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Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

forbes.com

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Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#161

Post by Closi »

beagle3 wrote: post #65
dreamcompiler wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can look back months, see exactly what routes I went down, where I was at a given time. So can Google. I'd love to have these features but the price is just too high. The price would be too high even if I trusted Google (which I don't), because every company that collects personal information will be hacked because no company is properly incentivised to protect users' data.

You know your phone service provider has that location information in resolution that’s almost as good, right? The only way to opt out is to turn your phone off (equivalently, leave it at home). For some people, the fact that google also knows it is no big deal. For some it is. But if you are worried about your whereabouts being leaked, how can you justify using a phone in the first place? Verizon and AT&T are more l…

> You know your phone service provider has that location information in resolution that’s almost as good, right?

Just because one industry has access to my location data without me being able to stop it, doesn't mean I'm going to give any other company that wants it unfettered access to my location data for whatever purpose they want.

With maps the good news is I do have an opportunity to pick providers that have better privacy policies.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#162

Post by yawaworht1978 »

Google maps has a couple annoying features, the main one being the location arrow is confusing, I am by far not the only one saying this. And as of recently, in some locations I have been(large western European capitals) it is lagging, on different networks and devices. Many wrong turns taken because of that, this is very time consuming during peak traffic hours in large, dense cities. Not sure about apple maps, but Google maps has me on the fence considering changing the app.

Also is there a feature where I can save "school for kids", "work", "sports"? I could not locate it.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#163

Post by threatofrain »

Maxburn wrote: post #156

Apple maps has a lot of weaknesses, particularly the search along route limitations that I bump into all the time. Mostly in the US it's "good enough" though. BUT when I started seeing so many obvious advertising things going on in google maps the writing was on the wall. Lately the advert items started looking an awful lot like my starred places, that's some dark patterns I'm not going to put up with.

Still better than partnering with Yelp, I would think. Apple Maps puts Yelp front and center like one of its star performers.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#164

Post by kccqzy »

devoutsalsa wrote: post #61
heliodor wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bad choices in rural areas for Google Maps seems to be a recent thing. My guess is that it's a result of a new approach of combining computer vision of satellite imagery with phone location data from ranchers driving on their private dirt roads.

Google Maps took me down all sorts of goofy unpacked backroads in Crete this past month. It’d cut the driving distance in half and double the driving time. Although my Fiat Panda rental did surprisingly well on uneven, unpaved roads.

I had the same experience even in Santa Clara County. Google maps led me to drive on unpaved roads along the farms near Gilroy in order to avoid the congested 101. It's not worthwhile, and I'd argue Google should expose an option to let me express my preference.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#165

Post by hackmiester »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #3

I’m curious - does anyone reading this agree with the notion that Apple maps is becoming comparable to Google maps? I haven’t given it a fair shot in almost a decade I guess, and it was almost unusable then. Does anyone here use it as a daily driver? What are the strong and weak points?

Spoken directions in Apple Maps are unmatched.

"Go past this stop sign, then at the light, turn right on X Avenue" - it's exactly how you would expect human directions.

Google Maps is absolutely worst in class, behind all competitors I have ever used, in spoken directions. Here is a very common Google Maps direction from where I live: "In 300 feet, keep left toward Alabama 231 South / Alabama 431 South / Memorial Parkway Southwest, then keep left onto Memorial Parkway Southwest."

By the time Google Maps finishes reading this direction, it's taken so long that you will actually miss the next step in the directions. Google Maps doesn't interrupt itself in this situation, and it is often extremely long winded.

Even when you start directions on Google Maps, you get a mostly pointless, long-winded direction. "Head east on Pratt Avenue Northeast." And if you start by traveling perpendicular to that direction, you'll often get, "Head east on -- Head east on -- Head east on -- Head east on --", repeating every time you pass an intersection, until you finally comply by heading east. Good luck if you don't know which direction is east.

Speaking of this nightmare scenario, Google Maps will also get stuck rapidly talking over itself if you accidentally select walking directions, but you are driving. Apple Maps detects this situation and automatically fixes it.

So I guess I use Apple Maps because it doesn't have any of these extremely frustrating and borderline dangerous problems.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#166

Post by chadlavi »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #3

I’m curious - does anyone reading this agree with the notion that Apple maps is becoming comparable to Google maps? I haven’t given it a fair shot in almost a decade I guess, and it was almost unusable then. Does anyone here use it as a daily driver? What are the strong and weak points?

I deleted google maps from my phone in 2017 or so and haven't missed it at all.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#168

Post by unclewalter »

I love the way Apple Maps gives turn by turn directions: “go past these lights and at the next set, turn left”. Just way more understandable as a ... human.

However, it commonly gives me just the wrong destination. Just the other day, it put me five blocks away from the actual address in Downtown LA. Which is... well, suboptimal.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#169

Post by wrycoder »

gotbeans wrote: post #120
philjohn wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried Apple Maps again recently to drive to my daughter's school half an hour away. Despite it stating that the destination was indeed that school, I ended up in a residential street over 3 miles away. The carplay interface of it also wasn't as easy to follow as on Google Maps - which is surprising.

I tried apple maps 2 years ago just because my android died and my wife pulled out her iphone. It was on a tahoe trip to ski, we happened to hit a snowstorm that day. Apple Maps decided to optimize the route and suggested a better route through a friggin road that passed rather close to a ski station (could even look the name up). We had a 4x4 and we were fine for the most part, but things got really bad when descend…

I’ve been using the Verizon map app for navigation for many years. Until recently, it’s been better for me than Google- it’s simplified, which is good when driving.

But it’s not as reliable, in the sense that it sometimes recommends seasonal roads that are closed in the winter and even in the summer need AWD.

I haven’t had any problem with Apple Maps, and I appreciate the integration with the Apple Watch. So, I’m using it more. Plus, the Yelp app connects to Apple Maps automatically.

And I’m drifting away from Google, anyway.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#170

Post by kccqzy »

illuminati1911 wrote: post #16
steve_adams_86 wrote: post #3

I’m curious - does anyone reading this agree with the notion that Apple maps is becoming comparable to Google maps? I haven’t given it a fair shot in almost a decade I guess, and it was almost unusable then. Does anyone here use it as a daily driver? What are the strong and weak points?

I use Apple Maps in Shanghai. It's very fast, accurate and shows bicycle/scooter lanes, indoor maps for malls etc. very well. Google Maps even with VPN (to bypass the censorship) is nearly unusable here by modern map software standards.

Apple Maps in China is not powered by their own data. It's data licensed from a third party (Gao De). Chinese law prevents private citizens and corporations from mapping the country unless with a special license.

But yes I agree with you from my own visit in Shanghai that Google Maps is not worth using in China.

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