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Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

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101–110 of 293 posts

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#101
post #13

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.

Only from the CarPlay screen... I think you can change to alternate routes from your phone screen at any time.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#102
post #74
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> he location of speed traps most importantly. How in any was is that legal or ethical to have that data available.

In europe you usuallly have warning before speedtrap. You can also hear about them in fm radio. The point is to slow down, not to get you a ticket..

Why not just put in speedbumps every few miles, then?

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#103
When I did analysis of hundreds of millions of predictions to analyze our prediction algorithm for trucks, I had a couple of metrics I would look at:

MAE: mean absolute error: easy to understand metric. Given a stable system, this was my go-to standard.

Bias: you put this one in. Generally, you want your predictions to be slightly pessimistic.

RMSE: root mean square error. Most important one. Being 5 minutes off consistently is better than 30 minutes occasionally.

Precision: larger trips can have larger errors. Here you divide your error by the predicted (or actual, or both) and then aggregate.

Then obviously I would separate it into classes. Each 15 minute longer trip would have its own class. Highway vs suburb, region in the Netherlands, time of day and weekday.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#104
I don’t drive so I can’t say I’ve ever used Waze, but I did recently switch from Google Maps to Apple Maps. I’d say that the author’s findings about both apps largely mirrors my own experience using them for public transport and walking directions.

Apple Maps generally always gives fairly conservative but accurate estimations of walking times, while Google Maps is all over the place. I’ve missed perhaps half a dozen buses while using Google Maps because of unrealistic walking times, but none while using Apple Maps. On the other hand, Google Maps has also sometimes overestimated walking times by ~20 minutes.

As for using public transport, Apple Maps is just more useful. It’s easier to find stations, easier to find out about disruptions and gives better walking directions around stations. Google Maps regularly gets trains and buses mixed up, makes it a pain to find information about disruptions, and in a city with multiple modes of transport (i.e. Melbourne AU with trains, trams and buses) a cluster of train/bus/tram stations on a map just gets rendered as an unreadable mess.

Google’s UI is also a bit of a pain. Several friends (both iOS and Android users) have complained that Google Maps is too fiddly to use on the go. I’d agree, and add that Apple Maps is a lot easier to use on a crowded train or while walking.

That said, for a long time I persistently had problems with Apple Maps being slower to load actual maps. I suppose I’d better start collecting my own usage data and write a blog post.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#105
I'm using Waze because this is the one which knows about closures. I stopped using Google Maps and switched to Waze when Google took me to the 'quickest' empty route turned out to be empty because of a closure. I know nowadays Google already knows about this but only because of Waze. Google would be totally useless without Waze (and they know this).

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#107
This is a nice analysis, explained well. The results seem to jive with the impressions I’ve heard about these apps.

I wonder how other places compare to San Francisco, though? The variables involved with solving vehicle routes can differ a lot across locations. Probably ditto for the fitness of however each app is implemented.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#108
post #105

I'm using Waze because this is the one which knows about closures. I stopped using Google Maps and switched to Waze when Google took me to the 'quickest' empty route turned out to be empty because of a closure. I know nowadays Google already knows about this but only because of Waze. Google would be totally useless without Waze (and they know this).

So, given that Google Maps now has this feature, what's your reason now?

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#109
post #102
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In europe you usuallly have warning before speedtrap. You can also hear about them in fm radio. The point is to slow down, not to get you a ticket..

Why not just put in speedbumps every few miles, then?

The reason there aren't speed bumps every few miles is the same reason it's not illegal to tell each other where the speed traps are: there is tension between public support for the goal, and public annoyance at enforcement.

This is also why it's not illegal to buy a car that can go 120 mph, even though there is not a single road in the U.S. with a speed limit that high.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze

#110
post #93
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is to stop people speeding in every location, so how does this achieve that?

The point of all traffic regulations and enforcement is to improve safety. Ensuring people adhere to the limits in high-risk areas does that.

And if the police focused their efforts in "high-risk areas" it would be hard to make the argument that speed enforcement is all about revenue.

They don't, so it's not.

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