Google announces acquisition of mapping & traffic service Waze

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  • Reply 121 of 130
    ash471ash471 Posts: 705member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wakefinance View Post





    According to the people on this site, anything that isn't first to market in any category is a copy. If Google was first to market in mobile mapping then Apple copied Google. If it was Nokia then that was who Apple copied.


    What really happened was Apple partnered with Google and the partnership created good maps.  It was all the data from the iPhone users that made Google Maps great. Maps on the desktop didn't allow Google to track the person following the directions.  When Apple let Google put their maps on the iPhone and collect data, it changed everything.  Everyone is forgetting how shitty Google Maps was 10 years ago.  We liked it because it was the best we could get, but it wasn't anywhere near the quality Apple and Google Maps are today.


     


    And then the bastards at Google wouldn't give Apple users turn by turn instructions.  Apple and its users had every right to be pissed as hell. 

  • Reply 122 of 130
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,587member
    ash471 wrote: »
    What really happened was Apple partnered with Google and the partnership created good maps.  It was all the data from the iPhone users that made Google Maps great. Maps on the desktop didn't allow Google to track the person following the directions.  When Apple let Google put their maps on the iPhone and collect data, it changed everything.  Everyone is forgetting how shitty Google Maps was 10 years ago.  We liked it because it was the best we could get, but it wasn't anywhere near the quality Apple and Google Maps are today.

    And then the bastards at Google wouldn't give Apple users turn by turn instructions.  Apple and its users had every right to be pissed as hell. 

    Since you're relying on rumor then Apple should have allowed it to be branded as a Google product since the word was that Apple not agreeing was part of the problem along with sharing data gathered from it's use. As far as that user data goes, heck Apple's tracking their users and gathering it anyway and it's only going to get more obvious. Apple wouldn't have dumped Google to "protect Apple users from evil data mining".

    So it was more brinkmanship than anything IMO. Google lost. Or they won. Or it's a wash. Who knows yet. The only thing obvious is that they aren't buds anymore and as usual in business it's more about the money than anything else.

    Of course it was probably going to happen at some point anyway. Apple isn't known for long partnerships IMO. With Apple beginning their own map development with the purchase of Placebase and the formation of their "Geo Team" about 5 years ago the writing was already on the wall. The only real question was how soon was Google Maps being replaced not if.
  • Reply 123 of 130
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    chabig wrote: »
    He is serious. Apple introduced vector maps and 3D flyovers. A year later, Google introduced vector maps and airborne flyovers...

    Google Maps beta looks almost exactly like Apple Maps. The two are so similar that a Samsung lawyer probably couldn't discern the difference from a few feet away. :smokey:
  • Reply 124 of 130
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,587member
    Google Maps beta looks almost exactly like Apple Maps. The two are so similar that a Samsung lawyer probably couldn't discern the difference from a few feet away. :smokey:

    Just as I said in another thread. IMHO Google, Apple and Microsoft's markets and interfaces will all be more alike than different eventually.
  • Reply 125 of 130
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    ash471 wrote: »
    And then the bastards at Google wouldn't give Apple users turn by turn instructions.  Apple and its users had every right to be pissed as hell. 

    Do you have any proof of that, or is it something you want to conveniently believe?
  • Reply 126 of 130
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    jungmark wrote: »
    Why wouldn't Apple want that? Google probably demanded more user data and more ads space in the app.

    If you ask for more you must give more. Business 101
  • Reply 127 of 130
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Google Maps beta looks almost exactly like Apple Maps. The two are so similar that a Samsung lawyer probably couldn't discern the difference from a few feet away. :smokey:

    Yea streets with nameso, some are straight and others have twists and turns.
  • Reply 128 of 130
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    woochifer wrote: »
    Oh well, another independent community assimilated by the Borg mothership.  I've used Waze off and on, and never thought much of it one way or another.  If anything, Google's traffic data is good for the most part (with occasional inaccurate data), but it looks like they're trying to bump up the accuracy (and of course, gather a new group of users to track). 

    While I like Apple Maps' directions and basic functionality (the vector maps scale much better than the tiled maps), the traffic data is one glaring weakness compared to Google Maps.  While it's accurate, there's just no granularity to the information that the Maps app displays.  It will display a red line for gridlocked conditions and warning signs for construction and accidents, but nothing to show slowing conditions or other less-than-optimal traffic flow.  Google Maps does go to the opposite extreme by showing yellow and red lines everywhere for free flowing local streets that just happened to have low speed limits and a lot of intersections.  Neither solution is ideal, so I just stick with drive-time estimates from 511.org. 

     

    Actually, Apple Maps does provide granularity.

    Apple Maps has red dash lines for seriously congested traffic
    Apple Maps has orange dotted lines for moderately congested traffic
    Apple Maps has indicators for closed ramps
    Apple Maps has indicators for construction

    Most importantly, Apple Maps apparently makes much better use of traffic data for directions than Google Maps or Waze!
  • Reply 129 of 130
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,587member

    I thought TomTom said Apple is using their traffic flow data. Note too that Waze is reported to sell some traffic data to Apple as well.
  • Reply 130 of 130
    Everyone delete your data before Google absorbs it! They are data mining everything!
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