I think of Apple Maps the same way I think of North Korea's missile program: I know it exists and it has continent-level accuracy.
one of the best comment this week
DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
171–180 of 284 posts
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
If privacy is worth something to you, it’s clearly better than Google. Is it? Has everyone forgotten the Yelp tracking beacon? Good thing Apple relies on Yelp for business info and has pretty deep Yelp integration with the mobile app.
In DuckDuckGo's implementation at least it looks like they proxy all requests to Yelp so there is nothing Yelp gets from you in a non anon way.
Unfortunately it's incredibly difficult to become fully anonymous. Yelp can infer who you are by things like your home address (a few searches to see how far away restaurants are, for instance)
This Wikipedia article has a few examples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_re-identification
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#173This is cool to see, and I think should be a virtuous cycle. As I understand it, maps is the kind of thing where more usage really helps make the map better, and while DDG doesn’t bring the scale of being the iphone’s default map, it should be adding a non-trivial amount of traffic. I’ve used Apple Maps as my primary map since it came out, and I’ve only gotten a wrong location one time in literally thousands of searc…
> Not saying it’s clearly better than Google If privacy is worth something to you, it’s clearly better than Google. I, too, use Apple as my primary map. In many cases, Apple Maps is better Google. The ones in which it’s behind are more than made up for by Apple’s values.
I'll believe it when they're both independently audited and found to be measurably better. Apple is incredibly secretive so although they might not end up in headlines, there's no guarantee they're any better than Google.
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#174I was a big defender of Apple Maps, largely because I almost never saw any problems with the data. Then I moved into an apartment complex in which Apple had the driveway in the wrong place. I've moved since, so I'll spell it out: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=5940+Arapaho+Rd%2C+75248&t=osx&ia=... Apple Maps believes that the driveways are to the south and east, but in fact the front driveway--the main entrance--is to the…
> So the problem will apparently never be fixed, at least until an Apple employee happens to want to visit a friend who lives in the Enclave at Prestonwood and realizes they can't get there.
Or you can report the issue yourself in-app?
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#175I think of Apple Maps the same way I think of North Korea's missile program: I know it exists and it has continent-level accuracy.
Given that North Korea has been able to place satellites into sun synchronous orbit, its missile program has far better than continent-level accuracy.
The hard bit is coming back down.
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple's new "look around" street view competitor looks really impressive. Rather than being a series of photo spheres and smearing between them as you move, the buildings and other objects are built out from 3D scans so that it can have accurate perspective as you move down the street. There's still fudging for small objects like overhead powerlines, lampposts, trees, and street signs which don't get picked up in det…
Apple's new "look around" street view competitor looks really impressive. That's something that stood out immediately as it passed, their camera dome was actively spinning, at a pretty high RPM. Unsure if Google Maps cars are using similar technology, or if their imaging apparatus is still one pod with multiple cameras placed along laterally-I haven't seen one here recently.
The spinning camera was probably Lidar.
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Is the data a lot more precise? Perhaps in Apple's own backyard. In the Netherlands it's laughably bad. Cycle tracks? Mostly missing (in a country that has a huge cycling infrastructure). The map doesn't even have building outlines. Google Maps is slightly better, but mostly because of the more extensive mapping of points-of-interest; because business owners add their own information with an almost religious zeal.…
Perhaps in Apple's own backyard. In the Netherlands it's laughably bad. Cycle tracks? Mostly missing (in a country that has a huge cycling infrastructure). The map doesn't even have building outlines. Apple uses Tom Tom data. We never had serious problems with car navigation in Germany where we lived before and in The Netherlands. Bike navigation is indeed bad, but it is also bad with Google Maps once you cycle in na…
Apple uses a variety of providers in addition to TomTom, which they list here: https://gspe21-ssl.ls.apple.com/html/attribution.html
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
If privacy is worth something to you, it’s clearly better than Google. Is it? Has everyone forgotten the Yelp tracking beacon? Good thing Apple relies on Yelp for business info and has pretty deep Yelp integration with the mobile app.
I wish DDG had the ability to also use OSM for data/map tiles and not just for direction. IMO it would help to make it grow if more people used it and contributed business data on it.
It would have been pretty interesting if Apple had integrated with OSM instead of building their own solution. Kind of a pie in the sky concept, but I still would have liked to see it.
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#179One thing thing that I love about Apple Maps is that they have the name of every river, stream, creek, and ditch if you zoom in far enough. I can't find this information in Google Maps (maybe there's a way to find it, but zooming in doesn't do it). This was exceptionally helpful on my recent trip to Corsica, where I was searching for a specific stream with a genetically significant population of native trout. Apple Maps made finding it a breeze, and even had the name of all the tributaries that flow into it, which were essentially just trickles.
I subscribe to OnX Maps for most of my fishing and hunting research in the United States, but Apple Maps is a pretty great free option.
Re: DuckDuckGo Expands Use of Apple Maps
#180This is cool to see, and I think should be a virtuous cycle. As I understand it, maps is the kind of thing where more usage really helps make the map better, and while DDG doesn’t bring the scale of being the iphone’s default map, it should be adding a non-trivial amount of traffic. I’ve used Apple Maps as my primary map since it came out, and I’ve only gotten a wrong location one time in literally thousands of searc…
> Not saying it’s clearly better than Google If privacy is worth something to you, it’s clearly better than Google. I, too, use Apple as my primary map. In many cases, Apple Maps is better Google. The ones in which it’s behind are more than made up for by Apple’s values.
Having tried the switch recently, Apple maps is still way too incorrect for anything more than general bearing finding in many places. Even addresses in Emeryville, CA - across the street from Pixar headquarters - were off by about a half mile! And in that case, something felt off and I’m glad I checked Google Maps before walking.