“Google’s failure to understand that a tablet is something other than a really big phone is becoming one of the great mysteries of the technology world. The Android tablet business has been crippled by a lack of dedicated tablet apps, a situation that Google has done almost nothing to correct,” Steve Wildstrom writes for TechPinions. “Now Google has confirmed my worst fears with the release of the long-awaited Google maps for iOS.”
“Google maps for the iPhone is lovely… But the iPad is a very different story. For whatever reason, Google did not bother to come up with a separate iPad-optimized version,” Wildstrom writes. “This is all rather hard to understand, since Google should have had no trouble developing an iPad version in parallel with the phone edition. Much smaller developers do this all the time. I can only hope that Google will realize that the iPad is something more than a larger iPhone and correct the error quickly.”
Read more in the full article here.
Booom!!
No one needs Google maps. We got Apple maps.
Absolutely correct!
Lol. Thats the funniest thing ever as apple maps are almost useless. Well, maybe if you live in the USA they work ok but for us in other countries, they are sooooooo bad.
So far, I have used Apple Maps in England, France, Italy, Canada and Costa Rica. The only place that I’ve found somewhat crippled on Apple Maps is Costa Rica. My experience in the other countries has be quite good.
It’s a lie. I live in France and can tell you that since google developped the new app, I stop using apple map because for many time, it sent me in the opposite place
Oh, so wrong! I live in “other countries” (Europe) and I am very pleased with Apple Maps, at least compared to Google Maps no 1. Even compared to Google Maps 2 (take two) Apple Maps beats Google’s, especially on turn-by-turn.
But, Waze is getting more attention lately, also by my friends, as the no one program when on the road. Think Apple should buy Waze asp, or at least implement some of ….. features.
How many countries do you live in, Thomas? It sounds like you are speaking from experience for many countries. If so, would you care to elaborate with more specificity?
I don’t doubt that Apple Maps has some weak spots. The anecdotal evidence is clear that Apple still has some work to do. But Apple is making the effort and I, for one, am very glad that Apple chose to finally make this break with Google. Just as with Samsung, it took some time to change course and there will be some growing pains. But I am convinced that this action will be to the long term benefit of Apple and, therefore, to my benefit, as well.
Thomas probably lives near where he works in Mountain View.
It’s worked flawlessly for me here in Thailand, and it doesn’t even use up any cellular data. The whole trip is able to be loaded before I leave the house.
I also have a dedicated Garmin box, and Apple maps runs circles around it. (not literally of course. That would be bad ;-p )
lol!
I’m in Thailand and I definitely haven’t had a positive experience with Apple Maps. The main content may be there sometimes but try looking for a small street or location or try to head in to rural northern Thailand. Very frustrating after being able to rely quite happily on Maps 1 back in the day! 🙁
Australia apple maps is very good, better then google maps
No, it is not good in Australia. Australian Police and Fire services are actively complaining to apple about the threat to public safety posed by the inaccuracy of their Australian maps.
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/apple-maps-blamed-for-dangerous-inaccuracies-in-bushfire-app-20130212-2ea9w.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/tourists-stranded-in-searing-heat-as-apple-maps-fails-20121210-2b4n8.html
Apple maps is worse than google maps when it comes to map view. Google comes up with shopping centres and parks whereas apple maps leaves this out on occasions
Works fine in Australia……well other than that one incident they made headlines. But then google maps had a similar problem in Western Australia, it just didn’t make as much noise.
Really? do you never leave the city? for me even in the city, it has the same mistakes my old Mio GPS of 6 years ago had. Oh and I don’t like driving through buildings. I’m a great Apple fan, but the truth is the truth. Yes they will correct it, but it should have been better to start with.
Maybe not almost useless, but pretty close. Love, love, love my iPhone. But I love my Google Maps so much more than Apple Maps. The traffic data really, really blows.
Apple maps are hopelessly out of date in Vietnam to the point of being useless.
Apple maps apparently thinks Kathmandu only has 2 roads (and marks them wrong). Nepal apparently has no roads outside of Kathmandu Valley. Google, on the other hand, maps out the valley nearly perfectly!
Wake up Apple- there is a world beyond North America, Europe and Australia!!
I like Apple maps but it still has issues. Over the holidays I went skiing in upstate NY and when I asked Siri for direction hope it routed me to Saratoga which is hundreds of miles away from home. Google maps worked flawlessly.
This is the 1st time Apple maps routed me in the wrong direction. I generally find Apple maps to work well. Google maps really shine when you are trying to find a restaurant or business. Apple/Yelp often misses a lot of places.
s/home/hope. Damn autocorrect.
Interesting. This summer we did a trip from the Southwest part of central NY and went Northeast taking back roads instead of the Thruway, and it got us to the Saranac Brewery in Utica with perfect accuracy. After all I’d heard I was a bit nervous relying on it through the boonies and hilly cow country, but it never gave us a wrong turn.
Totally agree. To avert the blizzard heading into eastern Iowa, I headed straight south to Missouri en route to Phoenix. After stories I had heard I was a bit nervous taking the back roads it put me on to get me headed southwest in Missouri and then south to Jefferson City at night, but it was perfect and I was able to miss all the snow.
Apple maps sucks. It shows my location in Atlantic Ocean when I M standing on Marine Drive in Mumbai.
It’s funny not to have the Google maps app on iPad and that too for such a long period after release of iPhone app.
Google … Are you listening??
Milind, try EggMaps. People seem to like it. (disclosure: it’s my app).
What a crock of crap. Apple maps Is COMPETELY useless. Try this: Get directions from Norton, MA to the New York Marriott Marquis (New York City). Google maps will give you nice directions for this 3.5 hour trip. Apple maps gives you (and I quote) “Directions cannot be found between these two locations”.
This happens ALL THE TIME with Apple maps even between well known locations such as these!
Literally just ran it. Directed me to Le Marquis Hotel on 31st in midtown.
What you been smoking?
I love Google Maps. And I will never buy another Apple device, given the manner in which Apple screwed-over it’s customers.
Yeah but Apple Maps is s**t
Apple maps is dismal. Granted it knows where some of the major places to visit are but that’s it. It doesn’t know where small businesses ae so unlike google maps where you can simply type then name of the place in you have to get the exact address. It doesn’t even know where the biggest concert hall in stoke on Trent is and the main theatre is still listed as a cinema. It’s shocking.
I suspect they’ll release an iPad version eventually but its a small portion of users who will have a cell enabled iPad and would use google maps vs the large amount on the iPhone.
its kind of a limited market for a tablet version of google maps on an iPad imho.
Apple maps is excellent even when there is no live WiFi connection. I find that my iPad remembers quite a large area without having to access the internet. I am able to navigate quite a good distance. Can’t say teh same for Google maps.
You are wrong!
They should make one with downloadable maps so that they can be used offline. Maybe even restrict it to some major cities. In the uk for example just have London Manchester and Birmingham offline maybe a few extra
Well, from a. Swedish viewpoint the funny news was that our se ond largest city, Gothenburg, was placed out in the North Sea. Now Aplle has corrected these evident and embarrasing flaws.
I downloaded Google Maps and I must say I like the graphics and functions a little better than Apples own maps. The decisive factor is that Google includes talking directions. Before my wife or myself had to follow our passage with one eye on the little iPhone map; a quite suicidle task. Now I have the in-ear head set in and have a soothing female voice telling me e axactly what to do and whe to turn. (Who can that woman be, anyway? Hmmm…)
No, would be a silly step to lock out an app that so many seem to like – just because it is competing with Apple’s own app. somehow “Sovietic” in its approach and rather bad PR for Apple itself. If Apples own maps are as good as some of you say, well may it then be downloaded more then Google’s and be happy with this. Don’t go against the liberal spirit of the Internet. You will just shot yourself in the foot, Apple.
Stop lying to youself. There must be a reason why apple’s map gets such a bad review. Sure depending on where you using, it might be fine but the inconsistency is what the problem is. Tell apple that the map app is bad so they can fix it!
Fact of life – google mapping data is far superior than apple and apples design of map app is a generation ahead of googles map app design. Apples map app has the potential to beat google maps if mr. cook spends a few more bucks in making a smarter acquisition of a company holding perfectly updated maps with a trillion POI (Like Nokia for example…err yes Nokia)instead of making its mapping team burn midnite oil and take another 5 years to match google map data..
Fact of life – Google Maps are also often in error. As Joe E. Lewis said once “Nothings perfect”.
I meant actor Joe E. Brown!
It’s not up to Google to fix Apple’s mess. I can understand why everyone on an iPad wants Google Maps… because Apple’s sucks SOOOO MUCH!
My favourite app is Apple Maps. Apple Maps are anything BUT what you say.
It is not Googles job to correct any “conceived” problem with Apple Maps….that much I do agree…..but it seems Google are doing just that. WONDER WHY?
as you do not indicate in your statements that those are ‘y’all’s opinion’, one must assume y’all are attempting to define the absolute. Given that, and also given that apple maps does work well at this time, you, sir, can fuck off
I live in Altrincham, UK. But when I enter my post code into Apple Maps, it says I am in Sale! NB: Sale is about 3 miles down the road. I reported this immediately when I received my iP5, but it still has not been corrected. What puzzles me further is the fact that most other mapping app’ns have accurate post code destinations, including TomTom, and TomTom is supposed to have “supplied” Apple with data.
To help clear up misconceptions:
Apple isn’t using their own map data. They are using data from TomTom and others.
Their map data is perhaps not yet as comprehensive as Google’s but that’s great for Apple because Apple never had a cell phone in a crowded market either and then look what has happened.
Any problems with Maps is so far overblown and perpetuated by some Apple haters. Most, including me, love Maps and am very happy using while not missing Google at all.
Apple haters should get a life.
Apple maps work very well, however the quality of the base data outside the US varies very much. For instance, search for “Beira, mozambique” and look at the names of the main avenues, they datil show the mame of the portuguese dictator Salazar. All those names were changed in 1974 when the country became independent. So you have a map
So you have a map that is 38 years out of date.
As you can see, Apple maps is not even close to perfect, at least out of the US. Granted in mozambique you probably dont have many Apple gear but still, a 38 years out of date map is “kind” of an insult to the faithfull users.
When you think about the scope of it, the vastness and detail of the whole deal for every little road, business, etc. in the entire world it’s amazing that it can be done with as much accuracy as it’s done by ANY company! I don’t see how any of them can be completely flawless, now or ever.
My only problem with the – using Tom Tom data – quote, is that I also have Tom Tom on my iPhone and it doesn’t have the same mistakes, so how old is the Tom Tom data that they are using? Oh and I am an apple lover.
Everybody gets mapping data from many different sources. Google is using data from TomTom and others.
Here is a long list of sources for Google’s maps:
http://www.google.com/help/legalnotices_maps.html
Looking at the comments, almost no one has mentioned what really makes Google Maps number 1 mapping solution. I live in US and yes I have yet to see Apple Maps fail geographically but, geographic accuracy is not everything. Google Maps offers much much more than that. I can ask for a store’s nearest locations, look up a particular one’s phone number, enter an address with a “less common” street name, no problem. Not to mention street view to check if I’m really at the right place. Apple Maps has none of these great stuff, or fails miserably. I’m neither an Apple nor a Google fan, but as soon as Google Maps for iPhone is out, Apple Maps R.I.P’ed.
Having offline maps is immensely useful
If Apple never forced Google’s hand, we’ll still be stuck in iOS 5 era maps that is bitmap based (read : bandwidth wasting) and lack offline caching
Because of Apple’s insistence, now we get 2 different mapping solutions for iOS, both vector based. And the best part – Google now has to provide maps to iOS for free and losing out a big chunk of licensing revenue that could’ve came from Apple if they partnered with them instead of being their rival and stealing their customers.
Not sure I understand this story…
My iPad has a very nice Maps app which features Search, Directions, Routes, and (most importantly for me) Street View.
It’s all quick and easy, and reasonably accurate so far as I can tell, especially with Street View so you can actually see where it is you are wishing to find.
I thought this was a Google app…
Apple map in japan is terrible, very far way to go to catch google. Waiting for google map for iPad to install…
EggMaps HD was released today on the app store. It is a full-screen iPad-only app that provides Google Maps (including Google Transit). See http://www.eggmaps.com/ .
Just downloaded the EggMaps app. I was really missing goggle maps especially the street view, but this one covers it all and works great. Thanks, Mike!
Google is flop in tablet market so they aren’t developing google maps for iPad .If they develop their parent app which is available in both markets .Than there will be no one buy their Android tablet n iPad will get more popular than their tablet bcoz it has best market
In the world than any other tablet.
Apple maps for the country I live in (Thailand) is absolutely ridiculously bad. Streets wrong, streets missing, landmarks wrong or missing, wrong names, even compleet islands missing (Koh Phi Phi is a prime tourist destinations: these 2 islands are not on the map!!) and much more. To sum it up: useless!
Here in Chon Buri it’s really good. Much better than the Garmin dedicated box I bought a couple of years ago. I haven’t ventured far afield though.
Why on earth would Google go out of their way to update their apps for a platform that is essentially a direct competitor to their own? Why is anyone angry or surprised that Google Maps sucks for Ipad? Google should only be concerned with making apps for android tablets, and, by the way, all of their apps including Google Maps work great on android tablets. Complaining about Google Maps not being on Ipad is like complaining that Apple Maps isn’t available on a Nexus 7. Have you ever heard someone complain about that? No. You know why? Because Apple Maps sucks. If you want to use a Google App, why don’t you switch to a Google device. Otherwise, shut the fuck up!
The author is blasting Google for not making google maps available for the ipad. Why should Google give a shit about Apple or users of Apple products.
Quote:
“Google’s failure to understand that a tablet is something other than a really big phone is becoming one of the great mysteries of the technology world.”
Google managed to eat a huge chunk out of Apple’s market share and it’s NOT their failure to understand the tablet.
Apple Maps in Qatar almost useless. Can’t find any direction. I can easily find any address and direction on my Android phone and with Google maps.
apple maps is better since the update and is not far short of google maps but i find google maps has a much better zoom and the biggy for me is street view, i assume apple maps doesn’t have it and that is a big downside.
Apple maps suck in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Try going to Hungarian Embassy, it points you to the other side of the city and to the house of the ambassador himself – freaking crazy and embarrassing when you knock on the door. You can’t find buildings and most street names are not there. Even major roads have wrong names.
Apple sucks in the Philippines. Maybe some would think the country is puny than the US but it is a country. The streets are not named. Only major streets and land marks are quite defined.
Apple sucks in Egypt. Try going around Egypt in apple maps and for sure you’ll end up going circles.
Apple sucks in Western Australia. Also, it doesn’t have bus routes. In google maps you have timings of buses too.
I’ve got lost many times due to apple maps. I don’t trust it anymore.
US and Europe and Australia aren’t the only countries that deserve to have a detailed map. Apple forgets that all other countries are big users of iDevices too. I say Asia deserves better maps.
Those who attack each other here, we all have different experiences with apple maps. It may be great in your end, but not in most places.
As for google maps… Yea they better make one for tablets. Tablets nowadays have 3G and some wifi connected to the phone for bigger view of the map.
To the one that commented about apple and tablet. Not all tablets are Apple. I think everyone knows that? It is a failure for google to understand the tablet. Samsung, and a lot of android and google powered tablets should benefit this.
If you jailbreak your iPad with the evasi0n.com jailbreak, download FullForce from Cydia and enable full screen mode for the iPhone version of Google Maps. It looks great and works well. I wonder why Google didn’t take the tiny bit of time required to make a universal app like they did for most of their other apps.
Apple’s own map CANNOT replace Google Maps. I work at 269 Queen stree East, Brampton, Toronto, Canada. When customers type this address in apple maps, it shows the location 1000 metres away from its actual location. Customers who take help of apple maps always gets lost!!! 🙁 Hopeless 🙁
You guys do realize that “Apple maps” isn’t made by Apple? It’s TomTom GPS. Yes it does give a lot more problems than it does with Google maps.
Hear hear!