Why Apple Replaced iOS Maps

tlhIngan writes "So why did Apple decide to ditch the (working) iOS maps app with one based on their own data (despite having one more year to the contract)? It turns out to be turn-by-turn voice navigation. It wasn't a feature in the original Apple-Google licensing agreement, so Apple went back to Google to renegotiate what has become a top-tier feature on Android. Apple wanted it. In return, Google wanted increased branding in the maps app (Apple refused) or to integrate Latitude (Google's FourSquare competitor), to which Apple refused as well. As a result Apple was forced to seek other sources in order to obtain this feature." Eventually, iOS users who don't want to wait for Apple-Google parity will be able to download a native version of Google's maps (rather than a hacked version), but that could be a ways off.

Comments

Works

[ericdano]

Honestly, Google Maps wasn't all that great. Sure, the current version of Apple Maps isn't quite as good, but it works just fine. Of course I live in the SF bay area so..

Apple killed Open Street Map in the process

[Shompol]

So Steve did what he was doing from the start: took an Open Source map (OSM) and gave gave it to himself, without an obligation to share back the updates. Unfortunally, OSM licence prohibited such treatment, so It appears he talked to OSM management and they changed the license, loosing roughly 30% of map data in the process! And before you can say "conspiracy theory", let me point out that both Apple decision to source OSM and the license change happened in 2010.
Fortunately, OSM got forked, and the fork I found is called FOSM. It does need some work, though.

Re:A Few Key Points

[maccodemonkey]

Apple had plenty of opportunities to improve their navigation app without Google's help. For starters, they could have made it so that the phone wouldn't lock itself when in navigation mode. I can't count the number of seconds I had to take my eyes off of the road to enter my password.

Huh? That's your own setting. You told it to passcode after X number of seconds, and now you're wondering why it passcode locks after X number of seconds?

If you don't want that, turn it off.

Apple: people use this app while operating a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds - I thought you were the guys that put thought into the user experience of your software. I hope for everyone's safety that this "feature" has been fixed.

Yeah, they added voice turn by turn, so now you don't even have to look at your phone at all.

I certainly hope you're not suggesting taking your eyes off the road while driving to look at your phone is at all a legitimate usage modal. If you are, please don't drive on my roads.

And finally, I'm not trying to troll here, but I can't help but wonder how all of this would be playing out if Google had patented every trivial feature of their map and navigation software like Apple does for all of its apps. That would certainly have made this scenario a hell of a lot more interesting.

I would assume:
a) Those patents probably do exist.
b) They're likely either expired, or owned by companies like Navigon who provide significant chunks of data to both Google and Apple (in addition to be the initial kickstarting source for both their data sets).

Oh blah blah

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

Steve Jobs said he wanted to destroy the Android platform when it was first released and Apple has been on that vendetta ever since.

Apple used Google while it suited them to provide features Apple couldn't produce but are necessary for a mobile phone.

Once Apple got their mapping product close to ready (but far far from being ready), they ditched Google, pure and simple.

Apple doesn't like Google, Apple wants nothing to do with Google, and Apple created some bullshit excuse to cover up the fact they are separating ties with "their enemies".

I guarantee that Apple will be filing some massive lawsuit against Google in 2013 concerning Android and it doesn't make sense to maintain any licensing agreement with them, just like Apple has reduced the use of Samsung parts so they can pursue legal actions against Samsung.

Why are people so ready to eat Apple's bullshit. Apple has been streaming a steady load of bullshit since the release of the iPhone 5 to cover up the fiasco that it is. They used inferior materials to build the thing, inferior labor to make the thing, and included inferior software to distance themselves from the rest of their competitors in the mobile marketplace.

It is VERY obvious that with the passing of Steve Jobs Apple can no longer compete through innovation so now Apple is switching to a business model of suing competitors to maintain market share. Google is clearly in Apple's targets.

Apple has become rotten to the core and people have to stop thinking they are an innovative company at the top of their game. A company willing to cripple their products out of a fit of petulance and jealousy is not a company whose products people should be proud owners of.