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Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

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Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#241

I'd been using Waze for a couple of years, and initially it was far superior to Apple Maps. But a few months back, I got really frustrated with it because it led me down some closed roads & ended up doubling my commute time home from work that day. I'd also been noting how off it was on its estimates on when I'd get to my destination. And I was also perturbed by it not knowing the back street entrance to my work site…

This lines up with my experience. About a year and some change ago, it was undeniable to me that Apple Maps had become markedly superior at directions than Google Maps or Waze. GM/W would routinely just be very off and give me the alert to make a turn as I was passing it at speed. Apple has made one howler in the past year or so, directing me to a closed road — recovering from that took about 45 minutes because it wa…

I use Apple Maps, but I still think Google Maps is superior at directions only because Google offers more alternate routes and Apple sticks to the usual routes almost all the time. I also think Google is better at updating accidents on highways and ETA calculation.

But Apple Maps has one massive advantage which is the reason I ditched Google Maps and that is the UX. I love how simple it is to read the maps. Important information is shown prominently during navigation and the UI feels super clean. Google Maps, on the other hands, feels really cluttered and slow. It takes a good few seconds just to see the map after you open the app because they are loading all the unnecessary BS like new restaurants, nearby events etc.

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#242
post #37

What I hate most about Apple Maps is that reports about incorrect data never seem to go anywhere. Apple Maps thinks that the road that leads to my house is a one-way street. It's not. But because of this error Apple Maps always wants to send me on a 5 minutes detour if I try to use it to navigate home. I've reported the problem twice but never got an answer or a correction. In fact all problems I've ever reported in…

> What I hate most about Apple Maps is that reports about incorrect data never seem to go anywhere. Wow, I've had the opposite experience. I've only used it a handful of times, but when I've reported incorrect phone numbers and such, it's always been fixed in just a few days, and I receive a notification through the app that they've done it. I found the experience to be impressively fast and painless. Sorry to hear i…

> Where are you located, and what version of the OS were you running when you reported these things?

I live in Germany and I think I was running iOS 12 when I reported the issues.

Maybe Apple only looks at reports in the USA...

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#243
post #177
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I agree with your general sentiment, Apple Maps, like many of Apple's mobile apps, gets a boost from Apple's anti-competitive practices. It's utterly ridiculous that we can remove default apps from iOS, including Maps and Safari, but we can't set new default apps to replace them. If we ever get serious about increasing competition in the tech sector, an easy place to start is letting users set default brow…

One specific thing that bothers me is that Microsoft got in trouble for bundling IE with Windows, but apple doesn't get in trouble when they block all browser apps that don't use Safari under the hood. How is this different? I want Google and Mozilla (and anyone else) to be able to make iOS browser apps from scratch if they want. It wouldn't be an issue if you could sideload apps easily, but the app store is really t…

Microsoft got in trouble for licensing deals: strong-arming OEMs to force them to bundle Windows. Apple doesn't license iOS.

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe a town has a law saying you HAVE to bike on the road. I think that's usually the case. This page [1] says: > The law in most areas of the country require bicycles to follow the same rules of the road as other motor vehicles. In essence, riding your bike down the sidewalk is the same as if you hopped the curb and started rolling it in your car. [1] https://www.campfirecycling.com/blog/2008/07/09/top-5-rules-..…

Not always though, for example here in Michigan [0]. At least around here some of the streets are NOT the kind you want to ride your bike on, and there's only a few pedestrians on the sidewalk (so it's not a big deal even if you stopped and walked your bike around them). > Bicycles may be ridden upon a sidewalk, but cyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and are required to give an audible signal before…

Doesn't seem that different. Basically, you're expected to be on the road and obey road rules, but you're allowed on the side walk if the local ordinance doesn't ban it and you give right-of-way and a wide berth to pedestrians.

i.e. riding on the sidewalk is more of an exception, and is typically allowed for kids.

This is pretty common, I believe. I looked up my local (Cambridge MA) laws and they say the same thing (and have a list of the sidewalks you can't bike on), and New York state looks the same.

In the dot.ny.gov FAQs, they explicitly say that sidewalk riding is legal unless posted, but is specifically intended more for young children.

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#245
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally Apple Maps is still really bad. I have tried using it to drive and walk around major cities in the last two years and it just completely misrepresents where some roads are, it doesn't catch up with construction, etc. etc.

This announcement today was about the release of entirely new rebuilt maps data for the entire US, from the ground up.

Yes it's almost as if this thread is attached to an article about how Apple Maps is not the same as it once was

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#246
post #194
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any idea why they haven't / are there plans to add cycle routes in the future? It seems like a glaring hole in functionality (more than "street view")

I suspect it may be california-centrism. Bikes are a vital mode in Europe and many other parts of the road. In california car is king, bikes are either recreational or for hardcore commutes. You can see similar assumptions in how Siri is designed. (“Users only speak one language at a time”) or the effectiveness of multilanguage support in autocorrect. Most people outside north america use their own language + english…

Or maybe they’re busy rolling this massive update out (they’ve barely completed the US and have yet to finish Europe).

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#247
post #13
post #3

Apple Maps has come a long way since its disastrous initial release. For about a year now, I have rarely used Google Maps. I typically find Apple Map's routing to be just as effective, even for avoiding traffic, accidents, etc.

Yup I switched about a year ago because I liked the CarPlay interface the best out of [Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, Subaru Built In Maps]. And the privacy over Google Maps is a huge bonus.

My favourite feature on iPhone is it telling me where my car is parked. Sometimes I go to a meetup at a local university, which is also a rats nest of roads and alleyways, and this has saved my hide multiple times

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#248
Something I still miss in Apple Maps is any way to plot out and measure distances. I like to take walks to keep my step count up on my fitness tracker and I use Google Maps to plan a route using their distance measuring feature. Would love to do that on my iPad but alas, no such luck.

Re: Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for users in the United States

#249
post #98

So only 194 countries left. Go Apple! Also, we really love being considered second priority to the US!

Someone has to be first, why not their biggest customer? How would you sort the priority list?

I'd maybe prioritize the UK over Alabama or Florida.
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