Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

forbes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 247 posts

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#211

Post by ghostly_s »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #159
cdubzzz wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you but to be fair I just tapped “public beaches” in to Apple Maps and got a bunch of nearby public beaches. The Yelp integration is what annoys me. I don’t care much about the stars or anything in Google Maps but the photos and sometimes comments be can very instructive. On Apple Maps this information is hidden behind a third party service I don’t use or want to use.

I assume they are working on getting rid of Yelp and only use it as a stop gap until they get their own sufficient data.

They don't seem to be collecting any replacement data from their users...

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#212

Post by ghostly_s »

r0m4n0 wrote: post #135

Apple Maps has a long way to go on biking directions. Today on the Chicago waterfront I selected biking directions and it just said “unavailable” I do like the contextual directions on Apple Maps they say “at the next signal turn left” but I refuse to use two map apps

Apple Maps does not yet offer cycling directions in Chicago, period. Despite it being on their "coming soon" list about 2 years ago. I would love to switch, cmon guys.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#213

Post by kfajdsl »

ehsankia wrote: post #81
mr-ron wrote: post #29

I opened up my settings to allow Google maps to have access to my location all the time, even when not using the app. I have found the Timeline feature in Google maps to be a huge game changer in terms of 'where ive been' and 'what Ive done'. I can look back months, see exactly what routes I went down, where I was at a given time. It will even match pictures with the locations. Especially for journaling vacations (so…

That's the thing, to me, the fact that the information is connected to me is the reason I use Google maps. I understand it's not for everyone, but to me it's a feature, not a bug. The issue with privacy labels also is that you have to list the worst possible scenario, whereas through options, you can possibly reduce that list quite a bit. Google Maps now has an incognito mode which unless I'm wrong would be equivalen…

I consciously leave a lot of the Google data collecting features on.

More than once, Google search suggestions have been freakishly good; this is coming out of my ass, but I feel like they might use your contacts for suggestions, which I usually notice studying last minute for a test or whatnot.

Then, of course, you have things like Google Photos, the aforementioned Google Maps features, etc.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#214

Post by abraham »

wutbrodo wrote: post #46
SirensOfTitan wrote: post #30

We were already using Apple Maps pre-iOS15 because its turn-by-turn directions were far superior. With Google Maps, we were often surprised by the directions: it would be like keep left... keep left...TURN AROUND NOW. Apple Maps often shows the next two directions, and more clearly dictates what we should do next. ... with iOS15, Apple maps are just gorgeous, and I've completely deleted Google maps (I now have no dep…

> Google has sat on its hands the last couple years with Google Maps: it has hardly improved at all, and outside of their move to jack up prices for API users, I haven't heard of any real changes. It's a pretty mature product, so you'd expect the pace of signjificant change to be much slower. And large, noticeable change (like a redesign) is a poor metric, as it often feels like a PM getting their wings at the expens…

The Google Photos mobile apps have heatmaps of photos. https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/25/21301932/google-photos-re...

Disclosure: I work for Google, not on Maps or Photos.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#215

Post by nextos »

darekkay wrote: post #207
nextos wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In brand new neighbourhoods, I've also found OSM much better than Google Maps. E.g., lots of new developments in Cambridge were extremely well annotated whereas Google Maps didn't even have streetnames. This is super helpful when you are shopping for a new property.

When I moved into a new neighbourhood, the street name was on neither map. I've updated both. OSM update was fast. Google took several months to update, even though I had provided official documents as requested. The frustrating thing was that most delivery companies had issues during this time. Also, some online shops didn't consider my address valid.

Yes, I've been in the same situation multiple times! UK postcodes are really fine grained. It's great for tracking buildings, but it's a nightmare when companies do not update their databases.

For those who've not been to the UK before, in urban areas a postcode and a house number are enough to identify a property.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#216

Post by jorvi »

tshaddox wrote: post #52
komuher wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good for you one mega-city in Europe* got proper apple treatment after 10 years lets wait 20 more years for other monster cities, and then they can maybe add some cities under a 10 million population :D

What’s the other option? Google is the only internet map ever? Or no other internet map can ever release anything until they have perfect global coverage?

Sell iPhones cheaper in countries that have reduced features.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#217

Post by TecoAndJix »

jabyess wrote: post #27
aunty_helen wrote: post #2

What a tight rope this author has to walk. You want commute suggestions but you don’t want google to know where you live or work? I’ll bat for google on this one, the value I get from Gmaps vs the value they get from my data seems like a fair exchange. Also PSA, if you use Bluetooth with your car, your city transport department is tracking you. Best of luck opting out of that or even finding who to contact.

> Also PSA, if you use Bluetooth with your car, your city transport department is tracking you. Best of luck opting out of that or even finding who to contact. Can you say more about this? I've never heard of it.

Here is a slide deck from DEFCON on it: https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2022/DEF%20CON%2022%20pre...

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#218

Post by travisparker »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #3

I’m curious - does anyone reading this agree with the notion that Apple maps is becoming comparable to Google maps? I haven’t given it a fair shot in almost a decade I guess, and it was almost unusable then. Does anyone here use it as a daily driver? What are the strong and weak points?

I use an iPhone, keep all my casual media and textbooks on an iPad, and use a MacBook Pro for work. I'd really like to use Apple if I could, but I have no idea why all these people are supporting Apple maps.

I tried desperately to use it for half a year (in the US), gritting my teeth at the endless frustrations. From the inability to get info on any business or location other than a highly biased Yelp popup, to the voice directions telling me to turn as I'm approaching the turn before it actually wants me to turn, to the flat-out wrong streets. I've found myself being led to random dead-ends that the map said should be a thoroughfare, but obviously never had been and would unlikely be in any near future.

Similarly, I'm astonished at the bad service in their cloud, files, photos, music, and suite of office document programs. Just terrible for such a huge company. I can only conclude that they don't care, since they're making more than enough money on hardware.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#219

Post by RivieraKid »

whoisstan wrote: post #210
smcl wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the best feature isn’t global: https://en.mapy.cz/ceskoza100?x=16.7243354&y=49.3595814&z=8

Nicely done. Are there other overlays like this?

Yes, for example https://mapy.cz/cesko or https://mapy.cz/textova

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#220

Post by gajjanag »

hackmiester wrote: post #165
steve_adams_86 wrote: post #3

I’m curious - does anyone reading this agree with the notion that Apple maps is becoming comparable to Google maps? I haven’t given it a fair shot in almost a decade I guess, and it was almost unusable then. Does anyone here use it as a daily driver? What are the strong and weak points?

Spoken directions in Apple Maps are unmatched. "Go past this stop sign, then at the light, turn right on X Avenue" - it's exactly how you would expect human directions. Google Maps is absolutely worst in class, behind all competitors I have ever used, in spoken directions. Here is a very common Google Maps direction from where I live: "In 300 feet, keep left toward Alabama 231 South / Alabama 431 South / Memorial Par…

This right here. I am fairly new to driving, and Apple Maps has been great for my driving confidence. Such crisp, ahead of time, clear directions in major metro US. It also does a much better job at rerouting than Google Maps. I avoid rush hour highways right now, and Apple maps does a good job of figuring out an alternative route once I head on it a bit.

Google Maps has given me directions that just increase my stress level on the road.

Post reply on HN