Apple maps now better than Google maps

[AWilliams87]

It may have struggled with some quite high-profile errors in its early days, but Apple's latest improvements to its Apple Maps platform have not only helped it catch up with venerable geospatial giant Google ? but will make Apple Maps far more relevant in the long term.

 

Those are harsh and difficult words from someone who, like all of us, has marvelled for years at the utility of the Google Maps Web service and the immersive worldwide journeys made possible through the Google Earth application. But they are a reality that bears addressing.

 

Google will always hold the significant achievement of bringing the literally world-changing geospatial technology to the mass market, but Apple's decision to incorporate its now-very-impressive Maps application into its Mavericks operating system reflects a significant change in the user experience that will give it far more clout in driving the standard for interactive consumer mapping into the future.

 

Some questioned whether including Maps in the operating system was a simply gratuitous nod to the increasing incursion of iOS user-interface tropes into the desktop Mac OS X environment.

 

Anyone so inclined should run up a full-screen instance of Maps on their 27-inch iMac, using Apple's Magic Trackpad to spin, zoom and fly through 3D renderings of cities around the world. It's a novelty on an iPhone, but on a 27-inch screen it's literally an adventure.

 

Sure, you can do much the same with Google Earth, which has been available for Macs for some time. Both will also help you find your way to new places pinpoint accuracy, exploring a broad range of maps.

Read more: http://www.zdnet.com/apple-maps-worldview-is-now-better-than-google-maps-7000023782/

[Ambroos]

I doubt anything is ever going to do better than Google's gigantic database of businesses, points of interest, public transport integration, ... That's where Google's strength lies. Apple Maps does look nice though.

[MikeChipshop Member]

Article above in a nut shell "Apple maps looks great on a big screen and so does Google maps" Why did they even bother writing this article at all?

[_neutrino Veteran]

Not sure myself with personal experience even with the latest builds apple maps is still lacking a lot of detail and their local level maps are still wrong where I live as well as just not having the businesses listed like google.

[acido00]

It is true. in fact Apple maps are more up-to-date than the one of google.

[ctebah]

I doubt anything is ever going to do better than Google's gigantic database of businesses, points of interest, public transport integration, ... That's where Google's strength lies. Apple Maps does look nice though.

One of the core strengths of Apple maps since day 1 was their larger business archive. Apple always had a larger business database.

[madd-hatter]

Apple maps now better than Google maps

Apple's latest improvements to its Apple Maps will make Apple Maps far more relevant in the long term.

Apple's decision to incorporate its now-very-impressive Maps application into its new Maverick operating system reflects a significant change in the user experience

 

I'm not convinced.

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Google maps was launched in 2005, and still is far from perfect. I am highly skeptical that Apple's maps, that's 1 year old, is better than Google maps. Map making isn't something that can be perfected in one year!

[ctebah]

It is true. in fact Apple maps are more up-to-date than the one of google.

Not in my town. In the new neighborhoods build within the last two years, google maps already has all the street names whereas Apple maps doesn't.

So I use both on my iphone

[McKay]

Article above in a nut shell "Apple maps looks great on a big screen and so does Google maps" Why did they even bother writing this article at all?

 

I found it funny when he went "Apple Maps on a 27 inch iMac, zooming around is an adventure, sure you can do it on Google Maps too". I felt like he was going to go somewhere with that line, like point out a flaw on Google Maps, or point out something good about Apple Maps, but no.

 

Was his entire point that Apple Maps will somehow be better due to it being on OS X? Even if every OS X user switched, Google Maps would still have the bigger share. When I had my last iPhone, Apple Maps told me my nearest pub was 40 miles away, living in England this is impossible  :rofl:

[ctebah]

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/11/11/apple-maps-took-around-80-percent-of-google-maps-traffic-in-one-year

[Arachno 1D]

I guess you just need to carry a 27" inch screen round with you and all will be fine :D

[thommcg]

"enjoying an aggressive multi-platform strategy"

Those not using iOS and/or OS X might disagree with that...

[MikeChipshop Member]

I found it funny when he went "Apple Maps on a 27 inch iMac, zooming around is an adventure, sure you can do it on Google Maps too". I felt like he was going to go somewhere with that line, like point out a flaw on Google Maps, or point out something good about Apple Maps, but no.

 

Was his entire point that Apple Maps will somehow be better due to it being on OS X? Even if every OS X user switched, Google Maps would still have the bigger share. When I had my last iPhone, Apple Maps told me my nearest pub was 40 miles away, living in England this is impossible  :rofl:

 

Yeah exactly my thoughts. It just seemed like a guy that had used it for the first time, was impressed and decided it was "TEH BEST THING EVERZ".

There was no well rounded argument, no feature comparison, nothing. In fact, having just gone in to the office to try it out and Google maps still beats it for me.

[ctebah]

You guys should read the whole article and not just the insert on Neowin. It' goes into saying that this is for the long term and not necessarily currently.

From now on, the operating system will simply assume access to detailed, glorious maps is available as a core service. This means they'll be able to use OS calls to provide interactive mapping that is tightly bound to the application at hand ? rather than forcing applications to jump into a Web browser for maps because there's no guarantee Google Earth is installed on a particular user's desktop.

That's the point he's trying to make and it makes perfect sense

[ctebah]

And some statistics

The latest September data shows that just 58.7 million are still using Google's product, despite the total installed base having grown significantly to 136.7 million.

That's a shift from over 78 percent of all Android and iOS mobile users on Google Maps to just short of 43 percent in one year. On iOS, 35 million users pulled up Apple Maps in the month, out of a total population of 60.1 million users: more than 58 percent.

Arthur stated that iOS users accessing Google Maps fell from a peak of 35 million last September to around 6.3 million today, a decrease of more than 80 percent of Google's users.

Data from comScore indicates Apple's users interact with Maps more often (9.7 million iOS users access Maps each day, compared to just 7.2 million for Android) and spend more time in mapping apps: 75.5 minutes per month on average, compared to 56.2 on Android.

[RottGutt]

Simple answer to the article... no. Not even close to Google Maps.

[AJerman]

Uhh... that's a big negative. There's very little I ever need maps for on a desktop other than to look something up at which point I navigate using my phone that automatically got the directions from searching on the web. This is a big ole article of fluff with nothing meaningful in it. Making a desktop application didn't flip a magical switch and make Apple Maps better than Google's Maps. I'm not sure what "OS calls" he thinks this is going to enable that we didn't have before. You can pretty damn effectively load a map exactly how you want it in a web browser. Unless he's saying he doesn't like web browsers and that the fact that it's a native application makes it better, which again makes no sense. In fact, it's written like someone who is stuck in the 90s who tries to avoid web based solutions because they are slower and not as capable as native apps which is the opposite of how things work today with the portability of web based solutions providing the most powerful asset of the application, as seen here. How did it become so much better than Google Maps when what, about 5% of systems can even use it? Gimmie a break. Carry on with your days!

 

As for usage, was there EVER a doubt that Apple users would use Apple Maps over Google Maps as soon as it was usable? If anything, the usage shift just tells me that Apple Maps is finally good enough that people are actually willing to use it rather than going to download a different mapping application.

[Brian M. Veteran]

The biggest difference I've seen. Google maps has a bigger database. Apple maps is far more up to date.

The local coffee shop I frequent now opened about 2 months ago. It's on Apple maps, but not google maps. The local chippy which used to be there, which closed just over 6 months ago, is still on google maps, but not on Apple maps.

[Arachno 1D]

Its a tad like Microsoft stating more people used the IE browser than any other......well der its built in so its more probable to be the first port of call.

[Nogib]

 

"but will make Apple Maps far more relevant in the long term."

 

Clearly the author of the article is completely retarded.  Apple Maps will never be more relevant.  Simple reason: I can use Google Maps on everything I own while Apple Maps doesn't run on a single one.  So how exactly does that make it "more relevant" when it is forever stuck in a closed ecosystem???

[ctebah]

Clearly the author of the article is completely retarded. Apple Maps will never be more relevant. Simple reason: I can use Google Maps on everything I own while Apple Maps doesn't run on a single one. So how exactly does that make it "more relevant" when it is forever stuck in a closed ecosystem???

Apple users are more connected in than their Android counterparts. If by any chance Apple releases their Maps for other platforms, it's game over Google maps.

[AJerman]

Apple users are more connected in than their Android counterparts. If by any chance Apple releases their Maps for other platforms, it's game over Google maps.

It'd be game over like BBM was game over to SMS when it released on all the other platforms. :laugh:

[ctebah]

It'd be game over like BBM was game over to SMS when it released on all the other platforms. :laugh:

Not even close, but nice try.

[McKay]

Apple users are more connected in than their Android counterparts. If by any chance Apple releases their Maps for other platforms, it's game over Google maps.

 

I like accuracy in my maps, not shiny graphics. Oh the 3d effect in cities looks cool? Great. I look at Google Maps to search for businesses etc and for directions. Almost no businesses list themselves with the service that Apple Maps relies on, so around me it lists practically no stores or businesses. It has horrendous errors in my area, I reported them all to Apple repeatedly when I had my iPhone 5 but looking at my friends iPad he still has, none of them are fixed, Google fixed most of the errors I pointed out within a month.