Apple Released Maps App Before Contract With Google Was Up
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Posted September 26, 2012 at 6:49am by iClarified
A new report from The Verge says that Apple had over a year left on its contract with Google for Maps when it decided to ship its own Maps application.
The decision, made sometime before Apple's WWDC event in June, sent Google scrambling to develop an iOS Google Maps app -- an app which both sources say is still incomplete and currently not scheduled to ship for several months.
Apple apparently felt that Maps in iOS was falling behind Android particularly due to the missing turn-by-turn navigation feature. Google is said to have wanted more prominent branding and additional features such as Latitude but there was still a lot of time before renewal agreement needed to be reached.
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt recently commented on the switch saying, "We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know? What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."
I hate sound like an Apple apologist but - good riddance Google based Maps app!!! After downloading Mapquest's free app over a year ago I can count in one hand the amount of times I used the Google based Maps app. Via the new Maps app I now get turn by turn navigation and the Flyover feature is nothing short of amazing. Maybe I'm the lone ranger on this but I have no use for the Google based Maps app. And best yet - I don't have to worry about Google collecting my personal data! (I know Apple does the same but that's an argument for another post.) Yes, the new Maps has issues but if there's one thing that Apple has consistently proven over time is that it will work and work on something until it becomes the most visually appealing and user friendly product in the marketplace. If me using the Maps app makes me a beta tester then so be it. Won't last long...
All the yammering about the new Maps app is that it "makes mistakes", yet no one remembers when Google first started, and how flawed their search and map apps were. Apple has a solid app, and now they have to refine it. What 'doesn't work' are its ability to guess what you meant, or to locate clear errors. These are things that take time to work out, and that you can't predict by staring at it. Personally, I like the idea of honest competition, even if the results aren't perfect. Once a company gets as big and cocky as Google (or Facebook) think they can do no wrong. Hopefully it's ,will make both Apple and Google clean up their acts.
So, we all have to make our own mistakes, re-invent the wheel??? Can't we learn from other's mistakes? Why do I have to be a beta tester when there's no need for that other than Apple being a bully and greedy company? If there's a Maps app that works, don't mess it up. I pay money for my iPhones, I don't get them for free so that I can be a beta tester.
I agree with some of what you say Nick, a couple of niggles here and there I can put up with, the app has just been released and will hopefully improve as did Googles. That said, my problem is with the quality of the maps, I sat with mine and my wifes 4S and compared them and the simple truth is that the graphical quality (resolution) is noticably superior in the Google maps allowing to zoom much further in. I lament the loss of street view which I used a lot and consider the flyover and 3D features fun but rarely used. In closing I suppose the thing that I am most disapointed in with this upgrade, is that old Apple mantra of Apple being all about the user experience, having been (and still am) an iPhone user since day one, I feel my user experience has taken a bit of a step backward.
I look forward to Apple redressing that soon.
Apple is officially on the dicline. Sad to see such an awesome company make such a bad mistake.
Oh well, going to use my Iphone 4 until its time to upgrade, who knows maybe there will be a S4 by than, which will probobly be better then Iphone 7, since apple sucks at keeping up with technology, and releases 2 year old technology like it was brand new.
IOS6 = FAIL
Don't know what all the fuss is about. I never used google maps. All my gps mapping was done on motionXGPS drive and its turn by turn never let me down.
I am not feeling well when using iphone map.
In the map so many wrond directions. Even one time this google map show me direction in no entry.
I lost one hour.
After 5 yers with apple Iphone all that restrictions with map and other things turn me against them, sold my 4s could go iphone 5 but no way, got s3 with android and am Happy again. Very strage thing after using 4.8 inch screen on s3, iphone feel like a Toy for kids compare to huge screen. If you try ones you won't gi back to iphone again.
Also sometimes not enough time to check for mistakes, this days still think may be I should use autocorrect, but then when I'am using other language autocorrect makes me mad.
I'm sorry, did you expect apple to wait until the contract had already expired, it's fairly standard practice to cover your ass.
The apple maps software does seem to be improving, I'm living in Ireland which I'm sure isn't high up the priority list for map fixes, but I've noticed that places I couldn't find in Ireland or that we're mis-spelt when I first installed ios6 have now been corrected.
I'm sure they'll get there and in general we've all wanted turn by turn navigation for years and google haven't provided it. Was time to take a leap and see what happens...
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