functionality can be done a million different ways..as the latest Google v Oracle case has shown. If two different implementations perform the same function, you cannot claim they are the same, because the underlying code that makes it work is different.
In my opinion, it's not who does it first, it's who does it better. I think at the end of the day, the success of either Google Maps or iOS Maps is going to be a subjective decision.
Excellent first post, and since you mentioned the Oracle case, I'll leave this here for those interested:
The only reason Apple "seems" to be first, is just for the very same reason you argue for them....marketing. Apple will put together a bunch of other common technologies/concepts and claim they are innovating, when really they are just presenting the technology that has been out for years in a pretty package.
...
Yes, the only reason people think Apple innovates is because they take complicated, obscure technologies from various places and put them together in a highly usable tool that fits seamlessly into your life. Gosh, what are those people thinking?
Which is why they didn't allow Apple to license that part of the system and likely won't nor would they put it in a free app on iOS.
Except you can just download Waze for free or pay for one of the pro apps on iOS. iOS has no shortage of navigation solutions. It'll just be nice to see them integrated into the core.
The fact that I had to look up what that is might make you think it proves your point, but what does Apple have to do with game developers?
It's at those very events where Apple hypes themselves up as the #1 gaming platform for mobile gaming. They're actively trying to upstage the rest of the gaming spectrum--who run events and panels at GDC--while courting developers at the same time. It has everything to do with game development.
At the moment, I see the hyper-realistic 3D maps as a fun novelty, but not what I'd be relying on day-to-day.
I think an even more interesting thing is an article I saw a while back showing a prototype of an opposite approach by Apple, which is maps and directions simplified to just the simple lines needed to get from here to there.
The popularity of Google Maps over other services shows that many folks don't care about that level of detail issue. But as an option, this approach could be a good choice to have in the works. After all it probably wouldn't be that hard to rate features in the database so if someone just wanted key items and major streets they could flip to that mode and all the things rated as non Key become invisible.
Yes, the only reason people think Apple innovates is because they take complicated, obscure technologies from various places and put them together in a highly usable tool that fits seamlessly into your life. Gosh, what are those people thinking?
Since you are replying to his comment, one can only assume you are referencing the technologies that he mentioned. So cartography, speech recognition, and 3D visualization are "complicated, obscure technologies" now??? Right, no one ever thought about using speech recognition for voice commands, and using maps for navigation before Apple /s. Oh brother....
I think they are going to announce something like that.
but I question if they would have ever done it if not for the rumors about Apple going to their own maps database and in 3D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toruk
In my opinion, yours is the most accurate prediction as Google has recently rebuilt Google Maps using OpenGL, which is used by Google for Google Earth.
All speculation of course, but it could be an attempt to deaden the (possible/percieved) blow of the Apple announcement.
If Maps and Google earth are the same thing, that's as close as Google can get to having a full 3D solution at the moment.
Throw in a whiz bang new interface and new clients for mobile devices and it could be quite spectacular.
I am tired of waiting for Google to provide the really useful travel feature on its maps of weather - a crucial item to know about when it is dangerous. I also am not impressed by their Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode - my Garmin 1695 does both (if not ideally).
If Apple could remedy those shortcomings, it might get my interest in switching from Android (and WinMob 6.1?).
Watching from a distance...
What do you mean by "Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode"? If you select Menu.Layers.Traffic View, you see the traffic situation on the route. In fact, while I typically trust and use the Garmin more than Google Navigation in the US, I use the traffic on the latter more. I have found it to be surprisingly accurate, much more than my Garmin! The main reason I use Garmin more than Google Navigation is because the Garmin stand is better than the ones I have found for the Vibrant and my Vibrant's GPS by and large sucks, although it's got substantially better with later ROMs. Even then, on cloudy days I get a lock on my Garmin a lot faster than on my phone. But as far as the mapping is concerned, I love Google Maps.
At the moment, I see the hyper-realistic 3D maps as a fun novelty, but not what I'd be relying on day-to-day.
I think an even more interesting thing is an article I saw a while back showing a prototype of an opposite approach by Apple, which is maps and directions simplified to just the simple lines needed to get from here to there. I mean NO extraneous detail. The kind of maps you draw yourself when someone asks you directions, with no unnecessary distractions.
There's a case to be made that that would provide as much added value as the other end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roc
I am tired of waiting for Google to provide the really useful travel feature on its maps of weather - a crucial item to know about when it is dangerous. I also am not impressed by their Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode - my Garmin 1695 does both (if not ideally).
If Apple could remedy those shortcomings, it might get my interest in switching from Android (and WinMob 6.1?).
Watching from a distance...
First, I think that people use maps for different purposes at different times:
-- simple routing from point A to B
-- navigation, alternate routes, traffic avoidance, public transit
-- trip planning, sight seeing points of interest
For some uses, 3D and topographical is fine -- other uses street maps and simple point A to B...
What seems obvious is that Siri should be the [normal] default way of accessing maps -- it's a natural, why type anything when using maps?
Also, integration with something like Find My Phone -- where, with permission, you could track someone as they progressed along...
Recently, the grandkids tok a trip to Santa Cruz with their dad. I was able to track My granddaughter's iPhone -- I couldd see when she got on the roller coaster on the Boardwalk & even when they made a potty stop on the way back (it would be useful to be able to display the name of enterprises in certain buildings, Such as StarBucks...)\
It sure would be an improvement when friends or family were coming to visit...
In the old days, the visitors would just call you when they got to Bakersfield
Which is why they didn't allow Apple to license that part of the system and likely won't nor would they put it in a free app on iOS.
Are you sure it's Google and not Apple restricting it? I think you have it backwards. According to an article here at AI a couple years back:
Google said it would also like to support the iPhone with Maps Navigation.
"Apple is a close partner," a Google spokesperson told AppleInsider Wednesday. "Millions of users experience Google Maps on the iPhone. We will continue to work with Apple to bring innovation, including Latitude and Navigation, to users but you'll have to speak to Apple about availability."
"In 2008, Placebase was profiled by GigaOm. At the time, a new product called PolicyMap was revealed. Using the PushPin API, PolicyMap would aggregate data on subjects such as demographics, home sales, crime, mortgage lending, school performance and more. The company reportedly earned millions of dollars in revenue and survived without any venture capital funding, successfully competing with Google's free Maps.
"Waldman thought differently," the report said. "He decided to compete with Google and other free mapping services by doing two things: One, by offering customizations and tons of features that integrated private and public data sets in many diverse ways. (He knew it would be a while before Google would get around to offering customization). His other twist was to offer a way to layer commercial and other data sets (such as demographics and crime data) onto the maps using an easy-to-use application programming interface (API).""
"Also revealed this weekend was a new job listing from Apple for a software engineer to work on the iPhone Maps application. The listing seeks a full-time employee to work in Cupertino, Calif., on the software.
"The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile industry and has changed people's lives and we want to continue to do so," the listing reads. "We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started.""
"For devices running iPhone OS versions 1.1.3 to 3.1, Apple relied on (and still relies on) databases maintained by Google and Skyhook Wireless ("Skyhook") to provide location-based services," Sewell wrote. "Beginning with the iPhone OS version 3.2 released in April 2010, Apple relies on its own databases to provide location-based services and for diagnostic purposes."
However, the default Maps application within iOS still reads "Google" in the lower left corner, showing that Apple continues to on the search giant for the maps themselves. In addition, all iOS devices still rely on Google's Street View feature as well."
"Among its products is Poly9 Globe, described as a "cross-browser, cross-platform 3D globe which does not require any download." The interactive software allows users to spin a three-dimensional rendering of the Earth, while providing real-time statistics on the user's virtual location, including altitude.
The total application, which includes high-resolution imagery for U.S. metropolitan areas, is just 303kb. It is now listed as discontinued on the official website, though the interactive demo remains. It can also be seen in action on a number of other websites, including Skype and Surveys.com."
"The revelation came as part of Apple's list of questions and answers related to iOS security and location tracking. The iPhone maker revealed in its answers that it is "collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database."
The company went on to say that it intends to provide iPhone users with an "improved traffic service in the next couple of years." It offers no more detail on what the service is, or what it could mean for iPhone users.
The answer does not clarify whether its use of the word "traffic" is related to the network data kind, as connected devices like the iPhone send and receive, or the vehicular form of traffic. Either, of course, would be applicable to a mobile device like the iPhone."
"Apple does, however, appear to still be working on building out its own Maps team. In March, AppleInsider discovered a job listing for an iOS Maps Application Developer that would help "radically improve" Apple's location-based services. Last year, Apple began using its own Maps location databases, though it still relies on Google for the maps themselves.
Last month, Apple revealed that it is collecting anonymous traffic data in order to build a "crowd-sourced traffic database," though it was not immediately clear whether the use of the word "traffic" referred to network data or transportation."
"This entire section is new in iOS 5's legal section and does not appear to be related to Google's own mapping data licenses. Google's own legal terms for their map data is distinct, and many of the companies do not overlap. In fact, one of the listed traffic-data companies is a competitor to Google's Maps.
The companies listed in iOS 5's legal notices include the following diverse companies under the "Map Data" section:
• CoreLogic offers Parcel data which marks boundaries for of properties to provide positional accuracy in location-based solutions.
• Getchee provides location and market data on China, India and Southeast Asia.
• Increment P Corp provides location and traffic data for Japan.
• TomTom offers global TeleAtlas mapping data which is also licensed by Google for their map solution.
• Urban Mapping provides in-depth neighborhood data such as crime, demographics, school performance, economic indicators and more.
• Waze offers real-time maps and traffic information based on crowd sourced data.
The last two companies are perhaps the most interesting. Urban Mapping offersextensive additional data over traditional mapping products. The company was even a partner of Placebase's back in 2007 before Apple's acquisition. Meanwhile, Wazeseems to be exactly what Apple was talking about when they hinted at crowd-sourced traffic data. Waze offers mobile apps that can be used to send data back to a central database to show realtime traffic data."
"Apple's iOS Maps app is a front end client to the Google Maps web service. While it was rumored that Apple might build its own mapping service or switch to another provider like Microsoft Bing, iOS 5 continues to use Google Maps for its data.
Apple's cleverly easy to use iOS Maps app with direct multitouch manipulation has been confused for being a Google invention. Instead, it simply pulls data from Google and presents it in a way that's simple and fast to browse, making it about as essential as Mobile Safari, and of course much easier to use (particularly for mobile users) than the generic web client Google offers within the browser.
Apple has incrementally added features to its iOS Maps client, including transit and walking directions. The newest version in iOS 5 ads the ability to print maps via AirPrint, as well as emphasizing its suggested directional paths using a glossy, three dimensional tube line.
The new iOS 5 Maps app also has a new feature that suggests multiple routes, allowing the user to chose between a few options before stepping through the directions to the destination. Below, there are three options given for driving from Pixar to Apple, and selecting between them shows distance and approximate driving times. after selecting a route, Maps' directions will then fetch detailed instructions.
iOS Maps vs Google Maps for Android
Apple's Maps client doesn't do everything Google Map's own web client can do, and even lacks some of the features of Google's Android mobile maps client. For example, there's no way to browse in "Google Earth" perspective view, taking advantage of the 3D buildings Google has on its servers. Google has promoted this as a unique feature of tablets running Android 3.0 Honeycomb as part of that operating system's overall 3D interface.
On the iPhone, there's no terrain view showing topography (although the iPad version currently offers this). There's also no support for Google Maps Navigation, a turn by turn service Google began similarly promoting as a unique feature of Google Maps for Android smartphones.
Google's own Maps client for Android also incorporates the company's Places (a clone of Yelp) and Latitude (a clone Loopt). Apple is unlikely to ever add support for either of Google's map add-on services, and also looks unlikely to add Google Navigation support, all of which would directly encroach upon third party iOS developers.
In contrast, Google created Android primarily with the intent of making sure that mobile users were using its services. It therefore has little concern for third party developers of GPS or other location based apps that its Google Maps Navigation app for Android has essentially pushed out of the market."
"The proposed invention, discovered by AppleInsider, is found in a U.S. patent application entitled "Schematic Maps.". It describes a method in which a mapping application would present users only with information that is most relevant to a given situation.
Apple believes that this concept could provide navigators with a "simple and clear representation sufficient to aid a user in guidance or orientation."
In the application, Apple notes that online mapping services have continued to add information over the years, including satellite imagery, 3D buildings and street views. While this data can be very helpful, the company also believes mapping software has become increasingly complicated, full of information that may not be useful to users.
In addition, Apple believes that mapping software is often not properly displayed on devices with smaller screen sizes, like the iPhone. This small amount of screen real estate, coupled with the plethora of information provided by services like Google Maps, can make mapping software confusing and inefficient for users.
Apple's solution would dynamically generate maps for users based partially on the attributes of the display on which they are presented, to optimize for that screen size. By emphasizing certain landmarks or roads, Apple could allow users to glean necessary information more quickly and accurately than with a heavily populated map.
For example, Apple could modify the Maps software for iPhone to automatically "distort" a displayed map when a user requests directions to a certain location. Though the distorted map may not necessarily recreate the real landscape, it would emphasize areas of interest of users to make navigation easier."
"Apple's interest in the feature was revealed this week in a new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing entitled Augmented Reality Maps. Using an iPhone camera and its wide array of sensors, including GPS, compass and gyroscope, mapping data can be used to visually augment live video.
This process, known as "augmented reality," is already found in many iPhone applications, such as Layar (iTunes link), which can be used for finding local businesses and other locations. Augmented reality presents data to a user in real time by augmenting images of the real world that are displayed via a device's camera.
In Apple's concept, streets, locations and other map data would be overlaid onto the live images being displayed through the iPhone camera. Standing along a street, users could see the street name and individual street addresses displayed in front of them, just by holding up their iPhone and pointing its camera at a location.
Apple's application notes that augmented reality programs are already available, but are typically separate from mapping applications that offer users directions to a location.
"Such systems can fail to orient [users] with a poor sense of direction and force the user to correlate the directions with objects in reality," the filing reads. "Such a transition is not as easy as it might seem.
"For example, an instruction that directs a user to go north on Main St. assumes that the user can discern which direction is north. Further, in some instances, street signs may be missing or indecipherable, making it difficult for the user to find the directed route."
Apple's solution would interpret data describing the surrounding areas, and determine what objects are being viewed by the iPhone at present. This information would be overlaid onto the live video screen, and other features, like searching for locations, would also be accessible from this screen.
"In one form of interaction, a device can receive input from the user requesting directions from a present location to a selected search result," the filing reads. "Directions can be overlaid onto the presently displayed video feed, thus showing a course and upcoming turns."
The system could also give users indications that they are headed in the wrong direction. For example, if they must walk north to find a certain restaurant, and they are headed south, the system could inform them there is "no route" to their selected destination."
"In August, MacRumorsnoted that, according to local reports, a "company in the Western world" had purchased Sweden-based 3D mapping company C3 Technologies. At the time, Apple was among those speculated to be the purchaser, with Microsoft and Google also named as possible buyers.
It has now been suggested that Apple was indeed the company that snatched up C3. The mapping company uses once classified military targeting technology to create 3D maps. Technology Reviewreported in April of this year that C3's 3D mapping method entailed using planes equipped with angled digital SLR cameras to take aerial photos that capture the sides of buildings as well as the tops. Those images were then supplemented with photos from additional camera angles to create a full 3D rendering of a city.
"Unlike Google or Bing, all of our maps are 360° explorable," C3 Chief Strategy Officer Paul Smith said earlier this year. "Everything, every building, every tree, every landmark, from the city center to the suburbs, is captured in 3D—not just a few select buildings.""
"According to the BBC, Google will charge $4 per 1,000 views for "hits" that reach more than 25,000 per day. The new charges will apply to partners who use the Google Maps API service to power their own products.
On the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the map data and Street View content available in the iOS Maps application is provided by Google. Apple has been using its own location databases since April of 2010, but still relies on Google for supplemental data.
Google's plan to charge partners for heavy use of the Google Maps AI will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012, and the company has said it will only affect 0.35 percent of users. Thor Mitchell, product manager of Google's Maps API, said the charges are necessary to ensure the "long-term future" of the product."
"When iPhoto for iOS was released in March, the software lacked required attribution to the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The organization highlighted Apple's switch to OSM, and the missing necessary credit, in an official company blog post.
But this week's update to iPhoto rectified the error, and viewing the software's "Acknowledgements" in the iOS Settings application shows the proper attribution.
The change was made after OpenStreetMap reached out to Apple directly through the foundation, and also through a third-party developer, according to Talking Points Memo. Richard Fairhurst, a board member at the foundation, said he believes it was the involvement of an iOS developer, who is also one of the group's volunteer mappers, that led to Apple adding the attribution.
"Obviously we'd rather that Apple had attributed right from the start, but nonetheless this is a big step forward," Fairhurst said. "If the biggest computer company in the world, one with a perfectionist instinct, feels that OpenStreetMap data meets its needs and is happy to publicly attribute us, then that's a great vote of confidence in our community's work.""
Not Google's fault apple did a Samsung and stole their mapping.
In my opinion, if apple reveals a mapping program it will be a huge theft and Google should go thermonuclear to correct that wrong. They should spend every cent of their money to sue Apple. After all, its what apple would do to Google if apple maps came first...................
If its really good.. I'm sure a significant number of people will. I see it as win-win for Apple if Google releases a stand alone maps app for iOS. iOS users will have the best of both worlds. The free turn-by-turn navigation on Google Maps for Android has attracted a lot of people towards buying Android phones.
Duplicate functionality? Apple may not allow Google's new maps on iOS.
Comments
Who cares? Rumors are always devoid of specifics and iOS Maps on iOS 6.0 might well put Google's latest and greatest to shame.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronbo
The rumors sites all worked extra hard to make sure Google got as much advanced warning as possible.
I agree! I really hope they figure out how to keep their plans secret. I would feed false information to suspected leakers over time and then figure out who they are. Then remove them from any access to any info at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
I'm not sure if the picture is supposed to be a hint, but if it is ... maybe they are finally merging Google earth and google maps?
In my opinion, yours is the most accurate prediction as Google has recently rebuilt Google Maps using OpenGL, which is used by Google for Google Earth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redbarchetta
Indeed. Apple's the one who needs to save face in this case. They're the ones with something to poove.
I don't know about that. Apple is a huge influencer and Google's maps are far from perfect. Plus they have the negative PR from the whole wifi lurking etc. They are perhaps the ones with egg on their faces. Losing Apple as a client might be even more egg. And if Apple really is adding some kind of 3D feature and Google adds it later it will look like more copying. So Google would have a vested interest in making it look like they had the idea first. But to do that they need to release it basically same day. If they announce and it's not ready folks will see it for what it is. An announcement based on rumors to copy those rumors. Which will be more egg on Google's face.
Meanwhile Apple might not mention 3D and will just be switching to their own maps database using the tech they bought and have been finetuming that information since then. To ensure they have the most accurate maps, best driving directions etc. They might even announce that they are adding features that let people report local road construction etc that would affect routes, submit their fav routes for inclusion, rate routes to show which are really best etc. Something Google doesn't do and they also make it bloody hard to correct truly wrong info (like a route that takes someone the wrong way on a one way street that has been that way for decades). Their 'street view' might only include public spaces, government and commercial buildings with no private homes that weren't asked if they wanted to be photographed and no people. They might also have mapped inside major buildings like malls and airports to have accurate placement of stores etc. Which would be good cause that is one thing that Google's database sucks for. Case in point the Apple store nearest my studio is in a mall and according to the map on Google the store is located in the middle of the parking lot. Ooops. Accurate maps would also allow me to see that I left my iPad in the dressing room at Macys and not at the Gap (or whatevers under it) rather than something that vaguely seems to maybe be the food court or the building next door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wurm5150
The free turn-by-turn navigation on Google Maps for Android has attracted a lot of people towards buying Android phones.
Which is why they didn't allow Apple to license that part of the system and likely won't nor would they put it in a free app on iOS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisIsFunny
Hmm I wonder why competitors would claim 1st dibs on something..oh wait it's because they did it first. The first maps application was done by MapQuest some 16 years ago, not Google or Apple. Nor was speech recognition (Siri, Android voice recognition, etc...). Hell the first smartphone was some brick of a device by IBM in the 90's.
The only reason Apple "seems" to be first, is just for the very same reason you argue for them....marketing. Apple will put together a bunch of other common technologies/concepts and claim they are innovating, when really they are just presenting the technology that has been out for years in a pretty package.
I do believe Apple innovates, they put patents in for new technology every year, but you cannot claim that Apple is 1st on a concept like maps applications, because this technology has been around longer than iPhone or Android itself.
In this situation, Google simply beat Apple to the finish line. Doesn't mean that the new iOS maps is gonna be worse or better. Just means they didn't do it first. Google has had 3-D views on Google Maps for a while now. It's not an innovation, its a reproduction in a different form. Which is fine. I am a software engineer for a living. The same functionality can be done a million different ways..as the latest Google v Oracle case has shown. If two different implementations perform the same function, you cannot claim they are the same, because the underlying code that makes it work is different.
In my opinion, it's not who does it first, it's who does it better. I think at the end of the day, the success of either Google Maps or iOS Maps is going to be a subjective decision.
Excellent first post, and since you mentioned the Oracle case, I'll leave this here for those interested:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/06/01/google-smacks-down-oracle-as-smartphone-trial-century-ends/
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisIsFunny
...
The only reason Apple "seems" to be first, is just for the very same reason you argue for them....marketing. Apple will put together a bunch of other common technologies/concepts and claim they are innovating, when really they are just presenting the technology that has been out for years in a pretty package.
...
Yes, the only reason people think Apple innovates is because they take complicated, obscure technologies from various places and put them together in a highly usable tool that fits seamlessly into your life. Gosh, what are those people thinking?
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
Which is why they didn't allow Apple to license that part of the system and likely won't nor would they put it in a free app on iOS.
Except you can just download Waze for free or pay for one of the pro apps on iOS. iOS has no shortage of navigation solutions. It'll just be nice to see them integrated into the core.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
The fact that I had to look up what that is might make you think it proves your point, but what does Apple have to do with game developers?
It's at those very events where Apple hypes themselves up as the #1 gaming platform for mobile gaming. They're actively trying to upstage the rest of the gaming spectrum--who run events and panels at GDC--while courting developers at the same time. It has everything to do with game development.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQB
At the moment, I see the hyper-realistic 3D maps as a fun novelty, but not what I'd be relying on day-to-day.
I think an even more interesting thing is an article I saw a while back showing a prototype of an opposite approach by Apple, which is maps and directions simplified to just the simple lines needed to get from here to there.
The popularity of Google Maps over other services shows that many folks don't care about that level of detail issue. But as an option, this approach could be a good choice to have in the works. After all it probably wouldn't be that hard to rate features in the database so if someone just wanted key items and major streets they could flip to that mode and all the things rated as non Key become invisible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Booga
Yes, the only reason people think Apple innovates is because they take complicated, obscure technologies from various places and put them together in a highly usable tool that fits seamlessly into your life. Gosh, what are those people thinking?
Since you are replying to his comment, one can only assume you are referencing the technologies that he mentioned. So cartography, speech recognition, and 3D visualization are "complicated, obscure technologies" now??? Right, no one ever thought about using speech recognition for voice commands, and using maps for navigation before Apple /s. Oh brother....
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
I think they are going to announce something like that.
but I question if they would have ever done it if not for the rumors about Apple going to their own maps database and in 3D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toruk
In my opinion, yours is the most accurate prediction as Google has recently rebuilt Google Maps using OpenGL, which is used by Google for Google Earth.
All speculation of course, but it could be an attempt to deaden the (possible/percieved) blow of the Apple announcement.
If Maps and Google earth are the same thing, that's as close as Google can get to having a full 3D solution at the moment.
Throw in a whiz bang new interface and new clients for mobile devices and it could be quite spectacular.
Apple might still upstage them at WWDC however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
It's entirely possible that this is the new iOS Maps and not an Apple solution.
While this does sound a lot like CES trying to upstage MacWorld (back when Apple still went), I don't think that can be discredited.
It says right at the beginning this is CES 2011. I'm a bit confused.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roc
I am tired of waiting for Google to provide the really useful travel feature on its maps of weather - a crucial item to know about when it is dangerous. I also am not impressed by their Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode - my Garmin 1695 does both (if not ideally).
If Apple could remedy those shortcomings, it might get my interest in switching from Android (and WinMob 6.1?).
Watching from a distance...
What do you mean by "Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode"? If you select Menu.Layers.Traffic View, you see the traffic situation on the route. In fact, while I typically trust and use the Garmin more than Google Navigation in the US, I use the traffic on the latter more. I have found it to be surprisingly accurate, much more than my Garmin! The main reason I use Garmin more than Google Navigation is because the Garmin stand is better than the ones I have found for the Vibrant and my Vibrant's GPS by and large sucks, although it's got substantially better with later ROMs. Even then, on cloudy days I get a lock on my Garmin a lot faster than on my phone. But as far as the mapping is concerned, I love Google Maps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQB
At the moment, I see the hyper-realistic 3D maps as a fun novelty, but not what I'd be relying on day-to-day.
I think an even more interesting thing is an article I saw a while back showing a prototype of an opposite approach by Apple, which is maps and directions simplified to just the simple lines needed to get from here to there. I mean NO extraneous detail. The kind of maps you draw yourself when someone asks you directions, with no unnecessary distractions.
There's a case to be made that that would provide as much added value as the other end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roc
I am tired of waiting for Google to provide the really useful travel feature on its maps of weather - a crucial item to know about when it is dangerous. I also am not impressed by their Navigator's inability to show traffic while in navigation mode - my Garmin 1695 does both (if not ideally).
If Apple could remedy those shortcomings, it might get my interest in switching from Android (and WinMob 6.1?).
Watching from a distance...
First, I think that people use maps for different purposes at different times:
-- simple routing from point A to B
-- navigation, alternate routes, traffic avoidance, public transit
-- trip planning, sight seeing points of interest
For some uses, 3D and topographical is fine -- other uses street maps and simple point A to B...
What seems obvious is that Siri should be the [normal] default way of accessing maps -- it's a natural, why type anything when using maps?
Also, integration with something like Find My Phone -- where, with permission, you could track someone as they progressed along...
Recently, the grandkids tok a trip to Santa Cruz with their dad. I was able to track My granddaughter's iPhone -- I couldd see when she got on the roller coaster on the Boardwalk & even when they made a potty stop on the way back (it would be useful to be able to display the name of enterprises in certain buildings, Such as StarBucks...)\
It sure would be an improvement when friends or family were coming to visit...
In the old days, the visitors would just call you when they got to Bakersfield
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
Which is why they didn't allow Apple to license that part of the system and likely won't nor would they put it in a free app on iOS.
Are you sure it's Google and not Apple restricting it? I think you have it backwards. According to an article here at AI a couple years back:
Google said it would also like to support the iPhone with Maps Navigation.
"Apple is a close partner," a Google spokesperson told AppleInsider Wednesday. "Millions of users experience Google Maps on the iPhone. We will continue to work with Apple to bring innovation, including Latitude and Navigation, to users but you'll have to speak to Apple about availability."
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/28/google_says_its_navigation_will_come_to_iphone_if_apple_approves.html
Spoiler from Apple: New maps application lets you search INSIDE buildings, main first customers being malls, grocery stores
Spoiler from Google: Rollout better WebML maps/earth product "sometime in the near future" with products and reviews attached to places on the map.
Relevant...
October 1, 2009 Apple purchased Google Maps competitor Placebase
"In 2008, Placebase was profiled by GigaOm. At the time, a new product called PolicyMap was revealed. Using the PushPin API, PolicyMap would aggregate data on subjects such as demographics, home sales, crime, mortgage lending, school performance and more. The company reportedly earned millions of dollars in revenue and survived without any venture capital funding, successfully competing with Google's free Maps.
"Waldman thought differently," the report said. "He decided to compete with Google and other free mapping services by doing two things: One, by offering customizations and tons of features that integrated private and public data sets in many diverse ways. (He knew it would be a while before Google would get around to offering customization). His other twist was to offer a way to layer commercial and other data sets (such as demographics and crime data) onto the maps using an easy-to-use application programming interface (API).""
November 29, 2009 AppleInsider reports Evidence of Apple's new iPhone model, Maps application uncovered
"Also revealed this weekend was a new job listing from Apple for a software engineer to work on the iPhone Maps application. The listing seeks a full-time employee to work in Cupertino, Calif., on the software.
"The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile industry and has changed people's lives and we want to continue to do so," the listing reads. "We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started.""
June 30, 2010 AppleInsider reports that iOS now uses its own Maps location database.
"For devices running iPhone OS versions 1.1.3 to 3.1, Apple relied on (and still relies on) databases maintained by Google and Skyhook Wireless ("Skyhook") to provide location-based services," Sewell wrote. "Beginning with the iPhone OS version 3.2 released in April 2010, Apple relies on its own databases to provide location-based services and for diagnostic purposes."
However, the default Maps application within iOS still reads "Google" in the lower left corner, showing that Apple continues to on the search giant for the maps themselves. In addition, all iOS devices still rely on Google's Street View feature as well."
July 14, 2010 Apple acquires online mapping company Poly9 - report
"Among its products is Poly9 Globe, described as a "cross-browser, cross-platform 3D globe which does not require any download." The interactive software allows users to spin a three-dimensional rendering of the Earth, while providing real-time statistics on the user's virtual location, including altitude.
The total application, which includes high-resolution imagery for U.S. metropolitan areas, is just 303kb. It is now listed as discontinued on the official website, though the interactive demo remains. It can also be seen in action on a number of other websites, including Skype and Surveys.com."
April 27, 2011 AppleInsider reports that Apple say's its building 'crowd-sourced traffic' service for iPhone users
"The revelation came as part of Apple's list of questions and answers related to iOS security and location tracking. The iPhone maker revealed in its answers that it is "collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database."
The company went on to say that it intends to provide iPhone users with an "improved traffic service in the next couple of years." It offers no more detail on what the service is, or what it could mean for iPhone users.
The answer does not clarify whether its use of the word "traffic" is related to the network data kind, as connected devices like the iPhone send and receive, or the vehicular form of traffic. Either, of course, would be applicable to a mobile device like the iPhone."
June 1, 2011 AppleInsider reports that Google, Apple renew partnership for maps, search in iPhone
"Apple does, however, appear to still be working on building out its own Maps team. In March, AppleInsider discovered a job listing for an iOS Maps Application Developer that would help "radically improve" Apple's location-based services. Last year, Apple began using its own Maps location databases, though it still relies on Google for the maps themselves.
Last month, Apple revealed that it is collecting anonymous traffic data in order to build a "crowd-sourced traffic database," though it was not immediately clear whether the use of the word "traffic" referred to network data or transportation."
June 23, 2011 MacRumors reports Evidence in iOS 5 that Apple is Building Its Own Mapping Solution (sorry AppleInsider)
"This entire section is new in iOS 5's legal section and does not appear to be related to Google's own mapping data licenses. Google's own legal terms for their map data is distinct, and many of the companies do not overlap. In fact, one of the listed traffic-data companies is a competitor to Google's Maps.
The companies listed in iOS 5's legal notices include the following diverse companies under the "Map Data" section:
• CoreLogic offers Parcel data which marks boundaries for of properties to provide positional accuracy in location-based solutions.
• Getchee provides location and market data on China, India and Southeast Asia.
• Increment P Corp provides location and traffic data for Japan.
• Localeze provides local business listings.
• MapData Sciences Pty Ltd. Inc provides mapping data for Australia and New Zealand.
• DMTI provides postal code data for Canada.
• TomTom offers global TeleAtlas mapping data which is also licensed by Google for their map solution.
• Urban Mapping provides in-depth neighborhood data such as crime, demographics, school performance, economic indicators and more.
• Waze offers real-time maps and traffic information based on crowd sourced data.
The last two companies are perhaps the most interesting. Urban Mapping offersextensive additional data over traditional mapping products. The company was even a partner of Placebase's back in 2007 before Apple's acquisition. Meanwhile, Wazeseems to be exactly what Apple was talking about when they hinted at crowd-sourced traffic data. Waze offers mobile apps that can be used to send data back to a central database to show realtime traffic data."
August 11, 2011 AppleInsider reports Inside IOS 5: new Maps features
"Apple's iOS Maps app is a front end client to the Google Maps web service. While it was rumored that Apple might build its own mapping service or switch to another provider like Microsoft Bing, iOS 5 continues to use Google Maps for its data.
Apple's cleverly easy to use iOS Maps app with direct multitouch manipulation has been confused for being a Google invention. Instead, it simply pulls data from Google and presents it in a way that's simple and fast to browse, making it about as essential as Mobile Safari, and of course much easier to use (particularly for mobile users) than the generic web client Google offers within the browser.
Apple has incrementally added features to its iOS Maps client, including transit and walking directions. The newest version in iOS 5 ads the ability to print maps via AirPrint, as well as emphasizing its suggested directional paths using a glossy, three dimensional tube line.
The new iOS 5 Maps app also has a new feature that suggests multiple routes, allowing the user to chose between a few options before stepping through the directions to the destination. Below, there are three options given for driving from Pixar to Apple, and selecting between them shows distance and approximate driving times. after selecting a route, Maps' directions will then fetch detailed instructions.
iOS Maps vs Google Maps for Android
Apple's Maps client doesn't do everything Google Map's own web client can do, and even lacks some of the features of Google's Android mobile maps client. For example, there's no way to browse in "Google Earth" perspective view, taking advantage of the 3D buildings Google has on its servers. Google has promoted this as a unique feature of tablets running Android 3.0 Honeycomb as part of that operating system's overall 3D interface.
On the iPhone, there's no terrain view showing topography (although the iPad version currently offers this). There's also no support for Google Maps Navigation, a turn by turn service Google began similarly promoting as a unique feature of Google Maps for Android smartphones.
Google's own Maps client for Android also incorporates the company's Places (a clone of Yelp) and Latitude (a clone Loopt). Apple is unlikely to ever add support for either of Google's map add-on services, and also looks unlikely to add Google Navigation support, all of which would directly encroach upon third party iOS developers.
In contrast, Google created Android primarily with the intent of making sure that mobile users were using its services. It therefore has little concern for third party developers of GPS or other location based apps that its Google Maps Navigation app for Android has essentially pushed out of the market."
August 11, 2011 AppleInsider reports that Apple looking to simplify Maps on iPhone with dynamic emphasizing, exaggerating
"The proposed invention, discovered by AppleInsider, is found in a U.S. patent application entitled "Schematic Maps.". It describes a method in which a mapping application would present users only with information that is most relevant to a given situation.
Apple believes that this concept could provide navigators with a "simple and clear representation sufficient to aid a user in guidance or orientation."
In the application, Apple notes that online mapping services have continued to add information over the years, including satellite imagery, 3D buildings and street views. While this data can be very helpful, the company also believes mapping software has become increasingly complicated, full of information that may not be useful to users.
In addition, Apple believes that mapping software is often not properly displayed on devices with smaller screen sizes, like the iPhone. This small amount of screen real estate, coupled with the plethora of information provided by services like Google Maps, can make mapping software confusing and inefficient for users.
Apple's solution would dynamically generate maps for users based partially on the attributes of the display on which they are presented, to optimize for that screen size. By emphasizing certain landmarks or roads, Apple could allow users to glean necessary information more quickly and accurately than with a heavily populated map.
For example, Apple could modify the Maps software for iPhone to automatically "distort" a displayed map when a user requests directions to a certain location. Though the distorted map may not necessarily recreate the real landscape, it would emphasize areas of interest of users to make navigation easier."
August 18, 2011 AppleInsider reports that Apple investigating augmented reality for improved iPhone maps
"Apple's interest in the feature was revealed this week in a new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing entitled Augmented Reality Maps. Using an iPhone camera and its wide array of sensors, including GPS, compass and gyroscope, mapping data can be used to visually augment live video.
This process, known as "augmented reality," is already found in many iPhone applications, such as Layar (iTunes link), which can be used for finding local businesses and other locations. Augmented reality presents data to a user in real time by augmenting images of the real world that are displayed via a device's camera.
In Apple's concept, streets, locations and other map data would be overlaid onto the live images being displayed through the iPhone camera. Standing along a street, users could see the street name and individual street addresses displayed in front of them, just by holding up their iPhone and pointing its camera at a location.
Apple's application notes that augmented reality programs are already available, but are typically separate from mapping applications that offer users directions to a location.
"Such systems can fail to orient [users] with a poor sense of direction and force the user to correlate the directions with objects in reality," the filing reads. "Such a transition is not as easy as it might seem.
"For example, an instruction that directs a user to go north on Main St. assumes that the user can discern which direction is north. Further, in some instances, street signs may be missing or indecipherable, making it difficult for the user to find the directed route."
Apple's solution would interpret data describing the surrounding areas, and determine what objects are being viewed by the iPhone at present. This information would be overlaid onto the live video screen, and other features, like searching for locations, would also be accessible from this screen.
"In one form of interaction, a device can receive input from the user requesting directions from a present location to a selected search result," the filing reads. "Directions can be overlaid onto the presently displayed video feed, thus showing a course and upcoming turns."
The system could also give users indications that they are headed in the wrong direction. For example, if they must walk north to find a certain restaurant, and they are headed south, the system could inform them there is "no route" to their selected destination."
October 29, 2011 AppleInsider reports Apple rumored to take on Google's 3D maps with superior technology
"In August, MacRumors noted that, according to local reports, a "company in the Western world" had purchased Sweden-based 3D mapping company C3 Technologies. At the time, Apple was among those speculated to be the purchaser, with Microsoft and Google also named as possible buyers.
It has now been suggested that Apple was indeed the company that snatched up C3. The mapping company uses once classified military targeting technology to create 3D maps. Technology Review reported in April of this year that C3's 3D mapping method entailed using planes equipped with angled digital SLR cameras to take aerial photos that capture the sides of buildings as well as the tops. Those images were then supplemented with photos from additional camera angles to create a full 3D rendering of a city.
"Unlike Google or Bing, all of our maps are 360° explorable," C3 Chief Strategy Officer Paul Smith said earlier this year. "Everything, every building, every tree, every landmark, from the city center to the suburbs, is captured in 3D—not just a few select buildings.""
November 2, 2011 AppleInsider reports that Google to charge partners who heavily use its Maps API
"According to the BBC, Google will charge $4 per 1,000 views for "hits" that reach more than 25,000 per day. The new charges will apply to partners who use the Google Maps API service to power their own products.
On the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the map data and Street View content available in the iOS Maps application is provided by Google. Apple has been using its own location databases since April of 2010, but still relies on Google for supplemental data.
Google's plan to charge partners for heavy use of the Google Maps AI will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012, and the company has said it will only affect 0.35 percent of users. Thor Mitchell, product manager of Google's Maps API, said the charges are necessary to ensure the "long-term future" of the product."
May 4, 2012 AppleInsider reports that Apple adds OpenStreetMap attribution to iPhoto for iOS
"When iPhoto for iOS was released in March, the software lacked required attribution to the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The organization highlighted Apple's switch to OSM, and the missing necessary credit, in an official company blog post.
But this week's update to iPhoto rectified the error, and viewing the software's "Acknowledgements" in the iOS Settings application shows the proper attribution.
The change was made after OpenStreetMap reached out to Apple directly through the foundation, and also through a third-party developer, according to Talking Points Memo. Richard Fairhurst, a board member at the foundation, said he believes it was the involvement of an iOS developer, who is also one of the group's volunteer mappers, that led to Apple adding the attribution.
"Obviously we'd rather that Apple had attributed right from the start, but nonetheless this is a big step forward," Fairhurst said. "If the biggest computer company in the world, one with a perfectionist instinct, feels that OpenStreetMap data meets its needs and is happy to publicly attribute us, then that's a great vote of confidence in our community's work.""
<a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/11/apples_new_3d_maps_in_i
Not Google's fault apple did a Samsung and stole their mapping.
In my opinion, if apple reveals a mapping program it will be a huge theft and Google should go thermonuclear to correct that wrong. They should spend every cent of their money to sue Apple. After all, its what apple would do to Google if apple maps came first...................
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wurm5150
If its really good.. I'm sure a significant number of people will. I see it as win-win for Apple if Google releases a stand alone maps app for iOS. iOS users will have the best of both worlds. The free turn-by-turn navigation on Google Maps for Android has attracted a lot of people towards buying Android phones.
Duplicate functionality? Apple may not allow Google's new maps on iOS.