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Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

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Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#31

Post by justincormack »

zimpenfish wrote: post #8

Apple Maps is fine. The rendering is still slightly worse than Google Maps when it comes to putting relevant information in the viewport (street names, primarily.) But the search ... good grief, the search still sucks donkey balls through a molecular straw. It seems to lack any sense of your local context and location - which is kinda relevant for maps! e.g. frequently when I used to search for "charing cross" whilst…

Google is pretty bad often too. I have been recommended a closed cafe in the UK when visiting Seattle as the nearest cafe.

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#33

Post by dmoo »

I have Car Play so use Apple Maps a lot. If I am going somewhere new I check the route on google maps as well to see if they agree. I used Apple Maps a lot in France this year on holiday and always got to where I needed to go. Routes chosen were sometimes questionable in terms of using the best road but I have had this with a Garmin in the past as well. It's unfortunate that you cant download an area as you can on google maps but the new european data roaming directive has helped this somewhat.

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#34

Post by dstroot »

thomasfoster96 wrote: post #29

The biggest issue that I (being in Melbourne, Australia) have with Apple Maps is that it is incredibly slow. It was barely usable because of the speed on my iPhone (even on 4G) before I removed the app, and is pretty much unusable on my Macbook. I’m talking up to a minute before an actual map would display, and often up to 30 seconds when zooming in. I know quite a few other people have the same problem - even the Ma…

I would add that offline mode in google maps is a lifesaver. I am in Iceland right now and was able to download a huge area and can navigate without any data usage. Wonderful!!

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#35

Post by yoz-y »

Apple maps has better traffic information in Paris. Google will happily send you to a closed station and it does not have marked exists. Both are shit compared to City Mapper though. However in general Apple has far fewer locations and generic search works less well (e.g. looking for a cleaner). Apple maps has better integration (but that is a low blow) and better interface for walking.

Google has better offline mode and caches maps for longer, so it works better without internet connection.

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#36

Post by arctux »

thomasfoster96 wrote: post #29

The biggest issue that I (being in Melbourne, Australia) have with Apple Maps is that it is incredibly slow. It was barely usable because of the speed on my iPhone (even on 4G) before I removed the app, and is pretty much unusable on my Macbook. I’m talking up to a minute before an actual map would display, and often up to 30 seconds when zooming in. I know quite a few other people have the same problem - even the Ma…

You might want to check out Eraser, made by Mapzen. Eraser is a Google Maps like app that uses OpenStreetMap data and is backed solely open source software and open data. It's a little rough around the edges (especially when it comes to transit routing).

https://github.com/mapzen/eraser-map https://mapzen.com/blog/erasermap-beta/

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#37

Post by amelius »

arethuza wrote: post #3

I use Google Maps, Apple maps, Bing maps and OpenStreetMap Some comments: - Apple maps were pretty awful when they first came out but now seem good enough (and I generally use them for walking directions in cities) - Google StreetView is great - satellite view where we are in the UK is about 12 years old so useful for a historical view - Apple and Bing satellite views are good, much more up to date that Google's and…

Do they all support an offline mode, where specific maps can be downloaded in advance?

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#38

Post by blikdak »

Apple Maps is still pretty much unusable in New Zealand, missing or bad information, no finer detail than maybe street name or even suburb, almost non-existent search capability that seems to guess the wrong place if it can't find what you're looking for. The list goes on. Google Maps however seems fully functional over here, including Street View.

Re: Ask HN: Apple maps vs. Google maps today?

#40

Post by arethuza »

amelius wrote: post #37
arethuza wrote: post #3

I use Google Maps, Apple maps, Bing maps and OpenStreetMap Some comments: - Apple maps were pretty awful when they first came out but now seem good enough (and I generally use them for walking directions in cities) - Google StreetView is great - satellite view where we are in the UK is about 12 years old so useful for a historical view - Apple and Bing satellite views are good, much more up to date that Google's and…

Do they all support an offline mode, where specific maps can be downloaded in advance?

I'm very old school when it comes to offline mode - if I'm going somewhere where I need a map (e.g. up a mountain) I'll either buy the relevant OS waterproof map, or print out a map and carry it in a waterproof case and use with a compass.

Edit: I don't know if anyone has died in the Scottish mountains because their smartphone battery ran out but I've certainly been in plenty situations where if I didn't have some kind of navigational aid I'd have been in serious trouble!

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