Apple Maps may be the best mapping app on a mobile, just as the Space Shuttle is the fastest reusable vehicle, but without largely accurate and reliable data, Apple Maps on the phone is as functional and ornamental as a Space Shuttle sitting without fuel in a museum.
Living in London UK, it is deeply disappointing that several months on, Apple hasn't even bothered to correct the glaring mistake of placing the current University College Hospital, with its Accident and Emergency department, in the centre of the University College London campus.
This is despite the fact that:
a) it is correctly shown on the web map used for the Find My iPhone service for iCloud
a) there has never been a hospital facility at the labelled site or address.
b) the current hospital has been at its site for the past five years.
c) Apple itself has in the past given demonstrations of there equipment at the University itself, so even the staff at Apple UK should know this is clearly mislabelled.
It is just one of numerous inaccuracies within the Apple Map.
I would have thought correcting a relatively simple error featuring a hospital with emergency services would be a high priority.
It seems the staff at Apple UK and the numerous Apple Stores within London, two of which are within 20min drive of said error, have at best, no influence upon Apple HQ, or at worst, no interest, in correcting these errors.
As it stands for travelling in London, yes, Apple Maps is pretty to look at and usable if you wish to go from one road to another;
Anybody who wishes to travel in London from one location to another accurately is better off using Google Maps or other alternatives.
1) It isn't that funny. I rarely find that Google Maps fails, and Apple Maps fails epically.
2) You seem to "know" about China what you won't accept about Europe. Apple is definitely better in China and there are no equivocations. Google can't be considered better in Europe because thats all anecdotal.
Not at all.
They both provide mapping services in Europe, so if you think one is worse, you need to provide evidence.
As for the 10,000 data points, I obviously can't do that. If I could look at 10,000 randomly chosen spots on Google Maps and then on Apple Maps, and tell which is accurate, I would be earning a million a year at either company as the Great Map Memory guy. I had previously suggested a website where people posted their impressions, but suggested that I didn't think I would expend the effort to impress "random guy called Jragosta" on the internet. At any rate, you would certainly dismiss this as a "lot of anecdotal evidence" ( I quote), as people complaining about Apple Maps are telling anecdotes, but people complaining about google maps are providing data ( on that note you get more search results for Google Maps failures because it is on all desktops, tablets and devices).
Lets agree this; every person dis-satisfied with Apple Maps is an iPhone user. Not "fan boys" but fans, consumers. They can't all be google shrills. There must be some truth to this, conspiracies be-damned.
Wrong. Some of the people whining about Apple Maps don't even own iDevices. Your claim that every complaint comes from iPhone users is clearly false - just like the rest of your claims.
Lastly, I don't feel I have to "stop pretending that there aren't failures with Google Maps." since I never did pretend anything about Goggle Maps. I didn't mention Google maps in my posts. Thats a straw man you want to fight but do so on your own.
You keep claiming that Apple Maps is terrible. That begs the question - terrible compared to what?
We're back to your making unfounded claims without evidence and without even considering whether they're better than the alternatives or not. If you claim you're not even considering Google Maps, then your claims are even more ridiculous.
If UPS is going to continue to sell it's daily route data exclusively to Nokia, then perhaps Apple should shift 100% of it 's shipping & deliveries to FedEx.
That UPS data would go a long way toward improving Maps.
This thread is hilarious to read. All the fanbois folding their arms and insisting, despite even Tim Cook telling them, that Apple Maps is the BEST... Pass the popcorn.
Lol. I thought maps was off-topic until 2015. Surprised news articles are being posted about it.
Wrong. Some of the people whining about Apple Maps don't even own iDevices. Your claim that every complaint comes from iPhone users is clearly false - just like the rest of your claims.
You keep claiming that Apple Maps is terrible. That begs the question - terrible compared to what?
We're back to your making unfounded claims without evidence and without even considering whether they're better than the alternatives or not. If you claim you're not even considering Google Maps, then your claims are even more ridiculous.
As I said the only evidence I could possibly collect wouldn't convince you. the "anecdotal" evidence I have is that it doesn't work well for me, or anybody I know and I work across numbers cities in Ireland and the UK. They can't be all liars, even if they don't manage to meet the standards of data needed by random guy on the internet; and given the CEO of the company suggesting his clients use other software doesn't convince you either of the failure of Apple Maps, I don't think much else will.
Good for Apple in China. Apple Maps are better in China. I don't care.
Some of the people who complain about Apple Maps may not own devices, all the people I know do.
I didn't say I wasn't considering Google Maps, I was responding to the straw man argument that I ( and others) claim it is perfect. Until then I hadn't mentioned GOogle.
But I will now: , for me and everybody I know who has a iDevice in the UK and/or Ireland Google Maps are functional - not perfect - and Apple Maps are useless ( in terms of data) and not getting better. I believe the field outside Dublin called airfield, is still designated as an airport. For instance. I am glad it works in your neck of the woods, it doesn't here. Its a big big big world.
As I said the only evidence I could possibly collect wouldn't convince you. the "anecdotal" evidence I have is that it doesn't work well for me, or anybody I know and I work across numbers cities in Ireland and the UK. They can't be all liars, even if they don't manage to meet the standards of data needed by random guy on the internet; and given the CEO of the company suggesting his clients use other software doesn't convince you either of the failure of Apple Maps, I don't think much else will.
Good for Apple in China. Apple Maps are better in China. I don't care.
Some of the people who complain about Apple Maps may not own devices, all the people I know do.
I didn't say I wasn't considering Google Maps, I was responding to the straw man argument that I ( and others) claim it is perfect. Until then I hadn't mentioned GOogle.
But I will now: , for me and everybody I know who has a iDevice in the UK and/or Ireland Google Maps are functional - not perfect - and Apple Maps are useless ( in terms of data) and not getting better. I believe the field outside Dublin called airfield, is still designated as an airport. For instance. I am glad it works in your neck of the woods, it doesn't here. Its a big big big world.
So your argument boils down to:
"I don't have any real facts and don't care about the facts. All I care about is that the world revolves around me and my friends and no one else matters".
jragosta, your blind defence of this company disgusts me. I love Apple, but they're extremely far from perfect. My experience with Apple Maps has been disgraceful and I'm thankful for Google having made their maps application available.
jragosta, your blind defence of this company disgusts me. I love Apple, but they're extremely far from perfect. My experience with Apple Maps has been disgraceful and I'm thankful for Google having made their maps application available.
His logic is sound because there is no reasonable way to test which one is ultimately better or worse. We can run tests that will determine a winner or loser but will those tests be bias? Will those tests be a representative sample the entire world'd addresses and PoI's? By what criteria do we measure turn by turn directions? For example, the ideal time before a turn that you are informed. What about app crashes, cluttered UI, features, etc.
Just look at web browsers. Is Safari better than Chrome on the Mac or vice versa? I prefer Safari and Apple has tests showing that Safari is faster, but others prefer Chrome and Google has tests showing Chrome is faster? In that sense I wholeheartedly agree that we don't know which is better because we can't even do a decent test like we can with a browser.
That said, I believe Google Maps is better in their accuracy simply by virtue of the fact they've had a lot longer to perfect it, I've read their Street View car images have GPS coordinates which their employees can use to more accurately and more quickly make changes, and they are putting in more than $1 billion a year into the service. Now do any of those add up to proof it's better? Of course not, but my educated guess is that it is… but it's still just a guess.
Comments
Apple Maps may be the best mapping app on a mobile, just as the Space Shuttle is the fastest reusable vehicle, but without largely accurate and reliable data, Apple Maps on the phone is as functional and ornamental as a Space Shuttle sitting without fuel in a museum.
Living in London UK, it is deeply disappointing that several months on, Apple hasn't even bothered to correct the glaring mistake of placing the current University College Hospital, with its Accident and Emergency department, in the centre of the University College London campus.
This is despite the fact that:
a) it is correctly shown on the web map used for the Find My iPhone service for iCloud
a) there has never been a hospital facility at the labelled site or address.
b) the current hospital has been at its site for the past five years.
c) Apple itself has in the past given demonstrations of there equipment at the University itself, so even the staff at Apple UK should know this is clearly mislabelled.
It is just one of numerous inaccuracies within the Apple Map.
I would have thought correcting a relatively simple error featuring a hospital with emergency services would be a high priority.
It seems the staff at Apple UK and the numerous Apple Stores within London, two of which are within 20min drive of said error, have at best, no influence upon Apple HQ, or at worst, no interest, in correcting these errors.
As it stands for travelling in London, yes, Apple Maps is pretty to look at and usable if you wish to go from one road to another;
Anybody who wishes to travel in London from one location to another accurately is better off using Google Maps or other alternatives.
A question to all those denying that Apple Maps has a problem with reliable data:
Why, at least for London, is the map used for iCloud's Find My iPhone web page much more accurate than the one for iOS?
Not at all.
They both provide mapping services in Europe, so if you think one is worse, you need to provide evidence.
In China, Google doesn't provide mapping services at all, so Apple's Maps is clearly better:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/02/02/China-considers-Google-Maps-request/UPI-56811328221971/
IOW, you don't have any facts to back your claim.
Wrong. Some of the people whining about Apple Maps don't even own iDevices. Your claim that every complaint comes from iPhone users is clearly false - just like the rest of your claims.
You keep claiming that Apple Maps is terrible. That begs the question - terrible compared to what?
We're back to your making unfounded claims without evidence and without even considering whether they're better than the alternatives or not. If you claim you're not even considering Google Maps, then your claims are even more ridiculous.
That UPS data would go a long way toward improving Maps.
Lol. I thought maps was off-topic until 2015. Surprised news articles are being posted about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Not at all.
They both provide mapping services in Europe, so if you think one is worse, you need to provide evidence.
In China, Google doesn't provide mapping services at all, so Apple's Maps is clearly better:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/02/02/China-considers-Google-Maps-request/UPI-56811328221971/
IOW, you don't have any facts to back your claim.
Wrong. Some of the people whining about Apple Maps don't even own iDevices. Your claim that every complaint comes from iPhone users is clearly false - just like the rest of your claims.
You keep claiming that Apple Maps is terrible. That begs the question - terrible compared to what?
We're back to your making unfounded claims without evidence and without even considering whether they're better than the alternatives or not. If you claim you're not even considering Google Maps, then your claims are even more ridiculous.
As I said the only evidence I could possibly collect wouldn't convince you. the "anecdotal" evidence I have is that it doesn't work well for me, or anybody I know and I work across numbers cities in Ireland and the UK. They can't be all liars, even if they don't manage to meet the standards of data needed by random guy on the internet; and given the CEO of the company suggesting his clients use other software doesn't convince you either of the failure of Apple Maps, I don't think much else will.
Good for Apple in China. Apple Maps are better in China. I don't care.
Some of the people who complain about Apple Maps may not own devices, all the people I know do.
I didn't say I wasn't considering Google Maps, I was responding to the straw man argument that I ( and others) claim it is perfect. Until then I hadn't mentioned GOogle.
But I will now: , for me and everybody I know who has a iDevice in the UK and/or Ireland Google Maps are functional - not perfect - and Apple Maps are useless ( in terms of data) and not getting better. I believe the field outside Dublin called airfield, is still designated as an airport. For instance. I am glad it works in your neck of the woods, it doesn't here. Its a big big big world.
So your argument boils down to:
"I don't have any real facts and don't care about the facts. All I care about is that the world revolves around me and my friends and no one else matters".
To paraphrase Steve Jobs: "Google Maps doesn't have to lose for Apple Maps to win!"
His logic is sound because there is no reasonable way to test which one is ultimately better or worse. We can run tests that will determine a winner or loser but will those tests be bias? Will those tests be a representative sample the entire world'd addresses and PoI's? By what criteria do we measure turn by turn directions? For example, the ideal time before a turn that you are informed. What about app crashes, cluttered UI, features, etc.
Just look at web browsers. Is Safari better than Chrome on the Mac or vice versa? I prefer Safari and Apple has tests showing that Safari is faster, but others prefer Chrome and Google has tests showing Chrome is faster? In that sense I wholeheartedly agree that we don't know which is better because we can't even do a decent test like we can with a browser.
That said, I believe Google Maps is better in their accuracy simply by virtue of the fact they've had a lot longer to perfect it, I've read their Street View car images have GPS coordinates which their employees can use to more accurately and more quickly make changes, and they are putting in more than $1 billion a year into the service. Now do any of those add up to proof it's better? Of course not, but my educated guess is that it is… but it's still just a guess.
Because it uses GoogleMaps¿