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Major Backlash Looms For Apple's New Maps App
Hugh Pickens writes "Michael DeGusta writes that Apple's new Maps app is the very first item on their list of major new features in iOS 6, but for many iPhone and iPad users around the world Apple's new maps are going to be a major disappointment as the Transit function will be lost in 51 countries, the Traffic function will be lost in 24 countries, and the Street View function will be lost in 41 countries. 'In total, 63 countries with a combined population of 4.5 billion people will be without one or more of these features they previously had in iOS,' writes DeGusta. 'Apple is risking upsetting 65% of the world's population, seemingly without much greater purpose than speeding the removal of their rival Google from iOS. Few consumers care about such battles though, nor should they have to.' The biggest losers will be Brazil, India, Taiwan, and Thailand (population: 1.5 billion) which overnight will go from being countries with every maps feature (transit, traffic, and street view) to countries with none of those features, nor any of the new features, flyover and turn-by-turn directions. Apple's maps are clearly behind in some key areas, but they will presumably continue to improve over time. Google has committed to making their maps available everywhere, so it seems likely Google will release their own iOS maps app soon, as they did with YouTube, which has similarly been removed from iOS 6."
But what percentage of people who actually buy iPhones lost these features?
Yep, the upgrade isn't mandatory. Also, the Google Maps website seems to work fine on iOS 6, so you're not really losing it. However, the website will never perform as well as a native app so hopefully Google will have one for us soon.
You presumably don't have to upgrade to iOS 6 immediately. Or are they removing Google apps across all versions of iOS?
If they are going to remove it altogether then do the obvious thing and either crack your iDevice, or buy an Android tablet instead of putting up with that shit.
which is totally what she said
Apple's marketing really helps them here.
That must be it, because their actual hardware and software are garish, steaming piles compared to the competition.
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
The article also acts as though every single iOS user took advantage of those features. For myself, I didn't even know that street view was on the thing until I heard some people complaining about its removal. Why? Because it was a feature I never found myself needing, and thus never checked to see if it had. Same with transit and bike routes. For me, iOS6 maps is a straight upgrade, because we *finally* get turn-by-turn navigation, and it works really well (running the GM).
Even if they were features you used, maps.google.com has you covered. It looks like it has all the features mentioned in the article. And I do not doubt Google will release a maps app, just like they released a Youtube app.
If you can't convince them, convict them.
Apple used to have a contract to build-in Google apps, they don't anymore for whatever reason so they rolled a better solution themselves.
If by "better" you mean "worse"... Here's some screenshots someone did comparing the Apple map with the Google map for his neighbourhood in London.
One thing overlooked in the discussion of iOS6 maps, is that they have a fantastic feature not found on other platforms - the ability to locate applications that help you find routes by region, within the map itself.
What that means is that an application devoted to helping you find your way around a specific city, can register a geofence around that city that applies to that app. When the user is in that city looking up things on the map and wants to find their way to something, they can all up alternate routes and what appears is basically an app store just for that region produced by finding all the apps that have that location inside the geofence they proclaimed.
This will make it really helpful to find guides and other applications specifically tailored to a place without having to hunt across the whole apps store - and it helps the apps get discovered that might not have been otherwise.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
On the score of "hubris," to be fair we don't know exactly why Google Maps isn't preloaded on iOS 6. Apple's license to include Google Maps expires this year, and maybe Google wanted gobs more money, or they wanted user information, or if Google just decided to not renew it, full stop. As the Alibaba/Aliyun saga attests, Google's happy to shut down competing products that rely on their infrastructure if they aren't strategic, or as Google puts it, "compatible."
The Google Maps API ain't free, as in beer or freedom. Apple never wrote the Maps app, they asked for it and Google did them a solid by writing it and letting them use it, but they never upgraded it, and Apple had to pay them money for the privilege. Wether or not Google Maps is on your phone, be it iOS, Windows, Android, whatever, is up to Google as much as it's up to the phone vendor.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
Except the new Zagat rating's aren't just the official Zagat ratings, they're a weighted blend of Zagat, Google Local, and web ratings including Yelp and Urban Spoon. From what I've seen in my local market they tend to be quite accurate.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Absolutely! I remember all those years when PC and *nix users had to deal with finicky, unreliable 2- and 3-button mice. With Apple you got one button, and you were thankful for it, by Jobs! Deep down we all knew that the second mouse button just wasn't ready for prime time yet.
(See also: virtual desktops.)
they will be able to still get google maps on the iphone as well...?
Want to use Google Maps on iOS 6? Here's how hard it is:
1. Launch Safari (or the iOS browser of your choice)
2. In the Address Bar, type maps.google.com
3. There is no Step 3.
BTW, what launches is actually more useful than the Google Maps "App", IMHO. Oh, and speaking of which, their "App" is also available.
So, in the long run, nothing is changing, and, if anything, iOS customers will have more choices, not less.
Google didn't write the maps app that is on iOS5 or earlier, Apple did.
Unless you, you know, hit settings, then tick the 'allow apps from unknown sources' option.
Or install things from amazons store.
Or the 3 dozen other app stores that you can run on android.
But aside from that, yeah. Walled garden. Totally the same.
http://source.android.com/
I'm sorry, you were saying something stupid?
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The tube station is marked at a higher zoom level (to be fair it SHOULD be visible at that level too, but it's not missing).
Also the park is correctly named "Victoria Park", again at a higher zoom level. What confused them was that the park is the center of the Bethany Green area, so that note falls on the park and just happens to look like a park name.
Also the complaint about no third party app to get underground directions? Come on, Apple just started accepting third party submissions for iOS6 apps a week ago!
The tube feeder roads are kind of present in that they are specific sorts of lanes on that road... look at it in satellite mode, that's a nightmare intersection no matter how you cut it.
No visual distinction between A & B roads - frankly I'm not seeing why there should be. The roads look roughly identical in usability to me, but perhaps to someone in London the difference is crucial... can someone explain why?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
There has been a geolocation API in Safari since iOS 3, so if Google is using it, I'd expect it to work just fine....
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