Both Apple and Google, in my experience, have their failings. One time I was trying to find my daughter's office. Google Maps had me walk around a park and stop at a bus stop. That was her office? Apple maps was spot on. Another time was finding auto repair in town. Apple was far and away more accurate (up to date, that is).
However, there are other times when Google is a lot better. Google "guesses" your search, just like their regular search, and generally find what you are looking for. Apple maps, as the technology has been described, takes a different approach: it's more fine tuned on "accuracy". In other words, if you don't have the term exactly as they have it listed, the results will be way off.
With that said, I prefer google to "guess" what I'm typing, because if I use Apple maps, I have to generally know the term exactly. A good example is if I type "DOL" (Dept of Licensing). Google Maps will guess I mean Dept of Licensing and show me all of the state offices in the area and hours of operation and all that good stuff. On Apple Maps (and I just typed this again just now), if I type DOL, it gives me the chamber of commerce for a city 50 miles away. DOL has nothing to do with this title of the chamber of commerce.
So, it's a hard call. Sometimes you have to use both map services as described above. But overall Google is a mapping company and is far ahead. I like the alternative routes for google maps. I like that I can map bike routes on bike trails. Apple leads me to taking dangerous highway routes.
I have a background in mapping. Mapping is not easy. That's an understatement if there ever was one. And keeping the information accurate and up to date is a lot of work. Now Apple is mapping into China. Well, they have their work cut out for them.
It's understandable Steve was angry with Google. That Apple didnt' want to pay Google for maps. That they didn't want to cede customer search information. However, they should have just let Google have the business. Google is just zooming ahead. I love the Waze integration into Google Maps. SO HANDY for accidents and such.
Let's put it this way, at the end of the day, I find Apple maps to be frustrating. Overall. Google just does a better job and I don't feel frustrated. If I don't feel that Google has given me the correct information (as described in two instances above), I will then go to Apple Maps. And let's not forget transit information, which I use A LOT. Like daily. And bike and walking routes. And alternative ways to travel. And street view...
they need to work more on maps itself i use it all day and it gets old fast when maps asks you which port you want port Newark port of authority when you asked for port washington new york . verbal requests for city and state are often ignored completely with auto substitutions of streets 5 or 6 states away and a simple preference for those of us in commercial vehicles that does not route us on restricted parkways would be nice . at this point google maps kicks maps butt because it hardly ever misses an address (my loyalty always try maps first . dumping more information into the wrong map just will make it as bad as mr ives aversion to back buttons.
google appreciates your patronage and your bad disdain for mr ives hey did u know google also makes phones yeah it has google maps and you'll never have to look at apple doomed maps again and then you can just let google know which port you mean because google remembers every place you've ever been because they're tracking you and they even know you don't . ever use restricted parkways so they avoid those and wow have you heard of the search bubble its really awesome because you'll never . have to live outside your routine ever ever again ever just sign in to google to begin the tracking
precicely why i don't "sign in" to google ever they are my dead last resort just because i don't want to feed big brother (even my facebook is a pseudonym) as it has been since my first forage on line in 1995 i think its inexcusable for maps to ignore information you feed in like a town or state and give up a street address 56 hours drive away . but thats just me!
You "never use" Apple maps, yet you "know" it's shit. Gotcha.
I guess I have some magical version of Apple maps that gets me the correct info 98% of the time. Yes, Google maps is still better- but Google has invested 15 yrs and millions of hours of manpower into the product. There is no magic involved. Apple maps will get there, and it's already seen massive improvements since launch, but you're utterly childish in suggesting that Apple can just "throw a billion" at it and everything will be perfect. Also, I'm pretty damned sure they've spent way more on that already, all things considered (Initial development, acquisition of mapping companies, agreements with data providers, 3D flyover, wages for the employees working on the project, etc etc).
And yet, you should agree that their progress is far too slow. For example, we see they have added FlyOver for a dozen of cities every few months. With this rate, its imposible to build a quality database in the next couple of years. I've reported missleading or incorrect data multiple time in the past months and even years. Im yet to see a response or correction from Apple part. I still see images from landscape that is a decade old at least. Also they are pleantly of missing roads in my city which are correctly displayed on google maps and even on my Garmin GPS but do not exist for Apple Maps. However, I live in Spain and as we know, for Apple we are not a big priority in terms of implementing new services (Apple Pay, iRadio, etc.) or launching new products (hey Apple Watch) so maybe the situation in the US is different.
You are falling into the anthropomorphic trap. Computers can parse input a wee bit faster than the wife. Try talking the way the guy / gal you replied to writes, it might work better.
Excellent point.
However, it has always been Apple's hallmark to build stuff that works the way I do, not to force me to work the way computers do.
To get a 3D Flyover tour of Modesto ... or was it Bakersfield :???:
OTOH, Here's Ronda. Spain -- The oldest bullfight ring in Europe ,,, Getting across the bridge or taking a swim is a little dicey ...
LOL
We are off to on a multi country European trip later this year (just for my American wife's sake, I'd rather see more of the USA!) and I was researching using my Mac of course. I have to say in all these map discussions I see over and over Google's wee man on the street feature being dissed by Apple fans (and you all know I am one). I have to say selecting a hotel in Venice for example is far nicer when you can walk around the area and see on the ground as Google maps allows. I know there are restaurants that look very nice right next door, a bridge over the Grand Canal right there close to the hotel and so on and I really know what the look like (as opposed to reading a label linked to a web site). I truly find it a phenomenal tool (hear that gatorguy?). I was able to do the same in every place we are going and actually 'being there' on the ground makes for such a better mental experience to me. Sure Flying over and ariel views are great too but I find when I get there, having already seen the street views I feel like I already know my way around a place. My point is, this is another Google thing Apple should rip off IMHO and do even better. The other of course, is search.
Comments
Both Apple and Google, in my experience, have their failings. One time I was trying to find my daughter's office. Google Maps had me walk around a park and stop at a bus stop. That was her office? Apple maps was spot on. Another time was finding auto repair in town. Apple was far and away more accurate (up to date, that is).
However, there are other times when Google is a lot better. Google "guesses" your search, just like their regular search, and generally find what you are looking for. Apple maps, as the technology has been described, takes a different approach: it's more fine tuned on "accuracy". In other words, if you don't have the term exactly as they have it listed, the results will be way off.
With that said, I prefer google to "guess" what I'm typing, because if I use Apple maps, I have to generally know the term exactly. A good example is if I type "DOL" (Dept of Licensing). Google Maps will guess I mean Dept of Licensing and show me all of the state offices in the area and hours of operation and all that good stuff. On Apple Maps (and I just typed this again just now), if I type DOL, it gives me the chamber of commerce for a city 50 miles away. DOL has nothing to do with this title of the chamber of commerce.
So, it's a hard call. Sometimes you have to use both map services as described above. But overall Google is a mapping company and is far ahead. I like the alternative routes for google maps. I like that I can map bike routes on bike trails. Apple leads me to taking dangerous highway routes.
I have a background in mapping. Mapping is not easy. That's an understatement if there ever was one. And keeping the information accurate and up to date is a lot of work. Now Apple is mapping into China. Well, they have their work cut out for them.
It's understandable Steve was angry with Google. That Apple didnt' want to pay Google for maps. That they didn't want to cede customer search information. However, they should have just let Google have the business. Google is just zooming ahead. I love the Waze integration into Google Maps. SO HANDY for accidents and such.
Let's put it this way, at the end of the day, I find Apple maps to be frustrating. Overall. Google just does a better job and I don't feel frustrated. If I don't feel that Google has given me the correct information (as described in two instances above), I will then go to Apple Maps. And let's not forget transit information, which I use A LOT. Like daily. And bike and walking routes. And alternative ways to travel. And street view...
they need to work more on maps itself i use it all day and it gets old fast when maps asks you which port you want port Newark port of authority when you asked for port washington new york . verbal requests for city and state are often ignored completely with auto substitutions of streets 5 or 6 states away and a simple preference for those of us in commercial vehicles that does not route us on restricted parkways would be nice . at this point google maps kicks maps butt because it hardly ever misses an address (my loyalty always try maps first . dumping more information into the wrong map just will make it as bad as mr ives aversion to back buttons.
google appreciates your patronage and your bad disdain for mr ives hey did u know google also makes phones yeah it has google maps and you'll never have to look at apple doomed maps again and then you can just let google know which port you mean because google remembers every place you've ever been because they're tracking you and they even know you don't . ever use restricted parkways so they avoid those and wow have you heard of the search bubble its really awesome because you'll never . have to live outside your routine ever ever again ever just sign in to google to begin the tracking
precicely why i don't "sign in" to google ever they are my dead last resort just because i don't want to feed big brother (even my facebook is a pseudonym) as it has been since my first forage on line in 1995 i think its inexcusable for maps to ignore information you feed in like a town or state and give up a street address 56 hours drive away . but thats just me!
You "never use" Apple maps, yet you "know" it's shit. Gotcha.
I guess I have some magical version of Apple maps that gets me the correct info 98% of the time. Yes, Google maps is still better- but Google has invested 15 yrs and millions of hours of manpower into the product. There is no magic involved. Apple maps will get there, and it's already seen massive improvements since launch, but you're utterly childish in suggesting that Apple can just "throw a billion" at it and everything will be perfect. Also, I'm pretty damned sure they've spent way more on that already, all things considered (Initial development, acquisition of mapping companies, agreements with data providers, 3D flyover, wages for the employees working on the project, etc etc).
And yet, you should agree that their progress is far too slow. For example, we see they have added FlyOver for a dozen of cities every few months. With this rate, its imposible to build a quality database in the next couple of years. I've reported missleading or incorrect data multiple time in the past months and even years. Im yet to see a response or correction from Apple part. I still see images from landscape that is a decade old at least. Also they are pleantly of missing roads in my city which are correctly displayed on google maps and even on my Garmin GPS but do not exist for Apple Maps. However, I live in Spain and as we know, for Apple we are not a big priority in terms of implementing new services (Apple Pay, iRadio, etc.) or launching new products (hey Apple Watch) so maybe the situation in the US is different.
You are falling into the anthropomorphic trap. Computers can parse input a wee bit faster than the wife.
Excellent point.
However, it has always been Apple's hallmark to build stuff that works the way I do, not to force me to work the way computers do.
Agree on both Street View and Search!
Enjoy, best to SWMBO!