Apple Maps on iOS 6 is really bad when compared to Google Maps on iOS 5. It has misled people aplenty, the magic flyby is a horror show, and even Apple had to acknowledge it sucks. But nothing comes close to this, the definitive graphic comparison between Google Maps and Apple Maps. Enjoy! [Thanks Eduardo Lozano!] More »
Apple has been catching a lot of flak over the quality of its maps for iOS 6. Apple replaced Google Maps data in the latest version of its operating system with its own maps. According to a source cited by TechCrunch, Apple has been aggressively recruiting people with experience working on Google Maps.
Apple is reportedly aggressively recruiting these people to get them to come work on its own mapping product. Apple is using recruiters to lure away Google Maps employees who work for the search giant on contract. The source says that many of those individuals appearing eager to take Apple up on its offer in part for the opportunity to build a new product rather than perform “tedious updates” on the mostly completed Google Maps.
I’m sure the allure of working for one of the most valuable companies in the world, and a behemoth in the tech industry doesn’t hurt. According to the source, when attention at Google Maps turned to indoor mapping, workers at Google were less interested, and a lot of the staff began looking for other opportunities.
Apple is said to be offering great competitive salaries, and some positions include full coverage of moving expenses to come to Cupertino. If Apple is successful in landing multiple ex Google employees, it will certainly help to improve its currently lackluster map offering. I wonder how Google feels about Apple hiring away workers familiar with its Google Maps application.
[via TechCrunch]
Source says Apple is aggressively recruiting former Google Maps staff is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
You might have noticed a brouhaha over map accuracy in iOS 6. Nokia undoubtedly did, as it’s using the iPhone 5 launch to remind us that its strategy has been all about location lately. The crew in Espoo has pitted Nokia Maps from the Lumia 920 against both Apple’s equivalent as well as Google Maps — and to no one’s surprise, Nokia’s own platform comes out on top. In practice, it’s a relatively frank comparison that doesn’t try to win on every point. Nokia tends to use a liberal definition of the term “3D” that includes augmented reality, but it’s otherwise willing to emphasize its advantages in offline mapping and the sheer scope of its mapping coverage. Apple’s very young mapping effort struggles, while Nokia is willing to accept that it doesn’t have as much traffic coverage as Google. There is, however, the slight problem of the Lumia 920 not yet shipping: unless you’ve been blessed with a prototype of the Windows Phone 8 device, Apple and Google are the only ones that have their latest navigation software on a phone you can actually buy. Hit the source for the full, very tall chart as well as a few sly jabs at Nokia’s competitors.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile
Nokia stacks up its maps next to Apple’s and Google’s, politely suggests it comes out on top originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There are many people who are disappointed with the Maps app after upgrading their iOS version to iOS 6 (all 15% of iPhone users, in fact). Performance of the Maps app is without a doubt behind that of what Google Maps can offer, but to be fair to Apple, this is their first attempt to break away from Google Maps as part of their in-house navigation efforts, so perhaps things might change for the better down the road? We will just have to adopt a wait and see attitude.
Apple did release a statement on where their Maps app in iOS 6 is at the moment, giving us the impression that the Maps app in iOS 6 remains a work in progress, urging folks to continue using it instead of switching to a different app. The statement reads, “We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”
Hopefully Apple will be as good as their word.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple brings iOS 6 3D Maps to new cities, Verizon: too early to discuss FaceTime charges over 3G,
Today, Apple‘s new Maps app in iOS 6 has been the subject of a lot of criticism. Some iOS 6 users aren’t exactly satisfied with Apple’s attempt at entering the navigation space, and Nokia has jumped on the opportunity to talk about its own suite of navigation tools offered to its users. In a post on the Nokia Conversations blog, Nokia’s Pino Bonetti compared the company’s Location Platform to the competition with a series of benchmarks, taking a few shots at Apple in the process.
To be fair, the benchmarks include Google Maps along with Apple’s new Maps app, but this post is clearly capitalizing on the unrest surrounding Apple Maps. “Unlike our competitors, which are financing their location assets with advertising or licensing mapping content from third parties, we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps,” Bonetti writes. “In other words, we truly understand that maps and location-based apps must be accurate, provide the best quality and be accessible basically anywhere. That’s been standard practice at Nokia for the past six years, and we also understand that ‘pretty’ isn’t enough. You expect excellence in your smartphone mapping experience.”
That’s some big talk, but Nokia’s benchmarks seem to back it up. In most cases, Nokia’s Maps suite comes out on top when compared to Google Maps and Apple’s new effort. There are a few instances where Google Maps matches Nokia’s Location Platform, but in almost all of the comparisons, Apple comes in last. Click the thumbnail below to see the full results of Nokia’s benchmark tests.
In this case, we have to say that Nokia has a right to brag. Nokia’s Location Platform is loved by users, and it’s easy to tell that a lot of work went into making it a solid set of apps. Google Maps may be the more popular navigation service (and admittedly it’s pretty good to boot), but the big G certainly has a worthy challenger in Nokia. What do you think of Nokia’s Location Platform? Do you prefer it over Google Maps?
Nokia takes a shot at poorly-received Apple Maps app is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Now that iOS 6 has arrived on Apple tablets and phones, users at large are getting their hands on the company’s new Maps app for the first time only to find at least a few things out of place. The lack of navigation for public transportation was a known limitation going in, but misplaced landmarks, geographical oddities and suddenly blank areas where Google Maps had an abundance of tags (all being cataloged by The Amazing iOS 6 Maps Tumblr, as seen above) have some users bristling. A spokesperson for Apple tells All Things D that it expects things to improve as more people use Maps (check out the entire statement after the break), but is that enough? Hit the poll selections below to let us know if the new experience is truly a move in the right direction.
Apple says it’s ‘just getting started’ on Maps for iOS 6, are you willing to wait? (poll) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TechCrunch’s Alexia Tsotsis has sources at Google telling her that they hope to have a proper Google Maps iOS 6 app “before Christmas.” Not next week, not next month. Before Christmas. Ugh. More »
Apple’s maps are not off to a good start. They’re getting killed by critics and users alike. And rightly so! They don’t hold their own against last generation’s Google Maps on iOS 5. And what’s worse for Apple and its fans? Things probably won’t be getting better any time soon. More »
We’ve talked plenty about the flaws inherent in Apple Maps, and where it differs from Google Maps on paper. But how wide is the disparity between the two in actuality? We stacked two iPhone 4Ses side-by-side (one running iOS 5, one running iOS 6, both on wi-fi with GPS on), and let the two mapping apps do battle. More »
It’s barely been a day since iOS 6’s native Maps app was released to the world, and already there’s a steady stream of mapsasters that have everyone not-so-secretly wishing a standalone Google Maps app gets released ASAP. More »
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