Apple Maps Vehicles • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#31

Post by JoblessWonder » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:15 PM UTC

nav1 wrote: post #4

nakedrobot2 wrote: post #2

Does anyone have a photo of one of these vehicles? I'd love to see it. Apple is certainly in the long game with their maps... One interesting thing to point out is that while google streetview started as a project to augment the maps with photos, it quickly became clear that these photos of the streets could be a primary way to gather accurate real-world data about the streets, one-way signs, street numbers, and so o…

This article has one: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/17/apple-maps-vehicles-engl...

That van isn't available in the US (much to the consternation of my employer who wants them to go along with their Sprinter fleet...)

In the US they will be using Dodge Caravans. Here is a YouTube video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GONB3cezusI

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#32

Post by darkstar999 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:20 PM UTC

vinay427 wrote: post #15

Any news on whether Apple will contribute these findings back to OpenStreetMaps, like Microsoft's apparent provision of Bing aerial imagery?

Haha! No.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#33

Post by sosborn » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:24 PM UTC

roflchoppa wrote: post #25

jobu wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me the biggest problem with Apple Maps on iOS is usability, not data. The first thing I've ever seen anyone do when they start a route on Apple Maps is pinching to zoom out. No, you need to use the overview button. Wait, where's the overview button? You need to tap the map to show the button, and then tap the button and it shows the whole route. After that you have to zoom back in to see what's coming up next in…

oh man that drives me up the wall, but i also noticed that it drives my mother up the wall too, i guess even a 50 year old lady with limited tech experience also saw through that flaw.

> 50 year old lady with limited tech experience also saw through that flaw.

It has been my experience that these are the people most likely to snuff out UI flaws whether they know it or not.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#34

Post by ycombi42 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:25 PM UTC

jobu wrote: post #18

danso wrote: post #6

This is impressive...while I'll be using Google Maps on iOS for a long time to come...Google has such a lead that creating one's own geospatial dataset seems tantamount to reinventing the wheel...yet, it seems dangerous to not have competition in this area, as it gives one company almost unilateral power to define the existence of geography (at least for day-to-day usage). And of course, using Google Maps means buyin…

For me the biggest problem with Apple Maps on iOS is usability, not data. The first thing I've ever seen anyone do when they start a route on Apple Maps is pinching to zoom out. No, you need to use the overview button. Wait, where's the overview button? You need to tap the map to show the button, and then tap the button and it shows the whole route. After that you have to zoom back in to see what's coming up next in…

Agreed. Another issue I find irritating is that Siri speaks the directions way too late, like as I'm passing my exit or crossing an intersection that I was supposed to turn in.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#35

Post by bluthru » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:28 PM UTC

I'm really excited to see Apple's 3d model of street view versus Google's 2d skyboxes.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#36

Post by matt4077 » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:29 PM UTC

jobu wrote: post #18

danso wrote: post #6

This is impressive...while I'll be using Google Maps on iOS for a long time to come...Google has such a lead that creating one's own geospatial dataset seems tantamount to reinventing the wheel...yet, it seems dangerous to not have competition in this area, as it gives one company almost unilateral power to define the existence of geography (at least for day-to-day usage). And of course, using Google Maps means buyin…

For me the biggest problem with Apple Maps on iOS is usability, not data. The first thing I've ever seen anyone do when they start a route on Apple Maps is pinching to zoom out. No, you need to use the overview button. Wait, where's the overview button? You need to tap the map to show the button, and then tap the button and it shows the whole route. After that you have to zoom back in to see what's coming up next in…

Google isn't much better. Searching for directions from A to B where neither A nor B are your current position always stumps me.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#37

Post by sctb » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:31 PM UTC

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9691055

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#38

Post by pepijndevos » Wed, Jun 17, 2015, 5:35 PM UTC

This is the page to check out if you want to go maps photobombing.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#39

Post by gress » Thu, Jun 18, 2015, 3:18 PM UTC

Navarr wrote: post #19

gress wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't 8 years behind.

Initial Release of Street View was 8 years ago

Apple isn't starting from where Google was 8 years ago.

Re: Apple Maps Vehicles

#40

Post by simonh » Sat, Jun 20, 2015, 12:04 AM UTC

bambax wrote: post #21

simonh wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unlikely to take anything like 8 years. Much of Google's effort during that time has been refreshing images of streets they had already visited. If Google has visted a street 4 times to keep the data up to date, Apple only has to visit it once to be just as up to date (and continue to visit regularly after that to stay up to date, of course). edit: mixmastamyk beat me to it by 1 minute, so +1 to you sir.

That's not entirely true; Google does not refresh all of its data every cycle: some "rare" locations (where few people live) have been visited only once during those 8 years. To catch up you need to cover all locations, not just the frequent ones, so that takes more than one cycle.

Google doesn't cover 'all locations' so I think that's a red herring. Their best bet is to provide a service with unique distinguishing features that is competitive with Google. Similar or competitive coverage is just one measure of usefulness.