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Apple Maps Has Surpassed Google Maps in Detail in 3.1 Percent of the US (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the marching-forward dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: iOS 12 began the rollout of Apple Maps' long-awaited redesign, which will deliver maps with far more detail using data collected by Apple directly. The updated maps currently only cover around 3.1 percent of the USA, focused around Northern California, but already some interesting differences are starting to emerge between Apple's maps and those that Google uses for its own navigation software. The differences are documented in excruciatingly fine detail in a post by digital cartography blogger Justin O'Beirne. The good news for Apple is that the sheer amount of natural cartographical detail its map contains far outstrips what Google currently offers. Vegetation detail is a particular highlight, with Apple's maps even showing grass between two lanes of a highway, or around the borders of individual houses.

86 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. well then by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 5, Funny

    Vegetation detail is a particular highlight, with Apple's maps even showing grass between two lanes of a highway, or around the borders of individual houses.

    I guess next time I'm looking for exceptionally grassy highway medians, I'll buy an Apple device.

    1. Re:well then by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      ...I guess next time I'm looking for exceptionally grassy highway medians, I'll buy an Apple device....

      Yes, go buy that device, Apple needs your help. There's probably a good reason why Apple switched to reporting revenue instead of unit device sales. The unit device sales are on a downward trend, so Apple has been raising the per-device price in order to keep revenue increasing. It's a good tactic until Apple's customer base gets wise to it.

    2. Re:well then by HornWumpus · · Score: 1, Interesting

      They're committed to the Rolex model. Look for a 10k$ iphone. The MacIdiots will WANT that.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:well then by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1, Funny

      Those "exceptionally grassy highway medians" are exceptionally useful for emergency landings in small private planes.
      Just mentioning it.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    4. Re:well then by hey! · · Score: 5, Funny

      I guess next time I'm looking for exceptionally grassy highway medians, I'll buy an Apple device.

      I've always suspected Apple fanbois were sheep...

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    5. Re:well then by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      You could, but you'd miss out 96.9% of the grassiest highways by not using Google, if I understand the summary correctly ;-)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    6. Re:well then by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      I guess next time I'm looking for exceptionally grassy highway medians, I'll buy an Apple device.

      I've always suspected Apple fanbois were sheep...

      Bwa-a-a-a-a h-a-a-a-a h-a-a-a-a!

    7. Re:well then by silverkniveshotmail. · · Score: 2

      I don't really care who buys them but I could do without the people that drive them.

    8. Re: well then by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

      certainly not down at your iPhone with apple maps open

      Fuck, even pilots are looking at their fucking phones instead of operating the vehicle with their full attention. Probably why an emergency landing was needed in the first place. And if you have ever actually LOOKED at these medians they are generally designed so people can't do stupid ass u-turns on highways, good fucking luck landing on that. Just saying.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    9. Re: well then by silverkniveshotmail. · · Score: 1

      I don't know why something needs to be done to me for any of this to be valid but one time a larger BMW sedan pulled onto the highway from a complete stop about 10 meters in front of me and killed my poor Honda. It was being driven by every single BMW owner.

    10. Re: well then by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      The best glide speed (if it's making an emergency landing on a road then it probablly has an engine failure) of a small light aircraft is in the same ballpark as highway traffic speeds, so the relative speeds are likely to be managable as long as the road isn't too busy.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    11. Re: well then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And no fussy blinkers either!

    12. Re: well then by magarity · · Score: 2

      And if you have ever actually LOOKED at these medians they are generally designed so people can't do stupid ass u-turns on highways, good fucking luck landing on that. Just saying.

      In an emergency landing the goal is to skid to a stop somehow without dying, not touching down neatly. Highway medians work nicely.

    13. Re:well then by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Makes you wonder where Apple are directing their resources... They are so far behind Google in every other way, and they concentrate on what for most people using their app are the least interesting bits.

      Google uses AI to generate 3D models of buildings and other structures from satellite photos. It's incredibly good, most of the world has very detailed and accurate 3D data now. Their AI also understands what is sees in street view photographs, and adds detail to the maps. They have the best routing* and traffic data too.

      * I'm sure someone will point out how terrible it is where they are, but I've tried a lot of different services and apps and Google is always the best overall.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    14. Re:well then by raftpeople · · Score: 1

      "60 percent of the time, it works every time"

    15. Re: well then by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      Nah, that's Audi Drivers, the "cream" of the crop, so to speak.

    16. Re:well then by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      More realistically because Apple is looking to expand beyond just selling devices and the terminology reflects that. Interesting thing from the site https://www.apple.com/ios/maps..., is right down the bottom https://www.apple.com/privacy/. Apple is looking to target Google Maps head on.

      Google is clearly going to come under increasing competitive pressure by well funded competitors. Google has managed to make a dick of itself and thus is quite vulnerable, it requires loads of users that like them and always invading everyone's privacy, political baking searches, being really abusive with YouTube did not help their image, ahh American arrogance and exceptionalism alive and well in it's corporate thinking, until well, the sheeple scatter all over the place.

      Google the planets number one censor and invader of privacy, now that'll sell, NOT. Too much of Google's value is tied to perceptions of their public popularity, people liking them, which makes them extremely vulnerable to counter marketing, making them unpopular for the unpopular things they routinely do but manage to mostly hide, well, used to be able to hide.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    17. Re: well then by LinuxIsGarbage · · Score: 1

      A good landing is one you can walk away from. A great landing is when the aircraft can be used again. Landing in a field or median may result in more damage.

      Here's a highway landing

    18. Re: well then by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

      Valid point, I was using my wife's car (a 4x4) to go to work one day, and heard on the radio that there were protests and car stoning on the route to work, put the car into 4x4 mode and went right over the median and headed back home. Phoned my boss and said I would be working from home that day. So yeah, if landing without getting killed is the objective it would probably work. And yes, I did a stupid ass u-turn on a highway.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    19. Re:well then by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      ...I guess next time I'm looking for exceptionally grassy highway medians, I'll buy an Apple device....

      Yes, go buy that device, Apple needs your help. There's probably a good reason why Apple switched to reporting revenue instead of unit device sales. The unit device sales are on a downward trend, so Apple has been raising the per-device price in order to keep revenue increasing. It's a good tactic until Apple's customer base gets wise to it.

      Yeah, absolutely right - every single company that doesn't report sales has gone broke. Samsung, Huawei, Google, Dell, HP, etc. Every single one. The only thing that kept Apple afloat was reporting sales numbers.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  2. Will never catch up to Google Maps' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    constant privacy violations.

  3. Parks? by poptix · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Historically green areas on maps (paper & digital) have been City, State, or Federal parks, now it's just any old patch of grass?

    TheVerge was right, 'more detail, less information'

    --
    Just because you disagree doesn't mean it's not true.
    1. Re: Parks? by xgerrit · · Score: 1

      I think Apple's chosen to optimzie for the use-case "Show me some landmarks so I know where I am" over âoeI need to quickly identifiy all state and federal parks in this area".

    2. Re: Parks? by hey! · · Score: 2

      I think Apple's chosen to optimzie for the use-case "Show me some landmarks so I know where I am" over âoeI need to quickly identifiy all state and federal parks in this area".

      If only there were some kind of global system that would tell you your position.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    3. Re:Parks? by LordKronos · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly. It's a neat little feature to be sure, but if I really want to see where vegetation is, I switch to satellite view, which actually distinguishes between grass, small vs large trees, dense vs sparse patches of trees, crops, etc. The only case I see in that article where the vegetation detail is sort of useful is in identifying beaches.

      But yes, when you look at those maps, you can still see the distinction between regular vegetation and parks, but it's very subtle and takes much more effort to distinguish. When I'm in an unfamiliar town and have a little time to kill, I'll actually be looking for parks to take my kids to, not random vegetation in the median.

      Finally, that rest of that article just shows a bunch of cases where Apple is fixing things google already had correct, and several more where Apple is still wrong (and google is correct).

    4. Re:Parks? by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      Historically green areas on maps (paper & digital) have been City, State, or Federal parks, now it's just any old patch of grass?

      TheVerge was right, 'more detail, less information'

      I guess I can see in theory how such details might better orient your brain to the map, to at least reassure you that the map is accurate and that you are on track.

      Except ... that maps are deliberately simplified, abstracted representations of reality, and they are that for a reason.

      There may be somebody somewhere who needs a ... er ... grass map, but it's not a typical driver who does.

    5. Re:Parks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you need a grass map, try using a real source, like the usgs national map vegetation survey. In fact, use all the historical maps as well, or any other type available. But quickly, they appear to want to start charging for it instead of it being a useful resource. Though I find it funny since then the government will be paying itself for the data in cases like infrastructure development/maintenance/reconstruction to get the data the government already has.

    6. Re: Parks? by bobbied · · Score: 1

      I think Apple's chosen to optimzie for the use-case "Show me some landmarks so I know where I am" over âoeI need to quickly identifiy all state and federal parks in this area".

      If only there were some kind of global system that would tell you your position.

      Yea, something that was satellite based and triangulated your position in 3D space as well as your speed... Hmmmm.. Think of the commercial applications for something like that, not to mention the military ones.. Oh my.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    7. Re: Parks? by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      When I want to know where I am, I look at the name of the streets, or mile markers, not at patches of grass.

    8. Re: Parks? by xgerrit · · Score: 1

      If only there were some kind of global system that would tell you your position.

      Snarky, sure, but realistically, that's not always practical. Or maybe you've never driven with GPS and had to quickly decide which of several turns is the correct one? Or used a map on a phone while riding a bike, where you can only glance at it? Or tried to locate a coffee shop on a block in a city on a grid. I certainly appreciate a map with more landmarks over the game of walking up and down a block until the blue-dot matches the red-pin any day..

    9. Re: Parks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sounds amazing. I cant wait for apple to innovate that.

    10. Re: Parks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In any of those cases, I simply turn up the volume and it tells me exactly when to turn. It even tells me to be in a specific lane and if there's two instructions right next to reach other, it puts the two together (take the right lane for the Dave St exit, and keeo left)

    11. Re: Parks? by hey! · · Score: 1

      None of those use cases are made better by identifying grass and trees as green. If the GPS misses a turn, it's still got you in the ballpark. And not being able to look at your device makes the question of land use color moot.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  4. So, for 96.9% of the U.S. google is better... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Now I know to look to Apple's maps if I want to see the grass between highway lanes in the 3.1% of the US that Apple shows it. Let me ask, does this difference really matter to most of the people who use these maps? Or is this nothing more than marketing hype?

    1. Re:So, for 96.9% of the U.S. google is better... by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not marketing hype. Rendering different details actually may be relevant. Unfortunately Apple seems to think that the green should be representative of trees rather than showing the boundaries of city parks or national parks as they are traditionally labelled.

      It matters. It's marketing hype. It's also a stupid backwards idea that makes the map less useful.

    2. Re:So, for 96.9% of the U.S. google is better... by Bobrick · · Score: 1

      As demonstrated by TFA, the point isn't such detailed vegetation so much as showing the correct streets, rather than the data they were previously using from TomTom. There's more to it, but that would require reading TFA.

    3. Re:So, for 96.9% of the U.S. google is better... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      That was my thought as well, but for a different reason. In my mind, there are two situations when I use a map. One is while driving. The other is while figuring out an area that I'm trying to learn about for some reason.

      While driving, I want the fewest distractions possible. Beyond street shape and street names, every additional piece of visual information competing for my attention is more likely to be a distraction than a helpful hint. Maybe showing the names of businesses that are in the same category as those I've recently searched for might be useful. Maybe. And that's right at the limit of things that would have any utility whatsoever. Something as meaningless as whether a median has grass or not is complete noise that just makes the text harder to read.

      When I'm learning about an area, I want as much visual information as possible, which means things like satellite imagery, street views, etc.

      In no case have I ever thought, "I'd like something halfway between these two extremes, where I can see the greenness of the grass, but without being able to see that it is grass."

      The problem with Apple Maps has always been, in my opinion, that it was designed with a "vector images are neat; let's see how visually pleasing a map we can draw with them" approach, rather than a "let's figure out how users use maps, and design an optimal solution for real-world use cases" approach.

      For example, six years after Apple Maps users first started filing bugs complaining that Apple Maps gives you no way to tell the difference between "there is no traffic data on this road" and "traffic is moving freely on this road", this fundamental usability flaw is still not fixed. (And don't get me started on Tesla, who just started pulling the same crap with their maps.)

      IMO, Apple needs to rethink Apple Maps from the ground up, focusing on how people use maps, and completely forgetting about how the maps look. Make it work, then make it pretty. As long as you're trying to do it the other way around, it will always be pretty, and will never really work.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  5. Misleading Slashdot Article Title! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "Apple Maps Has Surpassed Google Maps in Detail in 3.1 Percent of the US" this would seem to suggest that Apple is starting to surpass Google Maps. But when you read Justin's linked web page, you see how bad Apple Maps is compared to Google Maps. Haha.

  6. Fuck me by nagora · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is exciting news!

    I guess "Google maps are more detailed than Apple's in 96.9% of US" didn't really score enough Apple fanboi points, did it?

    --
    "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
  7. My map better than Google or Apple in 0.000001% by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My own picture map is better for my own house than either Google or Apple. Can I get an article too?

  8. scaling by reanjr · · Score: 1

    If the data collection process doesn't scale, then this is just a toy tech demo. 99.9999% of the time, I'm not in the 3% covered area, and neither are most people.

    1. Re: scaling by reanjr · · Score: 1

      But it really does. I'm not going to use one map app for the city then have to switch it out at some indeterminate point where its data begins to suck for another map app I'm not familiar with.

  9. What are the benefits? by larryjoe · · Score: 1

    The big question is how this extra detail is useful. In particular, is there any impact on the quality of navigation? I don't see how any of the examples mentioned in the article impact creation of routes. Perhaps there might be an impact in terms of choosing routing endpoints. For example, more accurate layouts for parking lots and access points might allow choosing a better destination point. However, this type of information is usually manually digested, and satellite and street-view information is probably much more detailed than even the enhanced Apple Maps information. So, it's not clear that this increased level of detail results in an improved usage scenario.

  10. Apple Maps! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    Do people not remember the joys of Apple Maps? ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  11. Project out of money after 3.1% coverage by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

    Now they will work on mapping Ireland, since they have plenty of money there.

  12. High detail is useless by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    If the data isn't useless. I'm glad now that the grassy forest patches are rendered in fine detail while Apple mislabels it as a busy city centre.

    1. Re:High detail is useless by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      and volia!

      Well that's a new one.

  13. Summer or Winter? by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 3, Funny

    >> Apple's maps even showing grass

    I hope they do a full refresh at least once a month, otherwise, their pictures of my green grass or leafy trees aren't going to match seasonal reality. If accuracy is a serious goal, that is.

  14. That's all great and everything... by froggyjojodaddy · · Score: 2

    ... but what I want is better real-time information regarding traffic, hazards, construction etc. I use Waze and Google Maps (Android device) and while they work pretty well most of the time, I still get caught in traffic due to construction

    There's been heavy road construction near my house for around 6 months. A few days a week, the road is down to a single lane so they will stop traffic in one direction while letting the other side through. That will cause a kilometer long backup real quick. Waze will alert me, if enough Wazers report it, but Google Maps is even more hit and miss.

    When I'm driving, I don't need to look at the patch of grass between highways. I need better intelligence around traffic

  15. So google wins 96.9% of the time? by plague911 · · Score: 1

    No need to RTFA

  16. So fuckin what? by KlomDark · · Score: 1

    3.1% is extremely non-impressive. Apple is in the early stages of a death spiral, they got nothing anymore. Overpriced junk.

    1. Re:So fuckin what? by bobbied · · Score: 2

      3.1% is extremely non-impressive. Apple is in the early stages of a death spiral, they got nothing anymore. Overpriced junk.

      I'm no apple fanboy, but the news reporting over's Apple's demise is WAY to soon. They may be hitting their peek and driven their business so large they've run out of customers who can buy their stuff, but they are FAR from heading into a death spiral. They have money to burn and could heat their new headquarters with $100 bills for decades.

      Anybody who parrots this "news" is either a fool or is shorting the stock and looking for a quick buck by talking down the stock (maybe both).

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  17. So you claim Android makers are failing harder? by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    There's probably a good reason why Apple switched to reporting revenue instead of unit device sales

    Because every other phone maker does the same thing?

    Or maybe it's because sales are starting to decline, and all the other companies have been doing the same because all their sales have been much worse.

    Apple is shifting to have users use phones longer and capture revenue in many other ways, so device figures shadow all of the other ways Apple makes money.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:So you claim Android makers are failing harder? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 2

      Apple is shifting to have users use phones longer and capture revenue in many other ways

      So you agree with what I wrote, that unit sales are down (users holding on to phones longer) and Apple is looking to capture revenue in different ways (raising prices per unit). :)

      .
      Apple is also increasing its service revenue, so that's a plus.

  18. And they seem anxious to show it off... by berchca · · Score: 1

    ... judging by the roundabout paths that app tends to lead us on.

  19. Even has a hard core apple guy.... by registrations_suck · · Score: 5, Informative

    Even as a hard core Apple guy, I have to say, who cares?

    My experience with Apple Maps has been so miserable that I deleted it from my phone as soon as I had the chance. I cannot imagine ever giving it another try, no matter how good it becomes. I do not think they could ever be good enough to get me off Google Maps which works, almost, every time.

    1. Re:Even has a hard core apple guy.... by edi_guy · · Score: 1

      Agreed. And this is the most inane map-improvement I can think of.. If I want to see the vegetation detail I would just switch to satellite view. If anything this 'improvement' is Apple maps is more reason to stick with Google maps which has been rock solid.

    2. Re:Even has a hard core apple guy.... by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

      Precisely, why give a fuck about green shit sucking up my bandwidth, if I wanted to know (or give a flying fuck) about green shit in the middle of the highway, I would drive past it and look out my fucking window. This is of no use whatsoever and in fact adds extra data costs for absolutely no value whatsoever. I would say that they have gone 3.1% backwards on data usage, although it's probably higher than that.
      I can imagine the conversation, "Oh look, my phone says there is a green something or fucken other up ahead", "Oh really, oh shit we missed it, let's turn around and go back and look at the grass."
      Because, you know, green foliage is as rare as fuck... or no, it's not - at least not yet.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    3. Re:Even has a hard core apple guy.... by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 2

      That probably puts you in the minority. No, I'm not joking. The power of defaults is huge, and most of the people on Apple devices are using Apple Maps.

      Apple's biggest problem has been relying on other people for data. They used to have TomTom as a map provider, and the maps were terrible. As it says in the article, some of the map data TomTom was using was 70 years out of date, collected from extremely old sources. And so every time someone logged a fix to Apple Maps, it had to go through Apple then to TomTom then back again, so it looked like nothing was ever updated.

      This is a good change in direction for Apple, and I'm glad they're doing it. Personally, I keep Google's products the hell off my phone, and I use Google Maps about twice a year because they have cycling directions that Apple doesn't provide yet. But as soon as I'm done, I delete the app off my phone. I have no interest in Google knowing where I am and what I'm doing any more than necessary.

      Even as it stands right now, Apple's stuff is decent enough if you live in a major city. It gives me good Montreal metro directions and takes me to the correct exits and everything. So even if you don't think this is a big deal, it kind of is. I mean, I don't expect you to change, but lots of people care.

  20. 3.1% of the time by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    it works 51% of the time.

  21. Re:The other 96.9%... by dstyle5 · · Score: 4, Funny

    It is just natural selection kicking in.

    Timmy: "But my phone said to drive off the cliff, so I did of course."

    Doctor: "Unfortunately you survived, Timmy."

  22. Re:I'll just stand in the road, car yonder is tiny by Merk42 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So, for 96.9% of the U.S. google is better...

    You really can't see the upcoming future on this one, eh?

    Now that Apple has got a system down why can they not scale it t quickly close the gap.

    Will you be singing the same tune I wonder when within a year Apple has 60%+ better coverage.

    It makes sense to me that Apple could easily surpass Google Maps in detail, as Google in recent years has really lost focus and does not spend much time improving long-standing services.

    and with a competitor (Apple) increasing coverage, I'm sure Google will just idly sit by and not do any updates or anything like that.

  23. Re: The other 96.9%... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The grassy detail still won't fix the constant navigation problems Apple Maps suffers from. I live in that "improved" 3.1% zone, albeit behind the redwood curtain in Northern Northern CA closer to OR than San Fran, and routing is still quite poor.

    Take me to the place I asked for on normal roads, not to the former location years ago. Take me to the business entrance, not to some other business's entrance on the other side of the block the business occurs on. Country roads, take me home...

  24. Re:I'll just stand in the road, car yonder is tiny by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Will you be singing the same tune I wonder when within a year Apple has 60%+ better coverage.

    Apple isn't going to have 60%+ "better coverage" in one year. It's taken them this long to reach 3.1%, and in the meantime there's absolutely no reason to believe Google isn't improving its processes too. Indeed, I suspect for Google they can throw a switch - do you think the images they currently serve are served at their highest resolution, or just at an optimal quality for use right now?

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  25. What I hate about Google maps by Snotnose · · Score: 1

    A few months back they started referring to freeway exits as "2A", or somesuch. I know my exit is coming up because it's less than 1/2 mile away But all the signs say "Bancroft", not "2A".

    I've driven enough in rural areas to know that that's how they mark a lot of their roads. But I'm guessing 90% of the exits here in the USA use "Bancroft", not "2A".

    1. Re:What I hate about Google maps by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Exits signs in California are numbered, don't know about the rest of the country. If it matches what you're seeing on the sign, the number can be useful because it tells you how many more exits you'll pass before the one you want. Obviously saying both name and number would be best.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    2. Re:What I hate about Google maps by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      But I'm guessing 90% of the exits here in the USA use "Bancroft", not "2A".

      I'm guessing that you're guessing wrong. I've only driven in the northeastern US, but every major highway (and many not-so-major highways) I've been on uses exit numbers with one or two location names (usually a street or city/town) underneath. I just wish more states would switch from sequential exit numbers to mile-based exit numbers.

  26. Not relevant by sremick · · Score: 2

    Thing is, what Apple is getting OCD about here is only a subset of what makes Google Maps superior.

    The detail of Google Maps is more than sufficient for me to determine where I am and route me from A to B. However, on top of that is a myriad of metadata and hyperlinked info and resources that all work together to make Google Maps an all-encompassing tool for which "maps" is only a part of.

    It really doesn't matter if for a tiny section of the USA, Apple Maps tracks the curve of a driveway around a house with pixel-perfect accuracy. That's not relevant nor does it somehow make Apple Maps more useful. It's still a stinking pile of shit and I'm glad it's limited only to the over-priced status-symbol trash that comes out of Apple's factories.

    1. Re:Not relevant by m2shariy · · Score: 1

      But, but, they are retina maps!

    2. Re:Not relevant by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      This isn't OCD. If Apple were OCD they'd understand the purpose of a map and its colour scheme. This is some marketing rubbish driving product design making the result less useful overall.

      Google did the same thing with their iterations of Maps but in different ways. Their choices of what and how to label now make absolutely no sense prioritising the lack of information (boundaries and exclusions around large labels) over specific destinations of interest. https://www.justinobeirne.com/...

  27. In other news by DVega · · Score: 1

    Google Maps still ahead of Apple Maps in 96.9 Percent of the US

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    1. Re:In other news by kqs · · Score: 1

      Close. If you read the article, Google Maps has more detail than Apple Maps in 96.9 percent of the US, but more accuracy in only 100% or so.

    2. Re:In other news by David_Hart · · Score: 1

      Close. If you read the article, Google Maps has more detail than Apple Maps in 96.9 percent of the US, but more accuracy in only 100% or so.

      And the "green space" that Apple added to the basic street map can be seen in much more detail when you switch to satellite view in Google maps. Like others, I don't see the benefit...

  28. I wonder if... by nwaack · · Score: 1

    Apple will start making detailed maps of Uranus?

  29. Re:The other 96.9%... by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    ...will still have people driving into ditches or off cliffs.

    Or across airport runways.

  30. Re:Thats Cute.. by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

    God, what's even worse is they think they can write programming languages.

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  31. AppleMAPS == useless by ElitistWhiner · · Score: 1

    Itâ(TM)s hyperbole. 3% is dog food in a bowl in comparison to the quantity of mapping not quantized worldwide to become functional, as in rely upon.

    South America is abyssamal beyond placing country boundaries, LAT/LON and major cities. Apple would do well to nail one continent - then apply lessons learned at scale.

  32. In other news... by Atrox+Canis · · Score: 1

    Google maps has more detail in 96.9% of the US.

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  33. Damning with faint praise... by anegg · · Score: 1

    This is a good example of damning with faint praise. After reading the article, one would have to wonder what the hell Apple is doing.

  34. Re:Run, Forrest, Run! by Calydor · · Score: 1

    I picked my nose. Pretty sure that's better.

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  35. Re:I'll just stand in the road, car yonder is tiny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So they won't be able to experience the joy of explaining to the police that their GPS routed them through an airport runway?

  36. I'm so underwhelmed by reboot246 · · Score: 1

    So, Apple employees can find their way around the neighborhood. Whoopee! If you want to impress me, get the other 97% if the country mapped accurately.

    More detail? As someone who uses maps every day at work, I can tell you that more detail doesn't make a map more usable. Give me accuracy for the things that are displayed and I'll be happy. I was looking at Google maps last night and it showed a Post Office a full half mile from its actual location. Good thing I wasn't headed there in a self-driving car, right?

    If I want to see the grass in medians, I'll look at a satellite or aerial view. We use digital maps at work that have an aerial photo layer where we can zoom in to see the cars (make, model and color) in driveways. It lets us know that we're at the right house. No, we're not a SWAT team, just utility workers. :)

  37. Cash by dohzer · · Score: 1

    Cool. And how much more does Apple Maps cost than a free Android/Windows/Browser app?

  38. Re:I'll just stand in the road, car yonder is tiny by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Indeed, I suspect for Google they can throw a switch

    I suspect the opposite. The reality is that Google Maps change continuously in such small ways that you barely notice. It's literally under constant development. However if obfuscating details like national park boundaries or state parks is what makes Apple Maps great, then I truly hope that Google doesn't attempt to compete.

  39. That's not detail by mycroft16 · · Score: 1

    That's called clutter. Knowing that the median is grassy conveys nothing useful to a map user. Knowing where the lawn around a house is conveys nothing useful to a map user. When google highlights an area on a map it conveys information that is useful. This orange area here has a high concentration of shopping and restaurants. New to the city and looking for something to do? These are areas to focus on. Yeah, it's cool that their algorithm can pull out the detail like that... but it doesn't help the end user any, and as the article even said, becomes confusing in some areas.

  40. Re:I'll just stand in the road, car yonder is tiny by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    do you think the images they currently serve are served at their highest resolution, or just at an optimal quality for use right now?

    Of course not ,just as the same is not true of Apple either - if you'd bothered to read the article you'd see Apple has been gathering this data they used in CA from across the U.S. for years now.

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