Yes, I realize that. However, in the app description, it stated "iPad." Personal quibble - it should clearly state "iPad with 2x magnification," or something similar.
I am one of the 10 million downloaders and the app is tucked away on my last page in case Apple Maps or TomTom doesn't seem to be working, or I need to use Street View. I suspect I'll use once every 3 to 6 months.
I just put it in my Navigation folder, with the rest:-
Some people will interpret a lot of downloads to be people having an issue with Apple's Maps but like you and others have said, I'd get it just to have another option in case any of the others had a problem. There's not much reason to turn down good, free apps.
I find it interesting how Apple's designs always seem to be better than the alternatives. The icon sitting there among the others just looks so much nicer. It almost looks exactly the same as the OpenMaps one but the styling on the OpenMaps one doesn't look right. To keep doing that over and over shows they have some of the best designers around (and this was Forstall's app too).
I find it interesting how Apple's designs always seem to be better than the alternatives. The icon sitting there among the others just looks so much nicer. To keep doing that over and over shows they have some of the best designers around (and this was Forstall's app too).
Agreed, but I'm surprised at how few (none) trolls have jumped onto the fact that the icon tells you to crash through a barrier and plummet off an overpass.
We joked about it here when it was first released, but I've seen no one attack it since errors started popping up.
I also am one of the downloaders. After trying it out on two short trips while comparing Apple's App at the same time, but on a different phone, I decided the App needs work and I prefer my Apple Maps App and Navigon. Specifically, it forgets sometimes to tell you to turn. Further, it fails to effectively autocorrect routes on the fly. In addition, it isn't super easy to figure out how to use. Apple's build in maps didn't suffer the same issues. Moreover, I really like telling Siri to give me directions.
In my view the press is raving over the Google Map App, but the praise is over blown. Further, people were downloading the app and giving it 5 stars without even trying it out.
Apple Maps works fine for me in the UK, and I've tested it in London, Leeds, Bristol, and Newport in Wales where I just did an evaluation of Google Maps' walking directions as well.
As usual, it's on the user interactivity front that Google Maps lags behind; after nagging me to 'Turn South!' (instead of 'Turn Left') a few times, GMaps started to recalculate an alternate route without informing me, and sent me down a steep, twisty hillside road with no footpaths and plenty car traffic, turning a 7-minute walk into a 35-minute nightmare. It did however to its credit sense my stress and displayed the 'shake to send feedback' page a few times (stressing me out further by failing to dismiss it on first tap!)
It was my error to start with, but by comparison, in Bristol when Apple Maps detected a wrong driving turn, it just displayed 'RECALCULATING' in large prominent letters so the navigator would realise a mistake had been made, and we quickly got back on track. Very subtle nag there, if you get my drift (pun intended) and see the difference.
Satellite and 3D hybrid views in my Hampshire small town are detailed and pretty in Apple Maps, and with the inclusion of Google Maps as an in-app choice for Transit, Walking and Street View as well as for my ageing 3GS and i4 handsets, I couldn't be happier with Apple Maps right now.
Another high-risk Apple manoeuvre just came up trumps again!
Apple did the entire world at launch. It took Google years to include even half of that. I'd venture that Apple has a lower percentage of inaccuracy than Google Maps.
This article is claiming the error rate for Apple Maps actually is higher than Google Maps. (Apple vs Google error rates: 3.4% vs 1.1% in the US, and 30% vs ~3% in the UK)
Apple Maps works fine for me in the UK, and I've tested it in London, Leeds, Bristol, and Newport in Wales where I just did an evaluation of Google Maps' walking directions as well.
Commenting on the tests of the above article, the author calls Apple Maps "pretty much unusable" in the UK. (Only 50% of the locations returned results, and of the results, a third of them were inaccurate)
Could this be that this is because you are from China and you are used to such information being easily shared with the government? I ask that seriously. I have always been taught to have a healthy distrust of the government. Things might be different where you live. The problem isn't just with Google having the data, but also the government's ability to access the data from Google.
So what are you doing that the government would give a crap about? Silly paranoia. The government can request the exact same data from Apple or any other company offering internet services. And again, what do you have to hide?
I don't know why so many people cling to this question as if it actually implies a meaningful argument.
One of the main purposes of privacy is to prevent abuse. Put that question in a different context, and it becomes glaringly obvious how fallacious it is: Ask a stalking victim, "What do you have to hide?", or a parent who wants to protect their child online, "What do you have to hide?"
Could this be that this is because you are from China and you are used to such information being easily shared with the government? I ask that seriously. I have always been taught to have a healthy distrust of the government. Things might be different where you live. The problem isn't just with Google having the data, but also the government's ability to access the data from Google.
TBell, surely you don't think that Apple, or Microsoft, or Yahoo, or any ISP or telecom you can think of doesn't receive demands from police or government agencies to divulge user information. The difference is none of those will comment on it. At least Google will call attention to it in their bi-annual transparency reports. Take a look thru this:
Try asking Apple or Microsoft how many demands for their users private details or search histories they've received and granted. I'd be willing to wager you'll get no response whatsoever.
Note that just this week yet another secret US government agency was outed, this time by the Wall Street Journal.
Worrying that Google might direct an ad your way for something it appears you're shopping for seems a bit petty in the big picture of things, at least IMO.
I tried out the Google App on a journey where I was already fairly sure where I was going. Feedback;
- when I was diverted due to an accident, I had to drive around randomly until it realised I wasn't going to follow its directions to turn round and go the blocked route.
- when I reached my first destination it insisted "Your destination is on the right" even though it was clearly visible to my *left* .
- when I used it to navigate to my second destination (a large business on an industrial park), it got me to within half a mile or so then stated "You have reached your destination" and shut up, even though I was about two roundabouts short.
I don't know if a hardware satnav would have done any better, but I'll certainly take an A-Z with me as backup for any journey I do with Google where I *don't* already know the answer.
Is Google maps a data drain? Just wondering since it doesn't have the maps pre-downloaded onto the phone like other GPS programs like Garmin and TomTom.
TBell, surely you don't think that Apple, or Microsoft, or Yahoo, or any ISP or telecom you can think of doesn't receive demands from police or government agencies to divulge user information. The difference is none of those will comment on it. At least Google will call attention to it in their bi-annual transparency reports. Take a look thru this:
I am one of them but I deleted it right away once I found out what an ad-filled, evil, PoS it was.
Wow there's ads, that is horrible. Why is the Android version free of them and the iOS not. There is a wonderful program called Adfree for Android, I have yet to see an Ad of any kind with it installed, even on freeware where it is expected. Is there a similar program for iOS. I personally use Nokia Maps.
I am one of them but I deleted it right away once I found out what an ad-filled, evil, PoS it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
Wow there's ads, that is horrible. Why is the Android version free of them and the iOS not. There is a wonderful program called Adfree for Android, I have yet to see an Ad of any kind with it installed, even on freeware where it is expected. Is there a similar program for iOS. I personally use Nokia Maps.
Comments
Yes, I realize that. However, in the app description, it stated "iPad." Personal quibble - it should clearly state "iPad with 2x magnification," or something similar.
Some people will interpret a lot of downloads to be people having an issue with Apple's Maps but like you and others have said, I'd get it just to have another option in case any of the others had a problem. There's not much reason to turn down good, free apps.
I find it interesting how Apple's designs always seem to be better than the alternatives. The icon sitting there among the others just looks so much nicer. It almost looks exactly the same as the OpenMaps one but the styling on the OpenMaps one doesn't look right. To keep doing that over and over shows they have some of the best designers around (and this was Forstall's app too).
Originally Posted by Marvin
I find it interesting how Apple's designs always seem to be better than the alternatives. The icon sitting there among the others just looks so much nicer. To keep doing that over and over shows they have some of the best designers around (and this was Forstall's app too).
Agreed, but I'm surprised at how few (none) trolls have jumped onto the fact that the icon tells you to crash through a barrier and plummet off an overpass.
We joked about it here when it was first released, but I've seen no one attack it since errors started popping up.
Courtesy of an article at 9to5, quick tips for using Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/help/maps/helloworld/iphone/quicktips.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
I also am one of the downloaders. After trying it out on two short trips while comparing Apple's App at the same time, but on a different phone, I decided the App needs work and I prefer my Apple Maps App and Navigon. Specifically, it forgets sometimes to tell you to turn. Further, it fails to effectively autocorrect routes on the fly. In addition, it isn't super easy to figure out how to use. Apple's build in maps didn't suffer the same issues. Moreover, I really like telling Siri to give me directions.
In my view the press is raving over the Google Map App, but the praise is over blown. Further, people were downloading the app and giving it 5 stars without even trying it out.
Apple Maps works fine for me in the UK, and I've tested it in London, Leeds, Bristol, and Newport in Wales where I just did an evaluation of Google Maps' walking directions as well.
As usual, it's on the user interactivity front that Google Maps lags behind; after nagging me to 'Turn South!' (instead of 'Turn Left') a few times, GMaps started to recalculate an alternate route without informing me, and sent me down a steep, twisty hillside road with no footpaths and plenty car traffic, turning a 7-minute walk into a 35-minute nightmare. It did however to its credit sense my stress and displayed the 'shake to send feedback' page a few times (stressing me out further by failing to dismiss it on first tap!)
It was my error to start with, but by comparison, in Bristol when Apple Maps detected a wrong driving turn, it just displayed 'RECALCULATING' in large prominent letters so the navigator would realise a mistake had been made, and we quickly got back on track. Very subtle nag there, if you get my drift (pun intended) and see the difference.
Satellite and 3D hybrid views in my Hampshire small town are detailed and pretty in Apple Maps, and with the inclusion of Google Maps as an in-app choice for Transit, Walking and Street View as well as for my ageing 3GS and i4 handsets, I couldn't be happier with Apple Maps right now.
Another high-risk Apple manoeuvre just came up trumps again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Apple did the entire world at launch. It took Google years to include even half of that. I'd venture that Apple has a lower percentage of inaccuracy than Google Maps.
This article is claiming the error rate for Apple Maps actually is higher than Google Maps. (Apple vs Google error rates: 3.4% vs 1.1% in the US, and 30% vs ~3% in the UK)
http://mashable.com/2012/12/19/apple-maps-google-lost/
Quote:
Originally Posted by airmanchairman
Apple Maps works fine for me in the UK, and I've tested it in London, Leeds, Bristol, and Newport in Wales where I just did an evaluation of Google Maps' walking directions as well.
Commenting on the tests of the above article, the author calls Apple Maps "pretty much unusable" in the UK. (Only 50% of the locations returned results, and of the results, a third of them were inaccurate)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
Could this be that this is because you are from China and you are used to such information being easily shared with the government? I ask that seriously. I have always been taught to have a healthy distrust of the government. Things might be different where you live. The problem isn't just with Google having the data, but also the government's ability to access the data from Google.
So what are you doing that the government would give a crap about? Silly paranoia. The government can request the exact same data from Apple or any other company offering internet services. And again, what do you have to hide?
Quote:
Originally Posted by caliminius
And again, what do you have to hide?
I don't know why so many people cling to this question as if it actually implies a meaningful argument.
One of the main purposes of privacy is to prevent abuse. Put that question in a different context, and it becomes glaringly obvious how fallacious it is: Ask a stalking victim, "What do you have to hide?", or a parent who wants to protect their child online, "What do you have to hide?"
Originally Posted by caliminius
And again, what do you have to hide?
First year ethics tells us this is an invalid question.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
Could this be that this is because you are from China and you are used to such information being easily shared with the government? I ask that seriously. I have always been taught to have a healthy distrust of the government. Things might be different where you live. The problem isn't just with Google having the data, but also the government's ability to access the data from Google.
TBell, surely you don't think that Apple, or Microsoft, or Yahoo, or any ISP or telecom you can think of doesn't receive demands from police or government agencies to divulge user information. The difference is none of those will comment on it. At least Google will call attention to it in their bi-annual transparency reports. Take a look thru this:
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/
These are the kinds of privacy intrusions you should be concerned about.
Who else do you know that will even go to the extent of warning specific users of unauthorized attempted hacking attempts by state-sponsored agencies?
http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2012/06/security-warnings-for-suspected-state.html
Try asking Apple or Microsoft how many demands for their users private details or search histories they've received and granted. I'd be willing to wager you'll get no response whatsoever.
Note that just this week yet another secret US government agency was outed, this time by the Wall Street Journal.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/12/13/national_counterterrorism_center_s_massive_new_surveillance_program_uncovered.html
Worrying that Google might direct an ad your way for something it appears you're shopping for seems a bit petty in the big picture of things, at least IMO.
I tried out the Google App on a journey where I was already fairly sure where I was going. Feedback;
- when I was diverted due to an accident, I had to drive around randomly until it realised I wasn't going to follow its directions to turn round and go the blocked route.
- when I reached my first destination it insisted "Your destination is on the right" even though it was clearly visible to my *left*
- when I used it to navigate to my second destination (a large business on an industrial park), it got me to within half a mile or so then stated "You have reached your destination" and shut up, even though I was about two roundabouts short.
I don't know if a hardware satnav would have done any better, but I'll certainly take an A-Z with me as backup for any journey I do with Google where I *don't* already know the answer.
Is Google maps a data drain? Just wondering since it doesn't have the maps pre-downloaded onto the phone like other GPS programs like Garmin and TomTom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
TBell, surely you don't think that Apple, or Microsoft, or Yahoo, or any ISP or telecom you can think of doesn't receive demands from police or government agencies to divulge user information. The difference is none of those will comment on it. At least Google will call attention to it in their bi-annual transparency reports. Take a look thru this:
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/
These are the kinds of privacy intrusions you should be concerned about.
Google posted another transparency report today and it shows government demands for user data are getting worse.
http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/
68% of the government requests were subpoenas under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and required no judicial involvement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
I am one of them but I deleted it right away once I found out what an ad-filled, evil, PoS it was.
Wow there's ads, that is horrible. Why is the Android version free of them and the iOS not. There is a wonderful program called Adfree for Android, I have yet to see an Ad of any kind with it installed, even on freeware where it is expected. Is there a similar program for iOS. I personally use Nokia Maps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
I am one of them but I deleted it right away once I found out what an ad-filled, evil, PoS it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
Wow there's ads, that is horrible. Why is the Android version free of them and the iOS not. There is a wonderful program called Adfree for Android, I have yet to see an Ad of any kind with it installed, even on freeware where it is expected. Is there a similar program for iOS. I personally use Nokia Maps.
LOL