First look: Apple's all-new Maps in iOS 6

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 58
    sipsip Posts: 210member


    Real shame about the tomtom partnership -- tomtom tends to be the most unreliable navigation system around, and Navigon on my iPad provides far better route planning and much better maps too.

  • Reply 22 of 58
    ivinceivince Posts: 74member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by cgavula View Post


    In my opinion it's unfortunate that they chose to partner with Tom Tom. In my experience their maps are really inferior to Navteq maps in the U.S.  Not nearly as reliable.  Maybe the addition of so many new users will finally lead to an improvement in those maps, but I really think they should have used Navteq data instead.



    So just a problem in the U.S. then?  Is the rest of the world affected?  I've never heard anything bad about Tom Tom in that way.  In Europe they seem to be one of the most popular.  I think that TomTom are way more established than Navteq, and so Apple probably went with the more established experienced company to partner with.  Plus Navteq is a Nokia subsidiary, which probably has something to do with it.

  • Reply 23 of 58
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member


    If you drive off course, will it automatically update your route?

  • Reply 24 of 58
    pokepoke Posts: 506member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    I can understand limiting the 3D views to newer devices, but restricting turn-by-turn navigation? That's just downright idiotic.



     


    It looks like you still get some of the functionality (I'm running it on a 4th gen iPod touch). You get the route, you can press "Start" and it shows the turn-by-turn directions at the top. You can swipe through them and it will move along the route. I'm not sure what happens if you drive it since I haven't had a chance to take it out, but it doesn't look like there are voice directions and I'm not sure it'll warn you ahead of reaching a turn. It's sort of like manual turn-by-turn.

  • Reply 25 of 58
    ungenioungenio Posts: 49member


    The way I understood it, new non-satellite maps will be vector based, unlike current non-satellite maps which are images, just like the satellite ones. Better yet, the vector maps need to be downloaded once for a certain sector, then you can zoom in or out at your heart content. That's not true for current map images: at certain point in your zooming, new images need to be downloaded. Besides, street labels are fixed, and many times missed, in the map images, but in the vectorized ones they are independent, crisp and present when necessary. Vector information is orders of magnitudes smaller than bitmapped information.


     


    So, the new maps will download faster, in lesser oportunities and minor chunks, be cheaper, be more reliable... in fact, more information can be cached, so off-line is not out of the possibilities. I don't know if the new Google maps will also be vectorized, but until then I expect new maps will rule over google's version.

  • Reply 26 of 58
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post


    If you drive off course, will it automatically update your route?



     


    Yes.

  • Reply 27 of 58


    I think the most amazing thing about the new maps is the fact that they are fully vectorial maps, and not Raster-Vector hybrid (like google maps).


    This will allow shorter map info download and possibly offline browsing!.

  • Reply 28 of 58


    Ungenio:


    I was writing something similar and didn't read yours....


    Totally agree! Vector maps are way better. I have develop software using Shapefiles for map rendering and I offer offline browsing or online spatial-DB based browsing. 

  • Reply 29 of 58
    cycomikocycomiko Posts: 716member


    I am praying that the TomTom link means that this does not suck outside of USA/Europe. 


     


    If it does, it pretty much prevents any updating - or forces me to install other software, ontop of the software apple forces onto the phone.

  • Reply 30 of 58


    Vector maps are really a perfect match for apple.



    1) Vector graphics (should be) smaller so they can download faster on mobile internet.  Hopefully they will cache better too (privacy issues aside)


    2) Retina display will render vector maps beautifully.  Vector graphics are independent of display resolution.


    3) stepping out on a limb here, there is actually much more information in Vector format maps compared to image maps.  Apps and AI can more readily take advantage of 2D/3D vector data compared to raster images.  Who knows, the vector format may actually have the map meta-data built into it and delivered to the device rather than 100% processed on the server....

  • Reply 31 of 58
    bagmanbagman Posts: 349member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by iVince View Post


    So just a problem in the U.S. then?  Is the rest of the world affected?  I've never heard anything bad about Tom Tom in that way.  In Europe they seem to be one of the most popular.  I think that TomTom are way more established than Navteq, and so Apple probably went with the more established experienced company to partner with.  Plus Navteq is a Nokia subsidiary, which probably has something to do with it.



    I have used Navigon in the US for years - excellent (and now owned and somewhat converted by Garmin).  I also used Navigon Europe, driving over 2500 km across Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and down into Italy - always flawless.  My understanding is that Navigon started in Europe (Wurtzburg, Germany, I believe), and was/is the most popular one there - that is the reason they opted to be the first out with the iphone app (just before TomTom here in the US), to get better known in the US - so much so that Garmin bought them out.  Navigon has always rated higher than TomTom, by a little, and don't know how it compares with their own native Garmin iphone App now, but, in Europe, from my experience, it was awesome, and completely accurate.


     


    By the way, unfortunately, the turn-by-turn is not through Bluetooth, and I use a Griffin RoadTrip, which connects directly through Aux port or by FM transmitter to any frequency on hour radio - works just fine, and allows you to play itunes also.  Great combination.  I tend to use my iphone with the Griffin, and only use the ipad if I want to get a better view of maps.  Navteq maps are great with the Navigon App, although the Google maps are better looking and more detailed.  Will be interesting to see how Apple chooses to integrate the features that Navigon/Garmin and TomTom have used for years, to stay competitive.  I wouldn't give up my paid Navigon App if the free Apple App didn't incorportate ALL the features I now enjoy and depend on with the Navigon Apps.


     


    Another great thing about Navigon is that you don't need a cell or wifi connection to use it, as you do with the Google maps.  I can even program the Navigon in my plane while flying - putting in addresses/POI's, etc, to be used upon landing, saving me time and allowing me to prepare my route and time on the ground.  I assume you can do the same with the Garmin and TomTom apps, but have never used them.

  • Reply 32 of 58
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Tomtom are the best GPS maps in Australia. Navigon not so much.

    Of course, with our wide open spaces with not much in between I would prefer a downloadable version that can get extra features when in range of a cellular tower.
  • Reply 33 of 58
    bagmanbagman Posts: 349member


    Navigon also allows you to get POI information directly from Google, if you are internet connected, and will automatically load it into the app for navigation.  It has POI built in, of course, but this can be somewhat out-of-date, as I have found.  Then again, the Google info has also been found to be out-of-date, so don't really know how often Google updates it.  (not very often, since they don't get any search revenue from this source, which drives everything do).  Navigon probably paid Google a one-time licensing fee, or maybe a little bit for every app purchased - don't know how this works, but there are no ads on the Navigon/Google POI search feature, only addresses and user comments, which are Google's own, although limited compared to their desktop versions of Google search.

  • Reply 34 of 58
    successsuccess Posts: 1,040member


    Google always had old satellite views. Sometimes 3 yrs old. Guess it depends on what satellites they got the data from? Why does that happen? I hope their maps are using new data/images.

  • Reply 35 of 58


    I assume there is a bit of local caching but no true offline navigation? I travel in Europe a lot so even Google's 10 mile cache is redundant. I need the entire country offline.

  • Reply 36 of 58
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member


    TomTom did issue a 27 word press release (shortest in their history probably) confirming Apple is using their maps and associated data, but declines to share anything else about the agreement. With TT earning so little revenue recently it should be pretty easy to make an educated guess on how much Apple is paying after their next financials get released. I also wonder if the agreement with Apple has anything to do with the TT principals, according to a press report, suggesting they might delist their stock and take the company private.

  • Reply 37 of 58
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member


    No street view will make this 'update' a huge downgrade. It's simply an essential feature which I could never do without. Perhaps Google will release a stand alone maps app for iOS to repair the damage Apple have done, but even then it will never be as integrated as it could otherwise have been.  


     


    I suspect the lack of Street View may be so damning as to make people switch to Android.

  • Reply 38 of 58
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post


    Goodbye, Waze.  It isn't you, it's me.  Well, since you insist... I have found another...  We can still be friends...



     


    Waze is cross platform, so will have far better crowd sourced traffic information than an iOS only turn by turn ever could.  Plus Waze has personality and character, which Apple's map app certainly doesn't.

  • Reply 39 of 58
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    ny3ranger wrote: »
    What I hate most about maps is that you have to keep paying to update it. Car nav and dedicated units. Even ios apps. You get the app but then have to keep paying for updated maps. I am hoping apples maps are updated quickly when new roads appear or construction work makes detours for streets, etc. And most likely this is going to be free of charge with the purchase of apple hardware.

    After I bought the maps for my Garmin 550t, I was offered to get a lifetime update when an updated version came out a year later. So no, not all maps are continuos paid versions. Than again, that Garmin device sucks big time so am looking forward to Apples solution.
    @tiger wrote: »
    Will Maps in iOS6 show speedcameras ?

    I remember there was an app for that on the store, but Apple took it off when they found out. So probably not
  • Reply 40 of 58
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    kotatsu wrote: »
    Waze is cross platform, so will have far better crowd sourced traffic information than an iOS only turn by turn ever could.  Plus Waze has personality and character, which Apple's map app certainly doesn't.

    Wow. Maps have 'personality and character'. Apple's doesn't. Who knew!

    Looks like kotatsu the resident troll is back.
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