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Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

justinobeirne.com

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Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#61

Post by dchest »

GeekyBear wrote: post #52
dchest wrote: post #16

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world it cannot even get the shape of land and country borders right. Here's an example on the border of Montenegro and Albania: https://imgur.com/a/B3aVJYH

>it cannot even get the shape of land and country borders right Neither can Google. >From Pakistan, Kashmir appears disputed while from India, it appears as a part of India, the Post report said, adding that "Google Maps changes disputed borders based on what country you search from". https://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/google-maps-redraws-d...

As far as I know, there are no border disputes related to the area I posted about.

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#62

Post by BitwiseFool »

mulmen wrote: post #25

I’m on the big island of Hawaii and Apple Maps is basically useless. I can’t find my hostel by name. I also can’t find it by address . It’s just very bad.

Do you think street names and place names being in Hawaiian might have anything to do with this?

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#63

Post by dchest »

littlestymaar wrote: post #19
dchest wrote: post #16

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world it cannot even get the shape of land and country borders right. Here's an example on the border of Montenegro and Albania: https://imgur.com/a/B3aVJYH

Google Maps is better[1] but none of them come even remotely close of Open Street Maps[2] [1]: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.858832,19.3550722,13.71z [2]: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/728419973#map=13/41.8835/...

OpenStreetMap is indeed awesome in this area. I wonder why Apple can't just import their fresh data for a few years already.

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#64

Post by magicalist »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #28

I’m using Apple Maps for the app that I’m developing now. The alternative would not have been Google Maps. It would have been MapBox. Google Maps will give app developers like me severe sticker shock. I watched a friend of mine get it in the shorts (forcing him to switch to MapBox). After watching that, I decided that I will never depend on Google services as a linchpin technology. In fact, it simply hardened my reso…

> I’m using Apple Maps for the app that I’m developing now. The alternative would not have been Google Maps. It would have been MapBox.

It's easy to make a theoretical stance like this, but Apple Maps and Google Maps are free in an iOS app, but MapBox is not. If you were forced to switch off Apple Maps for some reason, it seems likely the free option would win out.

> it simply hardened my resolve to avoid third-party dependence, wherever possible

all of these libraries are third-party dependencies...

> Google Maps will give app developers like me severe sticker shock

If we're talking just about the javascript API, in my experience if you're using more than just a very local map, people always have very wishful thinking about MapBox pricing and it usually ends up almost the same as Google Maps pricing. This isn't an accident, they need to be a better priced alternative but they also need to pay the bills. The pull to switch at that point would be if you need better address lookup or something.

If you are doing a very local map (like the equivalent of a few tiles for your average user), you're often better off just rolling your own tile server. People are often surprised how easy it is.

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#65

Post by dev_tty01 »

echelon wrote: post #4

I still don't get it. Apple is a company people cheer for, yet it continues to accrue substantial and dangerous power. They don't let you repair devices, install your own software, or run your business unfettered. They spy on your files. They coddle and report to authoritarian governments. This monopoly is lauded and praised as it continues to get bigger and encompass everything one does. I don't understand it. It hu…

First, I don't think your comment is relevant to this discussion, but I guess that has never stopped anyone on HN. People complain about Apple maps, and the article is about how much work Apple is doing to improve their maps.

As to many of your other points, they are just wrong. I do repair my own devices, I do install my own software and I do run my business unfettered. I can't speak for others, but your assertion is not consistent with my own experience.

Which files do they "spy" on? They do offer on-device services like automatic photo tagging, rule based email filtering, etc. I can use those or not. I can grep and search my files, so I guess Apple (the OS) is "looking" at my files. Is that different than any OS? Basically any OS vendor has access to your files. You either trust it or you don't. Apple's business model is not built on selling my data to advertisers so I choose to trust them. You are welcome to make another choice.

As far as coddling to authoritarian governments, yes they follow the laws of the countries they operate in. So do any other companies that operate in those countries. That stinks, but that is the reality. Companies can either abandon markets or follow local laws. Which of these is the long term good? Lots of valid arguments both ways, but there can be no argument on one point. Operating in country X requires following the laws of country X.

Look, they are no saints, I get that. But they build great devices that do everything I want them to do. Of course there are people that have bad experiences, but overall Apple's customer satisfaction numbers are extremely high and people keep buying their devices. That's not an opinion.

To your central point, yes, as Apple offers more services that I find useful they do accrue more power. Which large companies that offer useful services do not accrue associated power? I choose to align with the company whose business model is not built upon selling me and my data to third parties. Eyes wide open. There are other good choices and I am happy for other people to make different choices. I don't feel pain for them.

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#66

Post by dymk »

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #54
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but I have seen MapBox in action in a number of apps, and have yet to see one native app, delivered with here.com. As it is, I even decided against using MapBox. I'd need to see it in use a bit more, before relying on it for my users. Most of what I do is free, or low-cost work, aimed at folks in need. In some cases, lives depend on my work, and there's little money or glory. That Google "squeal piggy!" thing I…

> Yeah, but I have seen MapBox in action in a number of apps, and have yet to see one native app, delivered with here.com. Makes sense. I encountered here.com once in a corporate setting, and was surprised that it was actually decent (at the time), but no further experience with it either. It doesn't seem to have a strong brand outside big corp.

At one point, Facebook was using here.com for event locations

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#67

Post by alberth »

Google = data company

Apple = design company, who's getting better at being a data company

As an aside, I really love reading these yearly posts from Justin. I always drop what I'm doing when I see one of these posts from him.

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#68

Post by lnanek2 »

Even if Apple Maps doesn't have as much data as Google, the experience is so much better. Makes a lot of sense that Google is copying it as per the article.

Whenever I use Google Maps, it constantly harasses me about how there's a slowdown ahead, puts a little tray across the bottom of the screen hiding the information I care about, with no way to get rid of it except tapping and other nonsense. I searched throughout the settings and can't find anyway to turn off all these annoying pop ups it has. Someone needs to write an ad blocker for it.

Apple Maps not only doesn't constantly harass me with meaningless notifications I can't dismiss without taking my hands off the wheel, it also shows traffic lights, and the voice over instructions include them as well. With Google I often turn too early or too late because it isn't very clear exactly when to turn. With Apple Maps that happens a lot less because Siri will flat out tell you, turn at this light, turn at the next light, etc..

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#69

Post by smoldesu »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #62
mulmen wrote: post #25

I’m on the big island of Hawaii and Apple Maps is basically useless. I can’t find my hostel by name. I also can’t find it by address . It’s just very bad.

Do you think street names and place names being in Hawaiian might have anything to do with this?

Hopefully not, I was under the impression that my iPhone respected diversity and inclusion!

Re: Apple Maps' Acceleration (2020)

#70

Post by asutekku »

sandgiant wrote: post #3

> Perhaps the most noticeable difference between Apple’s old and new maps is all of the vegetation detail Apple has added. I really don't understand the way they blend forests and fields together. It used to be that forests and grasslands were marked green and agricultural land was white, so you could easily tell the difference. Now they are the same, or nearly the same, color while the difference in landscape is mas…

It makes it prettier since a fields in the aerial view are not aesthetically very pleasing.
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