Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#21

Post by daurnimator » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:20 AM UTC

drewg123 wrote: post #10

spike021 wrote: post #6

Google Maps has been steering me wrong quite often the past 6 months, including instances where it has me pass the landmark or business that I am driving to, turn into a private residential neighborhood, go two to three blocks in, and say "you've arrived at your destination". Tempted to try Apple Maps again now that it's improved since launch.

Its funny, Google Maps has been doing almost the opposite for me -- always insisting that I go in the main entrance to a property, and continuing to route me after I've parked at the location and exited my car. For example, I was trying to get to a shop at an intersection where going in from the minor street would have been easy. Instead it, it wanted me to make 3 turns to go in on the main street.

And not only the main entrance: google maps will route me so that I always end up driving along the side of the road the destination is on.

I don't mind crossing the road on foot if it gets me there 5 minutes faster! and infact, at my apartment there is usually more parking on the other side of the road...

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#22

Post by tomtang0514 » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:20 AM UTC

will_walker wrote: post #17

This is great. Waze provides an additional service here - pointing out police locations, which is extremely useful over long stretches of highway. I wonder if google Maps' performance is due in part to Waze users being shunted off of main highways? Another weird though - if Waze is spoon feeding you ads, don't they want you to drive as long as possible?

But waze doesn't point out police by itself, waze user did that when they're driving. And I really don't want the drivers in the cars around me doing that...

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#23

Post by intopieces » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:22 AM UTC

Waze's interface looks like a child's toy, representing its users as fat sperms with wheels. Also, I don't want to take 100 side roads to save 3 minutes and I don't care where the police traps are. They're not pulling me over while I'm going 35 in traffic.

As for Apple Maps vs Google Maps, whichever comes up when I shot at my device for directions is what I use. No real preference, so long as I don't have a robot voice shouting at me.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#24

Post by tzs » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:26 AM UTC

I'd like to see a review of how the various navigation apps do in situations with unusually heavy, unusually widespread traffic, such as when people were trying to go home after the 2017 total eclipse in the US.

I was using Waze when leaving Madras, Oregon, after the eclipse heading to the Puget Sound area of Washington. It suggested a route that would bypass a couple miles of slow traffic, but the road it sent me down was a dirt road with a periodic undulation in it that caused massive vibration, and my car and the two or three others that were on it were throwing up so much dust it was very hard to see. I turned around and went back to the main route and put up with the slow traffic.

A friend of mine was also leaving Madras, but heading to California. He was using Google. It also was giving some poor route advice. Here's what he told me when we compared notes of our trips home:

> Google kept sending us onto logging roads: we bailed on the first when we were told to turn onto a non-existent road; we bailed on the second when a van came out and told us that ~5 cars were stuck axle-deep in mud; we bailed on the third when we got to a sign informing us that we were about to enter an off-road-vehicle trail.

I'd also like to see a review of how the various cell phone companies handled it. Both me and my friend are on T-Mobile, and something like 90% of the text messages we tried to exchange were either lost or delivered hours late. I think we managed one or two short voice calls. Most voice calls either did not connect, or on occasion would connect but only one of us could hear the other.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#25

Post by gutnor » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:30 AM UTC

pat2man wrote: post #13

myrandomcomment wrote: post #3

So I switched to CarPlay so I am forced to use Apple maps. It’s not that bad. I think the turn by turn is better then Google was. The only issues I cannot figure out is when you have to paths showing on the screen (dashboard screen) and you want to pick the other one (not default). There seems to be no way to do that. You just have to know to make that alternate turn then it picks it up.

As far as I can tell you have to choose at the beginning, once you locked a route in you have to cancel and start over to get another route.

That is somewhat inconsistent though. Actually the opposite is what's annoying me me with all 3 mappings app.

You bother picking a route but then the app decides that it knows better, all it takes is deviating ever so slightly from the route, which means anytime the app is confused for some reason (parking lot, gas station, ...) it takes over.

In London, much prefer dumber application that because of lack of by the second traffic optimisation try to redirect you back on the main roads. In the country side that's another matter though, going toward one highway ramp or keeping the scenic route for 2 more village can mean half an hour time difference depending on traffic pattern.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#26

Post by Spooky23 » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:34 AM UTC

Waze is great as long as there isn’t many lights or stop signs.

I enjoy using it on road trips. For commutes, I don’t get the point, but I also don’t have a long commute.

I find Google Maps too distracting as a driver. I like to know the route and it always recalculates. Apple Maps usually uses simpler routing.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#27

Post by foobarian » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:34 AM UTC

erichurkman wrote: post #4

This matches my experience trying to use Waze, multiple times, over multiple years. Sometimes the "creative" routes would seem to save time, other times exiting the freeway to take a surface street would have me sitting at the offramp for 10 minutes... possibly with all of the other Waze users who were routed that way. There's also a familiarity level of safety taking known routes. Sure, cutting down some residential…

I wish Waze (or others) had a "lookback report" after arriving at the destination, where they picked all users near me at the origin, filtered out those that ended up near me at the end, and grouped by different routes taken. It would take a certain user base size to get this to work. But it would be awesome to see an apples-to-apples A/B comparison of routes, and once and for all answer the question "was I a fool to take the back roads instead of the main route?"

Another feature wish for Waze: voice-activated incident reporting. It's hard to tag accidents/hazards/speed traps while driving by hand, not to mention dangerous and illegal.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#28

Post by arenaninja » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:38 AM UTC

Recently switched from Android to iOS, and I haven't felt the need to install google maps. Apple Maps does everything I need it to. The navigation feels the same but I find the turn-by-turn instructions better on apple maps. I was on the bandwagon when we were making fun of apple maps for telling people to drive out into the middle of the ocean, so it seems to have come a long way since

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#29

Post by eridius » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:39 AM UTC

jacksmith21006 wrote: post #2

Here is the best comparison I have seen with Apple maps and Google maps hands down. https://www.justinobeirne.com/google-maps-moat/ Google Maps's Moat - Justin O'Beirne

That's a very detailed article, but it's all about the information present on the map, not about the accuracy of routing.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#30

Post by xster » Wed, Feb 21, 2018, 1:40 AM UTC

erichurkman wrote: post #4

This matches my experience trying to use Waze, multiple times, over multiple years. Sometimes the "creative" routes would seem to save time, other times exiting the freeway to take a surface street would have me sitting at the offramp for 10 minutes... possibly with all of the other Waze users who were routed that way. There's also a familiarity level of safety taking known routes. Sure, cutting down some residential…

The whole dynamic rerouting thing is a prisoner's dilemma though. And the Bay Area is probably the worst are to avoid the metaphorical snitches.