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How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

cultofmac.com

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Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#41

Post by blinkingled »

joeblau wrote: post #23
warmwaffles wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google maps sucked when it first came out. It will be fixed and both applications will improve. I think this is will only turn out two awesome map applications rather than just relying on google for everything.

Really? I remember when I first used Google Maps coming from being a Map Quest user, I was blown away that I could scroll without having to refresh the page.

I remember something very similar - I wasn't even a Google fan then and I remember just not wanting to go back to Mapquest after having seen Google Maps.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#42

Post by ankushnarula »

cageface wrote: post #29
brisance wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's overblown because if Apple were really upset at Samsung they wouldn't be supplying parts for iPhone 5. Remember, according to court filings Apple approached Samsung first to try to settle it before resorting to legal means.

Happening already: The Korean Times is reporting this morning that "Apple has reduced purchases of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for tablet computers from Samsung Display amid the deepening patent disputes, said a leading market research firm, Friday. Market experts said that the move is aimed at minimizing its reliance on Samsung parts." http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/09/apple-cu...

Speculative at best. High density display sales are ever-increasing across the market - it makes sense for Apple to diversify the supply chain. That said, it makes little to no sense to feed your competition purely from a business standpoint. Samsung can of course continue to sell their parts to other OEMs.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#43

Post by snowwrestler »

joeblau wrote: post #23
warmwaffles wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google maps sucked when it first came out. It will be fixed and both applications will improve. I think this is will only turn out two awesome map applications rather than just relying on google for everything.

Really? I remember when I first used Google Maps coming from being a Map Quest user, I was blown away that I could scroll without having to refresh the page.

Google's interface was revolutionary, but MapQuest had deeper and more accurate data for years.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#44

Post by ankushnarula »

J-H wrote: post #34
SoftwareMaven wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole point is they may have had no choice . Yes, it sucks, but if they don't have a contract, their choices are very limited.

Then why didn't they move to OSM or Bing Maps?

They're using OSM - as for Bing, they'd be trading one headache for another. The notion that Apple is doing this to take control of a core aspect of iOS seems to make historical sense given how Apple likes integrating and controlling popular functionality into their products.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#45

Post by ankushnarula »

milesskorpen wrote: post #21

This article makes a legitimate point about the maps application. But I don't get the strange tangent on Google+ — why would anyone expect Apple to anoint the social network of a competitor which isn't even that popular?

Yeah - to call Google+ the Google Maps of social networking is like calling Smalltalk the Facebook of OOP.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#46

Post by Xcelerate »

Xcelerate wrote: post #38

I hardly got to the article because I couldn't quit laughing at the image at the top! Apparently that was an old painting that an 80 year old woman "restored": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo_(El%C3%ADas_Garc%C3%A... It's a very interesting story in and of itself.

Seriously? I found the story to be intellectually stimulating. There's a lot in the news about how the new version can be an interpretation of both secular and sacred themes. I hardly consider my comment un-hacker-news worthy.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#47

Post by s_baby »

joeblau wrote: post #19

I agree that the obsession against Google is hurting Apple, but I also feel that Apple is not the only company with a vendetta against Google. Twitter, Facebook, Yammer, Mozilla, and Dropbox are a few names that come to mind off of the top of my head. One thing that all of these companies have in common is that they had a product, and Google came though (or is coming) with its machine to copy/paste it as a Google pro…

Isn't Mozilla funded by Google?

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#48

Post by demallien »

andreyf wrote: post #17
arrrg wrote: post #2

First, to get it out of the way: People are very right in mocking Apple. They deserve every bit of that. What they delivered with their Maps app is embarrassing. I do not want to defend that. The problem, however, is that this article assumes something to be unequivocally true even though we do not know whether it is: That Apple decided to build their own maps in order to hurt Google. It takes two to play. Both Apple…

the old Maps app was perpetually stuck in 2007 while Android phones gained 3D views and (much more important) vector maps and turn by turn navigation I don't need or care about 3D view or vector maps or turn-by-turn navigation (although I see how the last one could be useful for a lot of users). I, like most city dwellers, need directions that take public transit into account. I can't believe Apple released an "upgra…

A couple of points spring to mind: 1) public transit is not a very big advantage. It is useful only in the handful of US cities that have decent public transport. In Paris, one of the great public transport cities in the world, google still doesn't provide public transport information. In 2012. Apple's solution, to rely on 3rd party devs for this has every chance if providing a solution to iPhone users before Google.

2) But even assuming you're one if the lucky few for whom Google provided public transport information, you can still use Google maps from the browser. You can even add an icon in Springboard for it, giving you full access to google itineraries. The only thing that has really been lost is street view.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#49

Post by clutteredname_ »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #30
adnrw wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...the obvious interpretation of this is that when Apple built the iPhone they licensed Google Maps but with the clause "the iPhone cannot do turn-by-turn" This is from Google's Maps/Earth API TOS: 10.2 (c) No Navigation, Autonomous Vehicle Control, or Enterprise Applications: (i) real time navigation or route guidance, including but not limited to turn-by-turn route guidance that is synchronized to the position of a…

While true for the average developer, I would imagine a deal brokered between bizdev teams would look drastically different than those ToS.

A valid point, but it is conceivable that a similar clause would find its way into larger licensing/development agreements. Turn-by-turn could have been some gem thy wanted to hold as Google's one-up on any client built using their own API. Truthfully, it would be dumb of Google to give away everything, and keeping turn-by-turn (or even just a broader navigation scope) is something I can see as the ace in the hole they hold onto regardless.

Re: How Apple's Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

#50

Post by 001sky »

vegardx wrote: post #36
brisance wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's overblown because if Apple were really upset at Samsung they wouldn't be supplying parts for iPhone 5. Remember, according to court filings Apple approached Samsung first to try to settle it before resorting to legal means.

I think you don't realize just how big Samsung is. If you're making hardware, it's not like you can just drop a partner like Samsung because of legal troubles in another department. They are huge, and it's hard to replace them over night.

Samsung corporate is $100bn+ and the mobile is only ~$20bn, so this is a valid point. On the bigger issue here, though, it does seem if apple is being a bit emotional in the whole thing. They are the most profitable/successful company in the world right now. $700bn is insane market cap, its 2-3x GE under Jack welch. They should be 100% focused on kicking ass with product. Buy some map companies or whatever. Spend $1-Xbn on that and they will make it up in marketshare and stock price.
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