Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval • Hacker News Board

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#101

Post by fpgeek » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:05 AM UTC

mortenjorck wrote: post #93

nostromo wrote: post #21

This map uproar seems a tad hyperbolic. I used it this morning and I was actually pleasantly surprised. My map experience wasn't worse as I expected, but actually much better with turn by turn. The people most upset seem to generally be edge cases. I'm sure Apple will work those out as complaints roll in. Google has had 7 years to perfect maps. Apple feels maybe a year behind in some respects and a year ahead in othe…

51% of the world currently lives in cities.[1] 79% of Americans do. The preferred mode of transportation in cities is public transit – a highly useful competency of the old Maps app in which Apple has replaced the UX of "here's how to get there from here" to "hey, go look in the App Store." 51% of the world. 79% of Americans "Edge cases," you say? [1] http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=83

To be fair, plenty of American cities have crappy public transit. On the other hand, plenty of people in non-US cities absolutely depend on public transit because cars and/or gas are substantially more expensive (on an absolute basis and/or relative to the local standard-of-living).

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#102

Post by fpgeek » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:09 AM UTC

bluedanieru wrote: post #88

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not true, you don't have to be a monopoly to get in trouble for anti-competitive behavior, you just have to be... participating in anti-competitive behavior.

Yes, but what's anti-competitive depends on what your market position is.

True, but a company that is already the target of one antitrust lawsuit probably has less leeway than it used to.

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#103

Post by fpgeek » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:12 AM UTC

tsunamifury wrote: post #50

recoiledsnake wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>In pretty much every thread about Apple on this site, you will be reminded that Android enjoys amazing sales. And in the same threads and on Apple blogs like Gruber's and Siegler, you're constantly reminded how it doesn't matter because Apple takes ~75% of the profits, and statistics on how apps are more profitable on iOS because Apple users are the premium users willing to pay and how many Android users are too che…

Its only a monopoly if you are very narrow minded about the market. Brew and J2ME have multi-billion dollar app markets that compete with Apple and Android in terms of volume.

Citation please?

So far as I know, Nokia was a leader in non/pre-iOS/Android app markets. For some reason I think their results weren't competitive with iOS or even Android...

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#104

Post by fpgeek » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:17 AM UTC

CCs wrote: post #57

How about TomTom for iPhone? http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tomtom-u.s.-mexico/id35568237... Yes, it costs $60 + in-app purchase for more frequent updates, but still, at least it is accurate.

Um, doesn't Apple source much of their underlying data from TomTom? Absent incredible stupidity on one side and/or the other could TomTom really be holding out on them?

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#105

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:28 AM UTC

nostromo wrote: post #21

This map uproar seems a tad hyperbolic. I used it this morning and I was actually pleasantly surprised. My map experience wasn't worse as I expected, but actually much better with turn by turn. The people most upset seem to generally be edge cases. I'm sure Apple will work those out as complaints roll in. Google has had 7 years to perfect maps. Apple feels maybe a year behind in some respects and a year ahead in othe…

[deleted]

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#106

Post by ghshephard » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:30 AM UTC

kyleslattery wrote: post #96

Jim Dalrymple says no: http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/09/20/on-the-rumor-that-goog...

That should be, "Jim Dalrymple, AKA Apple unofficial backchannel hints"

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#107

Post by ryanhuff » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:43 AM UTC

fpgeek wrote: post #97

0xABADC0DA wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple's maps will never reach Google's. There is one way Apple's maps already surpass Google's: no advertising. For instance the iOS 5 Youtube app never showed ads, whereas the new app store one shows tons of them. Sometimes 1/4th of the screen is advertisement. I'm sure it will be the same way for maps. Looking up a bus route, looking for used cars for cheap? Oh you are walking someplace, wouldn't you like a bicycle…

The advertising isn't intrusive in the Android version of Maps. It's also worth noting that, like search advertisements, Maps advertisements have the potential to be useful. If I'm looking for a restaurant near some location, restaurants that care enough to advertise in Maps for that location could easily be worth considering.

True, because Google is trying to use Google Maps as a hook into Google+ Local. For maps, it all comes back to local search.

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#108

Post by ryanhuff » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:45 AM UTC

revelation wrote: post #20

cooldeal wrote: post #16

Wonder how this jives with Gruber's comments on the maps situation: >Using Maps to Improve Maps >> Scott Rafer: >>What’s missing from this conversation is that map usage is critical. […] Google’s maps are going to start degrading. Apple’s will get better. They’ll meet in the middle within 18 months. >The idea is that you need to collect usage data to improve your data. The only way for Apple to get from here to there…

Maps don't magically improve through usage. Fix a POI here and there from user input is not going to cut it for competing with Google Maps. For that, you need LIDARs on the road.

How does LIDAR fix POI?

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#109

Post by ryanhuff » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:47 AM UTC

fpgeek wrote: post #100

mirkules wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OP's point is that this feels a lot like Antennagate 2010, where a large number of non-Apple users latched onto the fact that there was something wrong with Apple products, and complained louder than the actual Apple users. At this point, we can call all the evidence anecdotal until we see some hard numbers on how much map data is actually incorrect, and what actual percentage of the population is affected (I'm n…

To me, Google's tone at their pre-WWDC Maps event (and the effort they made to demonstrate things on iOS devices) doesn't seem consistent with the hypothesis that they decided to force Apple's hand.

Its entirely plausible that Google framed the map situation one way publicly, but another with Apple in private.

Re: Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval

#110

Post by steevdave » Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 2:53 AM UTC

I really do hope they do.

I've been using the beta and all through it, there were no routing apps available for my area (San Antonio, so not exactly a tiny city, according to Wikipedia we are the 7th largest population wise)

Now that iOS 6 is out, I decided to give the Maps app a shot again. So I pulled it up, thought for a second since I am used to the old interface, clicked the wrong thing a couple times, finally got to where I needed to go. Scrolled through the saved list of directions that I've used in the past (very helpful). Clicked the bus button. Got routed to the App Store. There were 8 or so apps to pick from. Which ones sucked and which ones didn't, no idea. It's too new to tell.

Picked one at random, it's 99 cents, which is fine, I don't mind buying apps. It installs. And then sits there. Wait for a bit, maybe it's thinking or something (I'm on an iPhone 4, not 4S or 5). Okay, it's not. Go back into the maps app. It hasn't saved where I am, I'm back to the default screen. This time I remember so I go back to the directions. Click the bus button. Get routed back to the App Store again. This time the app I have says ROUTE. So I click it. It shows some introduction screen. I click the start button. Directions are blank.

Go back into maps, back to the directions, click the bus button, back to the App Store, click the route button, and the in the routing app, are two very different addresses than the ones I entered in to the Maps app. Scratch my head wondering how that happened.

Close Maps, close the routing app, delete the routing app, launch maps.google.com, get the bus schedule almost immediately.

I have no idea what anyone else's experiences are, but I have never been so disappointed.

Now as mentioned, I'm still on the iPhone 4, and I'm at the tail end of the contract, I believe next month is when I qualify for the upgrade without paying full price. I'm seriously looking at the S3, although the new report of the exploit via NFC is a bit troubling. I'm not particularly worried about the apps I've purchased on the iPhone. I've spent maybe 150 on apps on the almost 2 years I've had the phone, and as I was talking about it to a friend, he pointed out that as a smoker, I spend more than that per month on cigarettes, which really put things into perspective for me.

Never has Apple tastes so sour.