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Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

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Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#21
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

Sure, Apple spent billions of dollars acquiring companies and developing Apple Maps just so Google would come in and plunk theirs down...

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#22
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

My first thought was along the same lines. What if this was a long con to get Google to release what Apple wanted for free? Any bets on if Apple Maps is gone in iOS 7 and google maps becomes the system mapping provider again?

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#23
post #20
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a really, really hard time seeing Apple's map fiasco as a win for Apple.

Google submitting a turn by turn direction enabled google maps app is some sort of win nonetheless.

For Google, yes.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#24
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

How is that a win? Apple got egg on their face from all the bad press. They had to shell out a ton of money for 2 map companies they bought, money for all the map data they are buying, plus all the engineering resources to create the product.

Google Maps lets google have full branding on the iphone and can gather all the data they want from users. And they can have all the branding on the Maps that they want.

If I remember right, some of the reasons Apple and Google didn't agree on maps is that Google wanted more branding and to gather more data. And I also believe Apple wasn't too happy about paid advertisements appearing for map search results.

Google really seems as the winner here.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#26
post #6

Could there have been a (pro android) business case for not releasing this app? Edit: accidentally wrote 'pr android.'

I think the bigger business case for not releasing it would have been unrelated to Android: Apple used to pay us a hell of a lot of money for our map data, and they chose to stop. So now we give their users our stuff for free instead? but clearly they decided in the end there was a bigger business case for doing it. I don't entirely understand how Google plans to make money, and I'm not always sure they understand th…

"Navigate to Chinese food"

I can imagine ways to make money from that. If 5 Chinese restaurants are all just about the same distance, and have relatively the same ratings, then you can suggest the person goes to the one that happens to have paid Google $0.50 in advertising.

Maybe they won't do this, maybe they will.

But picture that you're a Chinese restaurant, and you know people use Google Maps to navigate to you - you'd want Google's data on your store to be up-to-date.

Having up-to-date data from local businesses has to be very good for Google.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#27
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

It's the consumer who wins in the end. The old model had an outdated map app. Now we've got two major companies competing to create a great map app on iOS.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As many commenters have said, it wasn't necessarily Apple's choice to make the change, and they were bound to their own release schedule.

And as has been rehashed over and over, it was Apple's choice. They simply prioritized other things over Maps. Do not confuse not having a choice with choosing to wait until you were under constraints to make difficult choices.

it's a fair point, however, the way I see it, they had 2 choices: Release at iOS 6, release at iOS 7. We don't know when they actually started working on the new maps app. Choosing to delay for another whole year would have been a bigger mistake in my opinion. Apple Maps has successfully got me everywhere I've asked it.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#29
post #22
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

My first thought was along the same lines. What if this was a long con to get Google to release what Apple wanted for free? Any bets on if Apple Maps is gone in iOS 7 and google maps becomes the system mapping provider again?

Now that I've read this, I was starting to think the same thing. Apple is completely capable of creating good software. They have all the resources they need, and "polish" is what their company is all about, so why release a sub-par app?

Yes it's far fetched, but not beyond possible.

Re: Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

#30
post #13

Actually I think Apple won here. Google was refusing to release a turn by turn direction update to their apps. By developing an Apple Map App with turn by turn, they kind of forced GooG to provide it on iOS platform. Also, it is very difficult for google to ignore ios users.

That's an interesting perspective, but there are a few problems with it. I think Apple could live without the brand tarnish from the Maps app (mostly, the errors in the data). It's become a running joke against the platform and a bit of PR nightmare as park officials warn people not to depend on it.

The move to smartphones gave us powerful, handheld computers. Apple proved to be awesome in that space. Now, however, these phones are becoming small glass windows to cloud services that crunch large datasets to give you quick, meaningful, and accurate answers. With Maps and Siri, I think Apple is showing that they don't yet have the competency here that they've enjoyed with hardware and interface. I'm not ruling them out, but it feels like the game has moved to play more to Google's advantage.

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