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The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

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Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#261

Post by zmb_ »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #243
Tichy wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said, I don't think that kind of thing would apply to a Maps app by Google. It is for businesses who use maps for something else. For example if you show a map on your homepage with all the locations of your stores. The browser makers (Mozilla & Co) don't pay either if somebody opens the Google maps web site.

You have completely missed the big picture here. Google charges 'volume' users of their maps API, that is part of the way they pay for it. The map "application" on iOS was a client that called Google Maps APIs and displayed the results. It generates a lot of volume, and Apple was going to have to start paying for that this year. you wrote: "For example if you show a map on your homepage with all the locations of your…

>Is there any scenario where Apple would 'approve' an application by Google that would be instantly significantly better than their native App?

Yes. The scenario we're currently in. By approving Google Maps app now, they give their users back the experience they expect without having to pay Google for the use of the Maps API. Meanwhile they can keep working on their own mapping solution until it's ready to take over, at which point they can pull Google Maps from the App Store.

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#263

Post by toyg »

headShrinker wrote: post #254
toyg wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nokia acquired Navteq, which was already a top player in the mapping space. For about a year, their horrible S60-based models were selling well because they all had free high-quality mapping apps with turn-by-turn navigation and TomTom directors were shitting their pants. Then Apple and Google "divorced" while the iPhone was exploding, Google basically stopped improving Maps on iOS (all features went to Android), and…

It's not really fair to qualify Apple's entire product as "falling 5 years behind" based on one app. The phone is far more polished in virtually every other way. Maps is important, other things are important too.

I meant to say "in the mapping space". The post originally had a rant about the inevitable full phone/GPS integration being delayed because of these silly corporate squabbles, but I removed it at the last minute.

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#264

Post by angryasian »

toyg wrote: post #250
angryasian wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Google basically stopped improving Maps on iOS incorrect: maps was an apple app that use google maps service. So it was apple that stopped improving maps on Ios

It's fair to say Apple couldn't improve it without help from Google. It's not like they could just switch to the officially-published API and hope Google would let through all the traffic.

Apple and Google had an agreement in place. It was apple that chose not to continue this agreement. Speculation: I find it hard to believe from a business perspective that Google would want to do anything to harm this relationship as the map and map search provider on the ios platform. Being the default service for maps on ios is a win for google. Even if they release an app at this point, they aren't the default which is a step backwards.

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#265

Post by Tichy »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #243
Tichy wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said, I don't think that kind of thing would apply to a Maps app by Google. It is for businesses who use maps for something else. For example if you show a map on your homepage with all the locations of your stores. The browser makers (Mozilla & Co) don't pay either if somebody opens the Google maps web site.

You have completely missed the big picture here. Google charges 'volume' users of their maps API, that is part of the way they pay for it. The map "application" on iOS was a client that called Google Maps APIs and displayed the results. It generates a lot of volume, and Apple was going to have to start paying for that this year. you wrote: "For example if you show a map on your homepage with all the locations of your…

So now it is Google's fault that Apple ships a crappy maps app? Sorry, I think Apple just were too full of themselves, and they were greedy at the expense of their customers.

As for the other story - sure, if Apple had demanded that the Google Maps app shows Apple Ads, not Google Ads, or that they get a share of the Ad revenue, then Google would walk away eventually. Obviously it is also worth something for Google to have their Maps on iOS, so they might even have paid Apple for the privilege for a while (either a fixed sum, or part of the ad revenue).

If Google were to publish a Maps app now (and Apple would accept it), it would simply be free and show Google ads, like all the other Google maps. Apple wouldn't have to pay a dime. Why should it have been different with a Google maps app shipping with iOS?

Maps are a central part of a mobile device, so I suppose Apple was getting desperate to get a share of the pie (Ad revenue and valuable data collection).

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#266

Post by ChuckMcM »

zmb_ wrote: post #261
ChuckMcM wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have completely missed the big picture here. Google charges 'volume' users of their maps API, that is part of the way they pay for it. The map "application" on iOS was a client that called Google Maps APIs and displayed the results. It generates a lot of volume, and Apple was going to have to start paying for that this year. you wrote: "For example if you show a map on your homepage with all the locations of your…

>Is there any scenario where Apple would 'approve' an application by Google that would be instantly significantly better than their native App? Yes. The scenario we're currently in. By approving Google Maps app now, they give their users back the experience they expect without having to pay Google for the use of the Maps API. Meanwhile they can keep working on their own mapping solution until it's ready to take over,…

Read the 9to5mac story about rumors of a Google Maps app waiting to be approved. So we get to test that option. I think its fabulous since it can give us data that neither Apple nor Google would give up voluntarily :-)

Truly one of the best parts of working at Google when I did was being able to see so much more of the moving pieces in these sort of mini-dramas. Don't miss it enough to go back but it was unique.

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#267

Post by pluies_public »

vm wrote: post #258
cooldeal wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Microsoft got so such pass with WP7 and that was an entirely new OS/platform! Well, around tech circles, Apple and Google frequently get more free passes compared to Microsoft. And that's kind of funny because Nokia just put out a comparison with Apple and Google maps to cash in on this hoopla. http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/09/20/benchmarking-mobil...

I'm surprised by how poor this Nokia comparison is. Maybe it highlights the difference of that company vs Apple or Google. The post focuses on the reach of their maps by showing lots of numbers in a comparison. They would better demonstrate their point with side by side pictures, like the ones from OP of this thread. Personally, I wonder about the reach of this marketing angle. I take 2 international trips per year.…

> I don't care if the maps work in Columbia or South Africa. I just want it to work well where I live!

So do people in Columbia and South Africa. :)

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#268

Post by DigitalSea »

I think my favourite image was the state park with this caption beneath it, made me laugh out loud: "Valley Forge State Park became Valley Forge National Historical Park a few years ago… in 1976" in all seriousness Apple's maps offering quite clearly isn't up to scratch in comparison to Google's maps application.

While Google have made mapping look easy for a long time now, it quite clearly isn't as easy as Apple thought it was. If Jobs were still alive, maps would never have been released in the state that it currently is. Seems like Apple rushed the release of maps, I wonder what the real agenda for moving away from Google maps in the first place was here? It quite clearly wasn't because Apple had a superior maps offering than Google could offer.

Way to force us iPhone users to use an inferior mapping product. Luckily Google have submitted a maps application to the maps store, but it'll probably get rejected for competing with the iPhone maps application.

Re: The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

#269

Post by jsnell »

angryasian wrote: post #264
toyg wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's fair to say Apple couldn't improve it without help from Google. It's not like they could just switch to the officially-published API and hope Google would let through all the traffic.

Apple and Google had an agreement in place. It was apple that chose not to continue this agreement. Speculation: I find it hard to believe from a business perspective that Google would want to do anything to harm this relationship as the map and map search provider on the ios platform. Being the default service for maps on ios is a win for google. Even if they release an app at this point, they aren't the default whi…

There is no way that it was a unilateral decision by either company. Clearly there was some offer (e.g. more money, dropping patent lawsuits against Android) that Google would have been happy with. Or some terms that Apple would have been happy with (e.g. lower cost, access to more API features). It's not either party's fault alone that they couldn't agree about the terms.
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