“When Apple released Mavericks, some people were puzzled by the inclusion of the Maps application,” Christopher Breen writes for Macworld.
“After all, it’s easy to understand the value of having an interactive map on a mobile device: You always want to know where you are when you’re on the go,” Breen writes. “But given that our computers already have access to perhaps the best mapping service (and mapping data) on the planet—in the form of Google Maps running in a Web browser—what’s the point of Maps on the Mac?”
Breen writes, “I can think of several reasons.”
Read more in the full article here.
Having one-click access to from the dock is a plus (not that you couldn’t do that to GMaps with a web link) but there’s also the Send to my iPhone feature, which I’ve used a couple times now and really like.
Convergence leading to divergence.
A) Converge all similar functionality into one code execution matrix.
B) Diverge all dissimilar functionality into their respective hardware units.
C) Result, less demand on the hardware CPU, better battery life, data update throughput to all devices in one keystroke. Stable find my iPhone, iPad and iMac as each device will show in real times its exact location on all linked devices!
I HAVE SPOKEN!!!
I have used Google on the web to look up an address and map it for the last time. Never again. Maos is super fast compared to Google maps on a web page, and it’s accurate. I wonder how this move by Apple will affect Google’s traffic. I hope it hurts really bad.
1) Because Apple can and Google can’t.
2) Know before you go.
3) Saves clicks when you’re piloting a drone.
(4) I’ve got a publishing deadline.
Sending a map png screen shot to a person you are meeting or a company’s file for reference.
I can think of one more possible reason that I don’t think he mentioned… (I only skimmed the article)… Which is to capture more user interaction, make it easier for feedback, provide corrections, improve data accuracy, analyze behavior, etc…
With the advent of SSD’s and the ability to retrofit MacBook Pros with Fusion Drives, my Mac now boots in less time than it takes to boot up my iPad, and with all productivity apps open too, in the state they were in when I shut down the Mac. I time it as less than 10 seconds from the time I depress the power button to full boot up to the OS X Mavericks screen. This has meant that I spend more time with my Mac than previously. I used to spend more time with my iPad and iPhone because using the HDD Mac was a bit like wading through treacle but the SSD has made a world of difference.
When I’m on my Mac I feel as if I’m in an oasis of calm with a familiar layout and high quality lifelike icons. The more I have to interface with my iOS 7 driven iPhone and iPad, the less inclined I am to spend time with them. iOS 7 is actually quite repulsive to look at and painful to use. I think having Maps on OS X is a fantastic idea by Apple which coupled with the latest SSD and Fusion Drive Macs should drive Mac adoption rates through the roof. This is all good, until they realise the big mistake they’re making with Ive and his fou fou thin fonts and flat unimaginative icons. Time to kick Ive to the bleachers I reckon.
The big one is to match Goigle’s services (excluding search), and to put a dent in their revenue stream where possible.
I drive a Ford vehicle that has an integrated GPS system in the dash. Part of the SYNC system allows me to look up directions on Mapquest then submit them to SYNC via my web browser. When I get in the car, I fire up the GPS, tell the Navigation portion of SYNC to get my directions, and it downloads the point I sent it from Mapquest on my Mac. This is the only thing that keeps me from using Maps on my Mac full time – no way to send those directions straight to my vehicle. Other than that, it’s a great app and I would use it 100% of the time, if it would just send directions to my SYNC account instead of just to my iPhone.
Oh really! See my post below. Ditch the built in Nav. Use your iPhone OR get a car with IOS in the car.
Yeah, just get a new car. No problem. After all, wanting iOS in your car is reason enough alone to get a new car.
I am planning a trip right now on my iMac. Got the route.
Clicking share button to SEND TO MY iPhone. There it goes. Pops up on my iPhone. DONE!
…however they hosed themselves by their self-imposed mandate to think different. The google interface that allows me to roll-or-scroll back or forward to zoom is intuitive and works very well. Apple Map on the mac with Magic Mouse does neither, making me click on the +/- buttons to zoom. Consequently I choose not to use it on my Mac.
I got three words for ya: Three-finger spread.
I just bought a Ford F-150, and though really disappointed in Ford’s lack of total integration with iPhones, I find that sending directions from Apple Maps to my iPhone, works fine for spoken directions. No more Magellan, no more Google. No subscription to SYNC services, and the directions have been dead on every time.
1. Why? Because Apple can.
2. MacBook Air @ Starbucks, Coffee Bean, etc.
3. Keeping Apple Users happy!
Google maps ISNT the best mapping service at all.
It’s down to personal taste and opinion.
In my opinion apple maps is the best and google maps is a crap also ran.
There is absolutely no reason NOT to restrict applications like Maps away from the Mac.
… That being said, Apple still has a lot of work to do. No interstate exit numbers? Maps is a beta application. Perhaps that is why Apple has decided to give it away. Perhaps it’s being developed by volunteers in their free time. It sure seems that way compared to a lot of the competition. Sorry, Apple, none of your Mac applications released in the last few years have been ready for release when you let them loose. Apple users will gladly wait — and gladly pay – for the best world-class software. Maps, iWork, iOS7, etc. are deficient is far too many areas.
The reason is obvious. Steve Jobs is still alive and he’s out to get Google. This takes revenue away from Google. That is why it is included on OSX.
Apple maps in Canada is still pretty bad. I have wrote to apple many times and nothing gets done. Google maps are better in Canada.
Liar!
I have the exact opposite experience.
Multi-point destinations, path optimization, manual route adjustment, user input points of interest, basic map database resident on computer, cumulative distance traveled for each instruction, USB GPS puck. This list of possibilities remains long. Streets and Trips circa 2004 could do all of this. Come 0n Apple, amaze us. Eyecandy doesn’t count.
Exactly. Add to the list interstate highway exit numbers. How hard is that?
Lately it seems Apple is run by a bunch of graphics artists who don’t actually use the products they develop. Proof positive is how Apple is stripping its Mac applications to dumb them down to be “ready for iCloud”. Apple can stick its iCloud where the sun don’t shine.
It does no good to look “flat” and “minimalistic” and “modern” or whatever the current design fad is, and it is a slap in the face to push subscription-based computing “clouds” on users.
APPLE: GET BACK TO YOUR ROOTS. MAKE REFINED APPLICATIONS WORK WITH ALL THE FEATURES PEOPLE EXPECT!
I prefer Interstate Exit Numbers also. They are consistent and unambiguous. When the directions refer to a street name it can lead to noise, because I don’t care about the intermediate street name, or ambiguity, because the navigation database has used a different name than the town did, like a highway number.
The reason for the Maps application in Mavericks is simple. It’s because they could, and it was relatively easy.
Remember that a lot of the API’s (Application Progamming Interface) for the Mac and iOS devices is the same.
All the hard work to calculate routes, display the “satellite” view properly, etc, could be re-used in the Mac version, just tweaking the interface itselfto make it a Mac (Mouse and Keyboard) GUI for a larger screen instead of a Touch interface.
So, if it’s relatively easy to put the screws to Google, why not do it? 🙂
All this complaining about apps missing features… I guess no one remembers the upgrade from OS9 to OSX. Lost a lot of features that were mostly back by 10.1 and all back by 10.3. And now they’re better than they were. Get a grip. Sometimes you have to take a step back to move a few steps forward.
Let’s remember why Apple went with its own Maps on the iPhone instead of using Google Maps in the first place, to control the content and to have it play nice with the OS. So to, this is brought to the Mac. Google Maps in the browser is not under Apple’s control, and it doesn’t play nice with OS X (compared to how it would if Apple had more control of Google’s maps).
In my experience at least, Apple Maps is still not fit for purpose in the UK – poor accuracy of data, no apparent response to corrections, no explanation of the delays in putting things right. So it’s now a less than useful app on two operating systems.
If it could actually find destinations or even acknowledge the existence of a number large towns then the integration functionality would be very nice indeed.
Apple has launched other items that have been works in progress or has upgraded items at the inconvenient expense of established functionality, and has often improved the software afterwards. But the ineffectiveness of Maps, in this part of the world anyway, is now a long-running problem. Should do much better, Apple!
Now if I could AirDrop my mapped destinations between my iMac and my iPhone…