“Google’s much-anticipated iOS Maps application is out today and the early accounts are that it’s awesome,” Matthew Yglesias writes for Slate.
“I haven’t had time to play around with it properly, but I hope people will undrstand that if its as good as it sounds that’s really a vindication of Apple’s business strategy in launching its own Maps product,” Yglesias writes. “Recall that the problem with the old Maps wasn’t that it wasn’t as good as the new Maps. The problem is that it was distinctly inferior to Google Maps for Android. And that wasn’t a coincidence… While Google wants to promote Android, Google also doesn’t want to lose the vast customer base that is iPhone and iPad map users. So they’ve responded by writing a Google Maps program that’s much better than the old Google Maps—one that feature vector graphics and spoken directions and Google’s superior mapping data.”
Yglesias writes, “So pride aside, from Apple’s viewpoint this is a win. Apple’s not in the maps business, they’re in the device and platform business. Their problem as of a year ago is that their platform didn’t have a great maps program. Now it does. Mission accomplished.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote upon release of the app earlier today, “Well, lookie here: All of a sudden Google Maps goes vector-based and gives iOS users turn-by-tun navigation and Street View.
Who says Apple’s Maps didn’t work?”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jeff C.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Google Maps hits Apple App Store, Google admits iOS Maps app is better than Google Maps for Android – December 13, 2012
Apple-Google Maps talks ended over turn-by-turn navigation – September 26, 2012
Good point. Kind of like Bootcamp 🙂
No, it is a web page at maps.google.com It isn’t an iOS app. It is a screen link to their web site. It is running in Apple’s Safari app.
I don’t know why I was expecting something real from Google!
…pretty sneaky sis 😉
Naturally now Eric Schmidt and his evil ilk want to show up Apple as much as possible whereas Apple would have probably taken more time with Apple Maps if Google had kept their Maps on par with the Android and iOS version. So NOW they deliver the Maps program for iOS they should have before. These Google guys are schizophrenic!
Apple Maps = forever horrible
Google with the save!
And what do you exactly sk8te on? A Surface?
What Just Happened?
Cook: Update Google maps.
Schmidt: Pay us lots of License fees AND allocate lots of Apple engineers to update all fixes and updates and be happy with the inferior version. No Turn By Turn for You!
A few months later…..
Schmidt: OK! Dont pay us any fee’s. Have it for free. We do all the updates. And you can also have Turn by Turn and the App is better than the Android version. Happy now?
Talk about being screwed……and liking it.
like Eric Mole would have said, it’s winning by losing………….
and lots of KY jelly for all Google staff
Hope more people start reading Yglesias. He has some interesting insights.
Still using Apple Maps. No issues from my side…
Since Apple is reputedly considering a takeover of TomTom, they may not be “not in the map business” for long.
Googles map is still wrong, the Marytr’s Shrine is not in downtown Midland Ontario Canada. In all this time they never fix the problem. We still get tourist coming downtown ask where the Martyr’s shrine, it funny till it get annoying.
I am at a loss what all of this mapping stuff means anyway. You’d think that we’re going somewhere I’ve never traveled
It is subtle, and yet horribly apparent. Google and Apple opposed, scripted by Shakespeare and directed by Hitchcock.
Macbeth: ..It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing…
Later, a messenger: As I did stand my watch upon the hill, I look’d toward Birnam, and anon, methought, The wood began to move.
If it’s satire then it might be OK. If not, stupid is to kind. Apple was clearly trying to shake off Google and get control over the vast map web traffic and hurt Google’s revenues in doing so.
And Apple failed. Well not only failed. The fell flat on their faces and screwed up bad. Replacing a not so great map app with a map app that sends people 50 miles in the wrong direction can’t be a strategy other than for suicidal companies.
And it can hardly be a strategy that in any case what so ever can be vindicated by Apple having to let “evil-Google” back in to Ios units.
Apple tried, screwed up, lost face, had to apologize publicly, lost face, had to let Google back in and lost face again. Yes Google’s new map app is better now compared to what it used to be. But at what cost?
There are just as many reports of Google Map’s inaccuracies as there are of Apple Maps. If you’re trying to make a point, you failed miserably!
=:~)
I agree with you Rata. Google maps invariably had me going wrong way by miles, until I figured something was wrong. Fortunately I had Navigon also on my phone and was able to get back on track. Apple Maps has steadily improved and I will continue to rely on it.
Give it a fucking rest. Like practically every Apple linkbait controversy, the reality doesn’t reflect the contorted histrionics of the tech press. Apple Maps had bad data and that data wasn’t supplied by Apple. The app didn’t murder kids, it didn’t start a genocidal war, it wasn’t even unstable or unusable. And we’ll just ignore the ongoing problems with Google maps, but hey, they had a seven year head start so let’s all pretend Google’s data is perfect because one can’t get enough web hits with a reasonable article explaining all the fact. The only thing that gets traffic is hyperbole.
The idiotic whining about Maps is going to outlive the actual problem by 10 years. Just like the assholes who still need to bring up the Lisa or the puck mouse years after they were no longer relevant, the simpletons will mindlessly repeat the Maps “tragedy” years after the data is corrected.
+1
And… I’m not convinced that the errors found in the database are all that unusual amoung all the mapping databases. I have encountered serious errors in Google maps and Garmin’s data (GPS unit).
It seems it was just “the fatal flaw” that the blogosphere always goes on and on about ever time Apple has a major release. Just like antenna gate (which also occurs on every phone) It was much ado about nothing. The iPhone 4 is and was fine, all they wanted to do was to put doubt in the minds of buyers to attempt stem the tsunami of sales. And just like the iPhone 4 real buyers (as apposed to apple hating trolls) didn’t have a problem with the antenna or the map app and both devices were backordered for months on end.
Is the maps database perfect? No. But that is the nature of the beast (I haven’t encountered a map database without errors yet)
I don’t care diddly about what Google does with their Maps app. I don’t care to be tracked by Google. I don’t want them delivering ads to me. I’m not happy being their product.
I’m with you. Apple Maps has been brilliant for me. Well rid of Google’s intrusive tracking and targeting!
hear, hear!!!
Before iOS6 release, Apple had no free turn-by-turn options.
Right after that, Google immediately lost 200M maps users.
Now, Apple customers have 2 free turn-by-turn options.
great!
Nailed it!
All the tech pundits and journalists (and some here on this forum need to quit blowing sunshine up Goog’s butt. Google Maps for iOS still cannot download / cache maps for the times when a 3G 4G internet connection isn’t possible.
Until the android app and the iOS app are feature equal Google is still an also ran. Apple Maps have improved, and will continue to do so. Google kicked back and screwed iOS, especially in no turn by turn for years. Now they are paying the price and feeling the heat/regret.
Google copying Apple Maps.
Apple Maps has performed flawlessly for me, including mapping thru Siri. But I’m told that I should ditch it because some obscure town in Australia was mapped incorrectly. Nice try – didn’t work.
Nothing obscure about Mildura and it is not the only town in Aus that is way out. The problem being that apple didn’t see the difference between the middle of a council district and the middle of a town.
So why did you name them almost them both Mildura.
Apple = The Sly Fox
Apple maps is flawed. No doubt about it. Weak at best in comparison. Google Maps is drop dead gorgeous and amazing!
I’m as big an Apple fan as anyone, but saying “Apple Wins” because it Mpas sucked and Google released a superior App is pretty delusional.
No it’s not, Google was holding Apple back, so Apple basically forced Google to update it’s Maps with all the features Apple wanted
This is called competition.
Before, Google there was practically no competition, Apple gave them a big kick.
Good job Apple
While I’ll download Google Maps to have as a fall back, I’m sticking with Apple’s maps for turn-by-turn directions. Apple Maps has been excellent for that. It has been less good for finding nearby commercial establishments, so I’ll compare the two and see. All other things being equal, I’ll go with the Apple solution. I don’t like Google’s business practices and don’t appreciate being their mark for advertising.
The new Google Maps looks great on my iPhone 4S.
And at 1x, as well on my first generation iPad. However, at 2x, it’s the shits.
You are right. Some features – public transit (wake up Apple) – are good. Actual visuals, 1x or 2x are shite.
Apple maps is better at *maps*. Google maps is better at selling you.
Google public transit doesn’t work in Honolulu. However, there is a free app for that as there is for many locations.
Why does everyone think that Google Maps looks better than Apple Maps? It Doesn’t! It’s blocky and the maps jerk around. You can’t just click on an overview button in Google Maps like you can with Apple Maps witch makes it more dangerous to use. Granted, Maps in Google seem to be more current but saying that it is gorgeous is a complete joke. Apple’s first attempt was pretty darn good but granted, they can do better and they will.
Not in Australia. No turn by turn, vector data or public transit in google maps app here. Then again we never had that until Apple Maps came along.
Thanks Apple 🙂
Apple maps: No transit data
Useless for NYers and other metros.
Google maps: Great transit data
It’s a easy choice if you don’t have a car.
I don’t buy it!
Apple would not so publicly “screw up”, as Mr. Cook put it, just to get Google to turn around a version of Google Maps for iOS that was vastly superior to the previous version of Google Maps.
What’s interesting here, and the elephant in the room as far as I am concerned, is that Google turned around a vastly superior mapping solution for the iOS platform compared to Apple’s own in about 3-4 months (depending on when they got the word for Apple that Google maps was being booted from iOS 6).
Hopefully Eddy Cue will be able to turn around the services side of the Apple business. Their hardware and software is great. Their services are just OK. The inaccuracies of Maps, the frequent iMessage outages, the flakiness of iCloud e-mail, there just seems to be a pattern of mediocrity surrounding Apple services. While the hardware and software is wonderful, it doesn’t always “just work” when the services are wonky.
These may be growing pains, but given the insane amount of cash reserves at their disposal it’s difficult to understand why they don’t buy their way out of it (either through acquisition or by hiring more talent). It may just be a cultural issue.
It appears that Google is getting better at hardware and software faster than Apple is with services.