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QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 12, 2012 -> 11:13 PM)
Google released Google Maps for iOS, which actually has turn-by-turn voice navigation now.

 

If you're on iOS 6, you should probably get it...

 

Remember all those stories where Google wouldn't give Apple turn-by-turn and Steve Jobs was super duper pissed? All it took was a PR nightmare and some competition before Google decided to give in.

Wait wasn't the pr nightmare on Apples end? Like the people getting stranded in the Australian outback because of their terrible maps?

 

I would think Google would have the leverage here, not Apple.

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The interface needs some serious work, but that's to be expected with a 1.0 release. I find it somewhat puzzling that after all of that, Apple ended up getting almost all of the features they wanted from the Google Maps app, only now they don't have to pay for it's usage rights.

 

So much for Google Maps not coming out for iOS.

 

Edit: After playing with this, trying to touch on every available feature, I have to say, Google is terrible at designing user interfaces as compared to Apple. Apples old version of Google Maps and their own Apple maps UI is vastly superior to Googles new maps app. And to hear Google admit the new Google Maps app is superior to the one they have on Android seems a bit oddball. I hope they work on the UI, I really do.

 

http://www.cultofandroid.com/19954/google-...mises-ipad-app/

 

Likes:

 

* I like their voice guided assist

* Google Traffic display is far superior to Apples, thankfully this is back

* iOS specific API for programmers to link directly to Google Maps App

* OpenGL for rendering

* Obviously, I like the Google Mapping database, but I figured I'd put it on the list anyway

 

Needs Work: (I wouldn't say dislikes because they're features that are nice, but not necessary IMO, but they need to do some work)

 

* Need to make it easier to use Streetview (for those that use this, I never do, but it's a bit convoluted to find)

* Need to add their bike routes (Also not important to me, but may be to others)

* Pinch/Push to zoom/un zoom needs to stop immediately after I lift my fingers...this has some sort of lag that keeps it zooming/unzooming

* Something seems slow about it...the rendering engine is sluggish and it shouldn't be considering their use of OpenGL, this can be fixed

 

Dislikes:

 

* Overall UI is a bit sluggish and clunky, needs work/polish (expected out of a 1.0 release, but Googles UI's are always pretty bad for a while)

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 05:56 AM)
Wait wasn't the pr nightmare on Apples end? Like the people getting stranded in the Australian outback because of their terrible maps?

 

I would think Google would have the leverage here, not Apple.

 

* You mean because it was a story about Apple and you actually saw it in news headlines?

 

You must have missed this one, conveniently enough:

 

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/12/google-ma...ding-to-police/

 

* Interestingly, The Register reports that the error was not entirely Apple's fault, as the incorrect location was included in the official Australian Gazetteer. In this case, the Australian Gazetteer – the authoritative list of 300,000-plus placenames, complete with coordinates – includes two Milduras. One is the “real” town, the other is an entry for “Mildura Rural City”, coordinates -34.79724 141.76108. It’s this second entry that points to the middle of the Murray-Sunset National Park, just near a spot called Rocket Lake.

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 09:39 AM)
Tells you how confident people are with Apple's version of maps.

Google Maps the #1 free app in iTunes after one day

And yet, when I opened my App store app...it wasn't on the main page, and it wasn't the top thing I found when I searched for "Google Maps".

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QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 08:39 AM)
Tells you how confident people are with Apple's version of maps.

Google Maps the #1 free app in iTunes after one day

 

That's not very surprising...newly released big name free apps are always #1 on the day of release, and usually for a few weeks after.

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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 08:25 AM)
If we're talking about a "PR nightmare" and which side is feeling pressure, then yeah, what headlines say is what matters. I really don't understand why Google would be the one "giving in" here. Apple is taking a beating in the public because of their sub-par maps program, not Google.

 

Apple is taking a beating in public because it's Apple.

 

When headlines show Google has similar issues, they're ignored, so no...it's not simply headlines. It's who's involved in said headlines that really matters. Story with Apple = huge clicks, huge advertisement revenue. Story with Google...nobody cares. Well, I care...because I like to actually know what I'm talking about.

 

This is no different than when Microsoft was on top, and negative press regarding Windows or other Microsoft products generated huge traffic.

 

It will be no different if/when Google becomes the darling technology company, either. Suddenly you'll start seeing tons of similar stories regarding Google and it's competitors that have similar issues will be largely ignored.

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 10:06 AM)
I don't care about any of what you just said, I care about understanding why chw42 said Google supposedly gave in thanks to PR nightmare.

 

Oh, well, I don't really agree with that, either.

 

They didn't "give in" to anything by releasing an iOS maps app. That's a lot of user data they're not getting, so it's merely smart business to get an app out there. Giving in to making a solid business decision isn't giving in, IMO.

 

I went back and read what CHW said, and he has a solid point. Keep in mind the contention was that Google would not give Apple turn by turn and other features of Google Maps that have long been available on Android, prompting Apple to realize they needed to do their own thing so they'd have more power over features. Apple wanted turn by turn and other features as part of their contract with Google, and in return, Google wanted to be able to add advertising and Google Latitude to Apples version of Google maps, something Apple did not want since they were paying royalties to Google for it's use. Apple didn't believe Google should have rights to add those other revenue generators to what they were paying for. I agree with Apple on this...if it was something Google was supplying them for free, Google would have had a leg to stand on, but that wasn't the case.

 

CHW is merely pointing out that Google eventually gave Apple everything they asked for in this app, only now they did it for free, as Apple used to pay Google for the use of Google Maps in iOS.

 

So, he actually has a very solid point.

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 10:46 AM)
but what pressure did Google face, what was their PR nightmare? that's the part that doesn't make any sense.

 

Well, the pressure of lost revenue, lost data, etc...the PR nightmare was more to Google shareholders...losing Maps on iOS devices was HUGE. It was very sudden and very unexpected considering Google still had a year left on their contract with Apple when it occurred.

 

Google made more money and collected more data from iOS users than it does from it's own Android users, despite controlling like 70%+ of the market. That's a LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT of GPS data they were suddenly no longer receiving.

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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 05:56 AM)
Wait wasn't the pr nightmare on Apples end? Like the people getting stranded in the Australian outback because of their terrible maps?

 

I would think Google would have the leverage here, not Apple.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant.

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QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 02:10 PM)
So, apple ditches google maps for their own. Their own suck, but then google comes back with a much improved google maps for iOS? How is this a fail for apple?

 

It's a win for iOS users. It's a loss for Apple's PR department as Apple's image took a hit. When two of your engineering heads get fired and your CEO has to apologize for a bad maps app, that's not a good thing.

Edited by chw42
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QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 02:41 PM)
It's a win for iOS users. It's a loss for Apple's PR department as Apple's image took a hit. When two of your engineering heads get fired and your CEO is forced to apologize for a bad maps app, that's not a good thing.

 

It's not a good thing PR wise, but it shows they're willing to make necessary changes sooner rather than later to fix problems. If something ends up being a + for their users, it's also a + for the company itself.

 

They could always be like Microsoft and pretend nothing is wrong while their marketshare continues to fall on practically every product across the board.

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 02:10 PM)
So, apple ditches google maps for their own. Their own suck, but then google comes back with a much improved google maps for iOS? How is this a fail for apple?

 

It's really not.

 

Apple haters are still playing pretend that the PR hit Apple has taken because of maps resulted in anything...when their marketshare ended up increasing, instead. And now they have a fully functional Google Maps on top it all.

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QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 02:50 PM)
It's not a good thing PR wise, but it shows they're willing to make necessary changes sooner rather than later to fix problems. If something ends up being a + for their users, it's also a + for the company itself.

 

They could always be like Microsoft and pretend nothing is wrong while their marketshare continues to fall on practically every product across the board.

 

I honestly don't see how it's a good PR thing...

 

Your opinion is that any press is good press. That's true to an extent, but not when that press is bashing Apple left and right. Sure it shows that Apple takes responsibility, but what kind of good company doesn't when its products are awful? Just because Microsoft didn't acknowledge it doesn't make it a common thing.

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QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 03:12 PM)
I honestly don't see how it's a good PR thing...

 

Your opinion is that any press is good press. That's true to an extent, but not when that press is bashing Apple left and right. Sure it shows that Apple takes responsibility, but what kind of good company doesn't when its products are awful? Just because Microsoft didn't acknowledge it doesn't make it a common thing.

 

No, that's not really my opinion. Bad press is bad press in this regard. The any press is good press only applies to newer companies trying to get noticed...Apple is already noticed.

 

It was bad PR for Apple, there is no doubt about this, but for the most part the bad PR didn't result in very much in quantifiable damage to the company. Their image took a short term hit, they attacked it, got rid of those sourced to their problems and moved on. The press tends to bash whoever happens to be on top...this is common. If/when Google is on top, the same will happen to them, because negative press has been shown to generate more views/clicks, etc...which equates to more ad revenue. Microsoft went through this in the early/mid 2000's.

 

A lot of good, very profitable companies don't make changes when it's products or strategic decisions are awful...

 

Recent Examples:

 

Research in Motion

Microsoft

HP

Dell

Yahoo

Adobe

...and many others.

 

Apple made drastic changes very quickly in response to the debacle that was Apple Maps. This is NOT common in companies this large...changes on that scale often take years, if they ever happen at all.

 

On the back end of this, Apple emerged with their own mapping solution, which a LOT of people use, despite the negative press -- and now they have a FULL version of Google Maps (for free) on top of it. If anything, they took what was a negative and turned it into a neutral, if not a positive.

Edited by Y2HH
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QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 03:19 PM)
No, that's not my opinion. Bad press is bad press. The any press is good press only applies to newer companies trying to get noticed...Apple is already noticed.

 

It was bad PR, but for the most part the bad PR didn't result in very much in quantifiable damage to the company. Their image took a short term hit, they attacked it, got rid of those sourced to their problems and moved on. The press tends to bash whoever happens to be on top...this is common. If/when Google is on top, the same will happen to them, because negative press has been shown to generate views/clicks, etc...which equates to more ad revenue. Microsoft went through this in the early/mid 2000's.

 

A lot of good, very profitable companies don't make changes when it's products or strategic decisions are awful...

 

Recent Examples:

 

Research in Motion

Microsoft

HP

Dell

Yahoo

Adobe

...and many others.

 

Apple made drastic changes very quickly in response to the debacle that was Apple Maps. This is NOT common in companies this large...changes on that scale often take years, if they ever happen at all.

 

On the back end of this, Apple emerged with their own mapping solution, which a LOT of people use, despite the negative press -- and now they have a FULL version of Google Maps (for free) on top of it.

 

So you're saying it was bad PR? Okay then, that's all I was saying.

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QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 13, 2012 -> 11:09 PM)
Holy crap Y2HH. Either you're a paid PR person for Apple or you have some sophisticated search program that finds any miniscule criticism of Apple which triggers you to respond in lengthy detail each time.

 

He's my Evil Apple twin, or would that me make HIS Evil Apple twin? Either way, you get the idea.

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