Could a Mapping app be one of the 10.5 features??
It appears that this is one weak spot for the Mac, not having a built in mapping feature. One that a person could plug in a GPS and track their progress on a map. And most if not all of the map programs that cover things like live traffic updates, and route selections, along with cool places to stop, are not working on the Mac. The problem with those programs is that their information is on DVD/CD, so every year you have to update your DVD/CD or you could fall behind. It would be great if Apple could build an app like this that would use Google Maps, so everything stays updated, and you can also get the cool 3D views of terrain and position. I don't know if Google features live traffic reports, or if they were ever going to. Any thoughts? What will Apples Mapping program look like?
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Anyway it sounds like what you are looking for is Google Earth Pro.
No. That is not part of an operating system. And a waste of resources. That is what ArcGIS, MapSource, and Pathfinder Office are for. Of course those are Windows only. Sorry, Macs don't do mapping. Which sucks. There are some tiny GPS apps. No real GIS. That's why I'm getting a MacBook--so I can run ArcGIS in Parallels.
Anyway it sounds like what you are looking for is Google Earth Pro.
I'm saying "part of an operating system" like Mail.app, and Calendar.app are. Map.app would be a sorely missing app for the Mac.
- Mapping
- CAD
These are some of the big holes in the Mac software area. Apple should have just written these things and be done with it, or coughed up some money to Dragon or AutoCad. It would have been a worthwhile investment. What could it cost - a couple million each?
David Pogue likes Macs, but he dictates all of his books into Dragon Naturally Speaking on Windows. Because there is nothing on the Mac. MacSpeech blows.
- Dictation apps - speech recognition
- Mapping
- CAD
These are some of the big holes in the Mac software area. Apple should have just written these things and be done with it, or coughed up some money to Dragon or AutoCad. It would have been a worthwhile investment. What could it cost - a couple million each?
David Pogue likes Macs, but he dictates all of his books into Dragon Naturally Speaking on Windows. Because there is nothing on the Mac. MacSpeech blows.
I know that speech is there for access reasons, so of course it would be good for Apple to improve this.
Mapping is lacking
CAD, actually I am surprised that the Mac does not have a drawing program, with its roots and all. A nice drawing program integrated with textedit or iWork even. This was previewed when they were talking about all of the things that would be included with OSX 10.0. So CAD would be an extension of a drawing or text program, but would also be a nice touch to add to the Mac experiance. I believe that Steve demoed this drawing program, by drawing directions to a party, that would be included in an e-mail as an attachment.
No. AutoCAD and ArcGIS were not written in a weekend. CAD and GIS are a little more than the extension of a drawing program. Mapping is lacking...ArcGIS is big. Big. It is not on Macs because no one uses them. 5% market share is 5% market share. Get over it. Get Parallels. Move on.
Yeah, Apple should make in-house versions of AutoCAD and ArcGIS. And MS Office. And Internet Explorer. And Windows.
No. AutoCAD and ArcGIS were not written in a weekend. CAD and GIS are a little more than the extension of a drawing program. Mapping is lacking...ArcGIS is big. Big. It is not on Macs because no one uses them. 5% market share is 5% market share. Get over it. Get Parallels. Move on.
Don't think so, a drawing app is lacking, but is on windows.
AutoCAD and ArcGIS, hey you keep hoping. I just checked ArcGIS is $18,000, nice call there. I guess if you can't anything meaningful to a conversation...
MS Office, and Internet Explorer, glad you mentioned that and called yourself out, TROLL.
Move On...
So I get what you are saying, for what is on the Mac, that is what is on the Mac, 5%==5%. Apple should not waste money and effort making any more apps. I doubt if many would agree with you. Your solution to missing Mac apps is Windows, that is what you have just said.
....
I on the other hand think that there is room to improve an already great experience, and unlike you that solution does not involve Windows. Apple should add a Mapping app, it is needed and will be needed more in the future. MS already has a mapping solution for Windows along with many others. But that is missing on the Mac, but will become a more common feature that is expected to be bundled with an OS, but it will be a seperate app, you understand, not part of the OS, a seperate app, like mail, calendar, iChat, text edit, Safari, etc.
Aquatic may have been over the top, but he makes a very important point. For Apple to take on the job of filling every perceived hole in the universe of available applications, it would have to devote considerable resources to the task. There is an entire company devoted to developing the Windows version of AutoCAD. The applications that make up the Office:mac bundle can support several software companies. If Apple were to divert its resources from developing the most reliable and innovative hardware and OS to these other apps, it would walk a path that it should not walk again.
The apps that Apple bundles with MacOS X and its CPUs make its computers useful out of the box. They do not bar entry of developers who want to provide more capable applications. This is a balance that Apple has had to strike since 1984 when it released the original Macintosh. Developers complained that the MacWrite/MacPaint bundled with the original Mac placed Apple in competition with possible third-party developers of similar applications.
Rather than stamp your feet for Apple to give you everything, search the VersionTracker.com and MacUpdate.com sites for applications which will satisfy your needs. You may be surprised at what you find. Allow Apple to do what Apple does best. In the end, we all win.
CAD, actually I am surprised that the Mac does not have a drawing program, with its roots and all. A nice drawing program integrated with textedit or iWork even. This was previewed when they were talking about all of the things that would be included with OSX 10.0. So CAD would be an extension of a drawing or text program, but would also be a nice touch to add to the Mac experiance. I believe that Steve demoed this drawing program, by drawing directions to a party, that would be included in an e-mail as an attachment.
Your post is like manna from heaven. Apple is sorely lacking in the serious CAD department. Entertainment software is cool and all, but you are 100% correct... CAD compatibility and core integration would be fantastic.
Aquatic may have been over the top, but he makes a very important point. For Apple to take on the job of filling every perceived hole in the universe of available applications, it would have to devote considerable resources to the task. There is an entire company devoted to developing the Windows version of AutoCAD. The applications that make up the Office:mac bundle can support several software companies. If Apple were to divert its resources from developing the most reliable and innovative hardware and OS to these other apps, it would walk a path that it should not walk again.
The apps that Apple bundles with MacOS X and its CPUs make its computers useful out of the box. They do not bar entry of developers who want to provide more capable applications. This is a balance that Apple has had to strike since 1984 when it released the original Macintosh. Developers complained that the MacWrite/MacPaint bundled with the original Mac placed Apple in competition with possible third-party developers of similar applications.
Rather than stamp your feet for Apple to give you everything, search the VersionTracker.com and MacUpdate.com sites for applications which will satisfy your needs. You may be surprised at what you find. Allow Apple to do what Apple does best. In the end, we all win.
Ummm... So where does the above mentioned apps fall? I am not asking for everything, just maps. It was Steve Jobs that talked about a draw program for OSX, if you have problems with that talk to Steve. All I am talking about is Maps, however a good argument could be made for a good drawing app to ship with the Mac. No one is suggesting going through version tracker, that is too silly to really discuss. One could debate that some of the apps that Apple ships with the Mac are useful to some of the buyers, but not all. Some would be appealing to some while some would be appealing to others. Apple Maps could just as easily fall into that catagory of appealing to some but not all, like text edit, or terminal, or etc.
Your post is like manna from heaven. Apple is sorely lacking in the serious CAD department. Entertainment software is cool and all, but you are 100% correct... CAD compatibility and core integration would be fantastic.
Aparently there is great interest in CAD, which is the top of drawing, and would be good for the Mac. Maybe an early step is to create a drawing program, then progress to CAD if there is the interest. My guess is that we will forever need to rely on third parties for this, but Autodesk AutoCAD for Mac OSX would be more than an Apple solution since they are the gold standard. So that would be better for a third party to implement. There was talk of Garmin doing Mapping on the Mac, I would like to see that but some how integrated with Google Maps. But I won't argue that a Garmin solution would be good enough for me. Mapping is just another feature that will be expected, as more and more laptops take over the market, people will be forever traveling, across town, across country with their laptops and will want and need access to Maps. If it were always going to be a desktop world then it would be silly, but in a mobile laptop world Maps and directions are wanted and needed. So that would also make the Macbook and the Macbook Pro more useful out of the box.
I mean, when is the last time you used Sherlock? There you go. Check out the hybrid mode on Google Maps, or Google Earth Pro, those two should be what you're looking for in maps. And there are shareware GPS apps for the Mac. As for drawing...I'm not sure what you mean. Aren't there TONS of drawing programs? check www.versiontracker.com
Brendon...this is what shareware is for. Small, useful apps. Apple can't write every app. As it is, nearly everything in my dock is from Apple. I'm not sure if that's good or not, as I've often said. It is what it is. But they can't write everything, that's all I'm saying. Even a small app like Maps would IMHO be a waste of resources. Let alone attempting to port AutoCAD or ArcGIS, which are practically platforms unto themselves, sort of like Office. They're huge. It's tragic they aren't on the Mac but Parellels is a godsend and the solution. And I will be putting it to the test with ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and numerous other applications, within weeks. Or, well, as soon as the new MacBooks come out!
I mean, when is the last time you used Sherlock? There you go. Check out the hybrid mode on Google Maps, or Google Earth Pro, those two should be what you're looking for in maps. And there are shareware GPS apps for the Mac. As for drawing...I'm not sure what you mean. Aren't there TONS of drawing programs? check www.versiontracker.com
What I am saying is that Maps is something that more and more people will be asking for to be built in as more and more buy portables, or if and when Apple releases an ultra portable, or handheld. But portables are enough right now and seeing how they are going to be more and more of the computing experience. Like I said Garmin could do this, but Apple could do it as well. No I'm not talking about ArcGIS, that is way too much. Most map info is public info, but Apple could work with Google and bundle Google Maps and Google Earth into a program that could also use a GPS device to say where you are at. There is speculation that eventually some form of GPS will find its way into portables, so if they are stolen, but that is in the way off. But the point is that adding GPS to a Portable is not difficult, it is only a few chips. How well it works in unknown, but someone will eventually add this, so that a stolen laptop which may have data on it worth much more than the laptop, would be easier to track.
About the drawing program, don't blame me for what Steve Jobs said. All I am doing is repeating it. If you don't believe me find a copy of the developers conference when they were talking about making OSX, it was not long after he joined the company. Actually I believe that the drawing program was supposed to be able to do 3D effects. Don't know why Apple did not make it, but I'm just repeating what Steve said would be bundled into OSX. Again look up his talk.
And about having the GPS chips inside the laptops. Yes they could be great to locate a missing or stolen unit but how useful would they be at other times? If you to have clear view of the sky then most people in the back seat of a car would not be able to use it without holding it close to a window. That means you are getting a lot of sun light on your screen which makes it hard to see and use. If you are outside then you have the good view of the sky but who wants to walk around with an open laptop? Way to big and bulky. So my feeling is that currently it is best to make bluetooth connections to a GPS and have your maps already on your laptop.
There are mapping apps out there for the Mac. My sister in law uses GPSy Pro on their boat. It makes a great geo-plotter. I just wish Garmin would support Macs. I used to use StreetAtlas on my Wall Street. It was good on location but lacked most of the extras that today's portable units have, ie food, lodging etc.
And about having the GPS chips inside the laptops. Yes they could be great to locate a missing or stolen unit but how useful would they be at other times? If you to have clear view of the sky then most people in the back seat of a car would not be able to use it without holding it close to a window. That means you are getting a lot of sun light on your screen which makes it hard to see and use. If you are outside then you have the good view of the sky but who wants to walk around with an open laptop? Way to big and bulky. So my feeling is that currently it is best to make bluetooth connections to a GPS and have your maps already on your laptop.
Right GPSy is great for boating, not so for driving. Garmin has a good end to end solution. GPS chip in laptop has been going around for awhile. My guess is that GPS laptop is not a matter of if but when. The value of the data on the average corporate laptop far exceeds the value of the laptop, and security goes crazy with the thought of someone having corporate secrets and knowing that most passwords can be guessed, or read. So yea it amy be an add on but it will be offered. Bluetooth to a GPS reciever is a good idea, but I think that most of the receivers are USB powered and ment to sit in the front window or rear window. I have seen ones that are USB and 12V powered.