A decade after a disastrous launch, is Apple Maps finally good?
A decade after a disastrous launch, is Apple Maps finally good?
Engineers’ work on cycling and public transit have transformed the app – but rural directions remain a sticking point
Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn
Excerpt (and context):
Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.
But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.
I like apple maps cleaner look compared to google
I will switch to Apple Maps when they get rid of the Yelp integration in exchange for their own system for reviewing restaurants and other establishments. Yelp is an absolute garbage company, and is the main reason I stick with Google Maps still.
Genuinely curious why you think Yelp is worse than Google?
I’m a frequent globetrotter. I find Apple Maps’ quality is basically proportional to the install base in the region. In the US, UK, Canada, Germany… it’s as good or better than Google Maps. In Android-dominant countries though? Good luck. Try it Poland or Portugal and the results are mixed. As for less developed countries? In Mexico or Brazil it’s next to useless.
I'd say ditch both Apple and Google and use an app based on OpenStreetMap data. The mapping data shouldn't belong to any corporation that can decide to restrict access tomorrow. Use OpenStreetMap and if you find the mapping is not good enough contribute to improve it, just like one can do in Wikipedia.
To access OpenStreetMap data I'd recommend the apps Organic Maps (lightweight and simple) or OsmAnd (more feature packed but heavier). Magic Earth is also an alternative.
You are right about this and it's something I'd not given any thought to. Checking out your recommendations. Thank you.
You're welcome. Take into account that switching from Apple / Google Maps to one of those apps is quite a change and takes some time to get used to: they work offline (which is great for hiking or traveling abroad) so you need to download the maps you'll use beforehand. Also the data might be incomplete... but you can help to improve it, which I find really cool. And it's important to realise that the data doesn't come from the same source as the app, so missing map data is not the app developer's fault. Finally there's no business reviews or ratings, which I don't personally miss, but I understand some people will.
Starting maps like this is hard. I remember many years earlier when Google maps was new and disastrous, sending massive truck detours through small sleepy villages and encouraging inattentive driver to drive into duck ponds. Then when Apple released their maps Google already had 7 years of improving theirs, and they had made good use of that time.
It was a mistake not allocating more resources (/spending) to improving it sooner after the release turned out so badly. They always move slowly with their projects. Even now their new map updates are spectacular but the mapping vehicle fleet seems too small and is taking a long time.
Still a Waze junkie after years and years, but considering the switch to iOS later this year and would be nice to have something actively being developed to compare against, but also to fall back on if Google decides to combine the Maps and Waze team and kills off Waze entirely, which is looking ever more likely. (Google Maps is very poor in directions and UI, in my experience.)
Apple Maps is better for bike directions than Google Maps according to my personal experience.
I prefer it to Google Maps in most cases now. The Google Maps app is very bloated nowadays.
Apple Maps has very detailed maps, has its version of "Street View" in many areas where Google Maps doesn't (at least here in Germany) and it's a lot smoother, navigation is better, and Apple Watch integration seamless. Public transit is also decent.
The only thing I still use Google Maps for is to get information about restaurants and such, where Google Maps tends to have more data. Being able to download an area for offline use in Google Maps also helps in a pinch, but that's coming to Apple Maps with iOS 17 as well.