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Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

david-smith.org

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Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#51

Post by rjzzleep »

kumarvvr wrote: post #41
thrownawaysz wrote: post #3

The fact that there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure, not even on the most expensive “made for explorers” Watch Ultra. And things like gpx import is just a mere dream It’s a lifestyle device after all but still

> there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure I remember a time when Apple was chided for integrating functionalities of popular apps into its OS. Apple created an incredibly awesome device, and its up to the market to make full use of its potential. Why would it be a failure for Apple to not make such an app?

That is quite literally how every part of Cocoa was polished. Things such as sidebars, notifications, came from third party libraries, Growl, etc. were all design patterns from the community. Isn't that also how iTunes came to be? Apple trying to acquire the best music players to integrate into its ecosystem? It's somewhat sad to observe what become of apple.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#52

Post by dylan604 »

Centigonal wrote: post #36
thrownawaysz wrote: post #3

The fact that there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure, not even on the most expensive “made for explorers” Watch Ultra. And things like gpx import is just a mere dream It’s a lifestyle device after all but still

I trust people like David Smith and companies like onX more than Apple when it comes to creating and supporting a top tier outdoor mapping app.

Maybe some people are too young to remember Apple's Maps v1. Even Tim Apple recently mentioned that debacle in what was essentially an exit interview.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#54

Post by SllX »

dylan604 wrote: post #52
Centigonal wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I trust people like David Smith and companies like onX more than Apple when it comes to creating and supporting a top tier outdoor mapping app.

Maybe some people are too young to remember Apple's Maps v1. Even Tim Apple recently mentioned that debacle in what was essentially an exit interview.

I recently switched back to Google Maps after Apple announced ads were coming to Apple Maps, since if the default Maps app is going to be saddled with ads on my thousands of dollars worth of Apple hardware anyway, I may as well use the best. And yeah, let’s be honest, Apple Maps is good enough for most use cases, but Google Maps blows it out of the fucking water.

In that light, I may be hard pressed to call it a debacle, but it’s still third-rate.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#55

Post by throwaway27448 »

thrownawaysz wrote: post #3

The fact that there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure, not even on the most expensive “made for explorers” Watch Ultra. And things like gpx import is just a mere dream It’s a lifestyle device after all but still

Tbf there is no such app for the iphone either

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#56

Post by ileonichwiesz »

SllX wrote: post #29
cromka wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, the less Apple made apps, the better for the ecosystem and the quality of the apps in general. Apple's recent "sherlocked" apps are not good quality at all, but they make it substantially more difficult for 3rd parties to compete with the now default offerings.

Generally speaking, Apple should be improving and adding to the base operating system all the time, including new apps. It is better for their users including new users if the phone itself is capable of more out of the box. Where they fall short though, the App Store is right there. There’s almost always a better alternative for those who value having something better.

> There’s almost always a better alternative for those who value having something better.

That alternative comes with a $60/year subscription these days, though.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#57

Post by necovek »

What I find curious is that the entire article seems to be framed in responding to the needs of a single user of the app — the author themselves.

Yet the app is published and has a great App Store review score of 4.8 with 170k+ reviews, and same score with 35k+ reviews for the Watch.

How does the author get feedback and respond to other customers? Or is this simply scratching one's own itch demonstrating its usefulness for others once again?

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#60

Post by porsager »

interstice wrote: post #43
interstice wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they don't allow deeper integrations maybe? I still don't have a watch face layout I like.

Oh and while I'm here the single layer non editable menu / weird grid is also the worst. I grew up texting under the desk on a nine key and only checking after I'd selected the contact to send to. Give me that level of muscle memory again someone, anyone, please.

I made Type Nine for iPhone, and have waited a long time for Apple to open up for doing it on the watch.

https://typenineapp.com

PS. I typed this under my desk!

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