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Google Decides to Monetize Maps

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Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#231

Post by Applejinx »

gowld wrote: post #83
cageface wrote: post #17

Google is really leaving the door open here for Apple to step in and offer a services bundle with a monthly fee that doesn’t involve stuffing advertising into every nook and cranny of the user experience. I generally prefer Google’s services to Apple’s but there might be a tipping point soon where I’m willing to sacrifice some features in exchange for a generally less creepy product.

Apple gets the wealthy high margin market, Google gets the mass market. People buy iPhones to keep up with fashion, but most of them won't pay for maps because they can't show that off to their acquaintances.

Apple are absolute dicks about privacy. My Mom died, and I inherited her iPhone, which I discovered had Activation Lock… after I'd blanked it and installed a new OS.

Grovelled all over the internet trying to work out if there was a legitimate way to unlock the thing. Lots of probably scams out there but nothing plausible.

Turns out there was: in her papers, there was her account information, and I could log onto her AppleID and release the phone the way she would have if she'd known what was going to happen to her (she passed unexpectedly, with no real warning). Without that, I would have inherited a brick, and I'm not sure even the government would have been able to get in. From all accounts, if you try and plead with Apple you get nowhere.

I've got personal info on my iPhone, now that I unlocked it and installed my own identity on it.

I'm quite happy to continue using iPhones. If it costs more to have them monetized the old fashioned way, by charging me vast sums to get the device, that seems fair. It seems the alternative is to try to monetize ME in any way possible, and I don't trust any of these megacorporations too much.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#232

Post by uvesten »

technotony wrote: post #25
dininski wrote: post #4

I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. I was stunned when a few days ago I was looking up something on Google Maps and started seeing advertised locations/suggestions. Even though I love the product and have been a fan of Google products for the longest time, their current strategy of monetizing everything they can is very off putting. The direction Chrome is taking is also concerning. Don't know what…

Why should they offer a free maps service? They are a business with shareholder responsibilities, not a charity, and maps must cost them a ton of money to operate.

It was never free. Every time you use it, you offer up your current location and/or place(s) you’re interested in visiting, all of which is very valuable for targeted advertising.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#234

Post by rjf72 »

technotony wrote: post #25
dininski wrote: post #4

I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. I was stunned when a few days ago I was looking up something on Google Maps and started seeing advertised locations/suggestions. Even though I love the product and have been a fan of Google products for the longest time, their current strategy of monetizing everything they can is very off putting. The direction Chrome is taking is also concerning. Don't know what…

Why should they offer a free maps service? They are a business with shareholder responsibilities, not a charity, and maps must cost them a ton of money to operate.

Interestingly enough, Google like an increasing number of companies is a "public" company. Brin and Page own the majority of the voting power meaning Google, is for all intents and purposes, their company. The same is true of Facebook and Zuckerberg which makes all the calls to try to replace him rather bemusing. Literally every person who owns Facebook stock could vote to replace him and it'd be irrelevant since he has the majority of voting power.

The point of this is that the direction Google has been taking lately has been very much the arbitrary choice and direction chosen by Larry and Sergey, and consequently highly reflective of their own personal ideologies and worldviews.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#235

Post by manigandham »

coldtea wrote: post #149
manigandham wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forced to close? Why? That's a terrible authoritarian idea. The only solution is more competition, not less. Trying to limit who can do what has only ever led to worse outcomes. There's nothing stopping a non-profit group from creating maps today if they wanted to.

> Forced to close? Why? That's a terrible authoritarian idea. I don't believe "authoritarian" applies to companies. If anything corporatism is authoritarian.

What exactly does "force to close" mean and how does it work in a free-market capitalist society then?

If there are valid regulations to follow then sure but that's not what the parent comment seems to be suggesting.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#236

Post by blantonl »

blueski wrote: post #222

Our Google Maps bill went from ~$100k per year to $380k per year as a result of these changes. Needless to say, we're moving over to Mapbox. What Google seems to miss is how this will affect customers' receptiveness to other Google products in the long-term. Having pulled the rug from under us once, there's no way we could consider e.g. a migration to Cloud in case the same happened again (where moving to a different…

I agree. I get that when you build your business around someone else's API that you are responsible for any changes and you should be prepared when business models change, but this would be analogous to milk prices going from $1/pint to $3.80/pint.

A 280% increase in pricing after you've gained dominance in market share is a tough pill to swallow and left a really bad taste in developer's mouths.

I too have moved on to Mapbox, and I suspect the OSM group was thrilled at the changes since now their mapping efforts probably increased tremendously. We're probably going to roll our own map tile servers based on OSM since Mapbox as well is pricey, but not Google Maps pricey.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#237

Post by ucaetano »

goda90 wrote: post #218
ashishmalik wrote: post #5

Think about those who wish to start new business? Why? Because of money! Google is doing the same thing, growing Growing, utilizing every small space that Google occupies, earning money from it. Why Not!

I'd say the problem arises in market share. Google almost has a monopoly on digital map data. With any monopoly, there should be limitations on their ability to profit, as there can be lots of pricing abuse due to lack of competition.

> Google almost has a monopoly on digital map data

Where did you get that from? There are plenty of other map data providers. Just look at this thread.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#238

Post by moftz »

mncharity wrote: post #220
cageface wrote: post #17

Google is really leaving the door open here for Apple to step in and offer a services bundle with a monthly fee that doesn’t involve stuffing advertising into every nook and cranny of the user experience. I generally prefer Google’s services to Apple’s but there might be a tipping point soon where I’m willing to sacrifice some features in exchange for a generally less creepy product.

> Google is really leaving the door open here for Apple [...] tipping point It's 202X, and you are offered AR glasses from Apple, Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, Disney, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. With almost-always-on mics, 180-degree cameras, gaze tracking, centimeter-resolution indoor position, and hybrid local/cloud infrastructure. Who do you trust? What is the net present value of that trust?

As of now, probably Apple if theirs costs a fortune compared to everyone else's glasses. At least then I know that they aren't subsidizing the cost of the glasses by selling off my information.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#239

Post by manigandham »

coldtea wrote: post #150
rayiner wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some things are too important to be left to completely ineffective quasi-governmental organizations.

Well, they only took us to the moon, deliver our mail, handle invasions, wars, and other emergency situations, and so on. Oh, and they also gave us this internet thing. In fact, before the web era, they also made the best maps (e.g. the British military maps).

And today we have the ISS supplied by private space companies, UPS and Fedex and Amazon handling logistics around the world, and most aerospace and defense innovation and manufacturing handled by private contractors.

Government vs private is not mutually exclusive. Like another commenter said, the US Geological Survey already has mapping data available. Adding in traffic from local agencies and weather from the National Weather Service is relatively simple so we can definitely have a neutral public maps service. None of that requires forcing Google Maps to close though.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#240

Post by sorenjan »

soheil wrote: post #201
joshfraser wrote: post #107

Google tracks your exact location every few seconds. They know which stores you visit, which restaurants you frequent, which friends you spend the most time with, how often you go to the gym, who you're sleeping with and much more. The targeted advertising and surveillance capabilities that are possible as a result of this level of data collection are absolutely terrifying.

What evidence is your statement based on? On iPhone Google Maps only has access to your location while the app is in use, that means either when A) the app is open or B) it's in the background and there is a blue background around the clock indicating the map is in use.

Check out https://www.google.com/maps/timeline to see what positions they have saved.
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