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Apple Switches (Mostly) To OpenStreetMap

Posted by timothy on from the wonder-about-the-gracenote-problem dept.

beelsebob writes "In the recent release of iPhoto for iOS it appears that Apple has started using OpenStreetMap's data. Unfortunately, there are still some problems. Apple is currently not applying the necessary attribution to OSM; they are using an old (from April 2010) dump of the data; and they are not using the data in the U.S. Fingers crossed that Apple works through these issues quickly! Apple is now one of a growing list (including geocaching, and foursquare) to Switch2OSM."

11 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. Maps? by Azureflare · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I didn't see any mention in the article about Apple switching to OSM in their maps app. If/when they do, I hope they implement a mechanism for submitting updates to OSM, since that is a big strength.

    I'm ambivalent about Apple making this change; google maps has done pretty well, but sometimes it gets numeric addresses wrong on long beach ny and other areas.

    One burning question: will we be able to get audible turn-by-turn directions if Apple moves to OSM?

    1. Re:Maps? by samkass · · Score: 4, Insightful

      this is supposedly needed to make the Siri UX good enough for Apple's standards.

      As long as Apple have an excuse they'll use it to try and persuade people to upgrade. Siri would have worked on the iPhone 4. Yes, it would have worked better on the 4S but I'd be astonished if the reason it was not on the 3G/3GS/4S was technical and not marketing.

      Really? It would honestly astonish you that Siri would require any development, testing, QA, integration, sales, administrative, or other costs? It would be completely free? Or do you not consider paying for engineering talent a "technical" cost? Because otherwise, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to invest money on their profitable products instead of their old ones. Apple already does so much better than Android, Windows Mobile, and others at supporting old hardware with the latest releases that I see little room for complaint. The iPhone 3GS is many years old and yet got iOS 5.1 the day it was released!

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      E pluribus unum
    2. Re:Maps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You seem to have proved his point for him there - that the newer and better features are only on the newer models because it's a business decision (and quite justifiable to boot) to not spend the money supporting the older models rather than a technical limitation of the old hardware.

  2. Re:lol by dintech · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From the article:

    The OSM data that Apple is using is rather old (start of April 2010) ... It’s also missing the necessary credit to OpenStreetMap’s contributors; we look forward to working with Apple to get that on there.

    So yes, they do require it.

  3. Re:hahaha by fermion · · Score: 1, Insightful
    The question is what has Google given back. Webkit has given some code back to KHTML. WebKit2 is the open source alternative to chrome. While parts of chrome may be OSS, it is not like WebKit2, which is OSS. Certainly there would be no chrome without the development efforts of Apple.

    This is not to say that Apple has not closed some projects. They have. But Google business model depends on acquiring public property, repackaging it, closing it, and suppling it for ad revenue and other compensation.

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    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  4. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN!!111!!!!! by marcello_dl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The past story with khtml webkit, and the recent story about apple-only planned features in CUPS, and the general attitude of big and small commercial entities towards free software, should make people just a little wary.

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  5. Re:hahaha by demonbug · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The same is true of google maps though. Compare Vladivostok on Google Maps to on OpenStreetMap for example.

    You think that's bad, check out North Korea: Google Maps vs. OSM.

    Though I'm not sure how well to trust North Korean OSM. I can just picture some guy in a cubicle in NK building phantom roads and towns all over the place just because.

  6. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN!!111!!!!! by jo_ham · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The "apple-only CUPS" thing was about removing Linux-specific features out of the main distribution on OS X. Those features are still there and you can roll them back into CUPS if you need them, for example, on a Linux machine.

  7. Re:hahaha by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sheesh. Some mod got caught in a surly mood, or doesn't know any Germans.

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    Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
  8. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN!!111!!!!! by arkane1234 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As funny as what you typed is, it's sad that it's true.
    Slashdot's turned from a nerd haven into wanna-be gamers who think they're nerds but only have emotional disorders.

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  9. Re:hahaha by CowTipperGore · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't understand why this nonsense gets modded up. Apple is under no ethical obligation to contribute anything to open source. They are under a legal obligation to contribute to open source software in specific circumstances, such as in the case of distributing of modified GPL software. Its complete bullshit to expect any company or person to go above and beyond the legal obligations of using open source software, even if that software is helping them bring in heaps of cash.

    Yes, you make it quite clear that you don't understand the concept of ethics or morals.