- Apple swaps Google Maps for its own in iPhone update
- iPhone 5 ignores NFC - a stay of execution for some
Welcome to the new world of Apple Maps that greeted iPhone and iPad users when they downloaded the highly anticipated update to the consumer giant's mobile software platform, iOS 6, this week.
Apple's home-grown Maps feature was introduced with much fanfare in June
by Apple's software chief Scott Forstall and is a direct challenge to
the same service offered by friend-turned-rival Google.
But the app is already facing criticism from users globally for a number of geographical errors, missing information and because it lacks features that made Google Maps so popular, including public transit directions, comprehensive traffic data or street view pictures.
But the app is already facing criticism from users globally for a number of geographical errors, missing information and because it lacks features that made Google Maps so popular, including public transit directions, comprehensive traffic data or street view pictures.
Apple Maps has replaced Google Maps, which is no longer available on iOS 6.
Sunken boats in Circular Quay, Sydney?
Many users who downloaded Apple's iOS 6 software, released
yesterday, took to Twitter and online forums to express their
frustration at the glitches.
"The people who thought the world was flat were more accurate cartographers than Apple Maps," @RayneBradley said on Twitter.
"Apple Maps also have errors in business listings. I went to call a local taxi driver and it was a taxidermist (seriously)," said @TomDavenport on Twitter.
Luna Park Sydney and a nearby wharf as seen on Apple Maps.
"It's a complete failure," said Jeffrey Jorgensen. "It's
slower, its directions are poorer and its location data doesn't seem to
be accurate. All around, it's not quite there yet."
Jorgensen, a user interface designer for a San Francisco-based startup, began using Apple Maps months ago, because Apple made it available early to people in its software development program. He said he finds himself relying on Google Maps running on his wife's Android phone instead.
Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company launched the new service knowing it was a major initiative.
"Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get," she said. "We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."
The criticism comes on the eve of the launch of Apple's iPhone 5, which hits stores around the globe today. The iPhone 5 comes pre-loaded with the new iOS 6 software and Maps.
Users have created a Tumblr blog sarcastically dubbed "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps" where many have posted screen shots of the errors. Pictures showed the Norwegian town of Leknes in the Norwegian sea, the entire city centre of Stratford-upon-Avon is labeled as a hospital.
Some of the errors have even irked politicians. Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he was surprised to discover that Airfield - a 35-acre estate with working farm and café in centre of his constituency in Dundrum, Ireland - has been labelled with the image of an aircraft.
He said this could be dangerous for pilots and suggested in a statement that Apple use the image of "a cow, a goat, a sheep, a flower" instead, and that an "aircraft is an entirely inappropriate flight of imagination".
Users in Asia were surprised to see two sets of the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands. Some joked that this was Apple's effort at providing a diplomatic solution to Japan and China, both of which claim the islands.
Not an easy fix
New York city residents are also unhappy that Apple maps doesn't offer public transit directions, one of the most-used features on Google Maps in cities. This also affects Australian states that offer public transit directions through Google Transit, like NSW.
"My phone should be able to tell me which bus and train to take," said Kenan Ali, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who exclusively uses public transport in the city and has been an iPhone user since 2008. "I am hoping in the next update they will somehow add transit directions."
The most-hyped feature of the new app is a "Flyby" mode that shows three-dimensional renderings of buildings and other features. It presents a convincing depiction of the canyons of Manhattan, but has a hard time rendering bridges and highway overpasses, which tend to look wobbly or partly collapsed.
The Apple app also has a tendency to judge landscape features by their names. For instance, it marks the hulking Madison Square Garden arena in New York as green park space because of the word "Garden" in its name. The TD Garden football stadium in Boston gets the same treatment.
Apple licenses mapping data from vehicle navigation systems maker TomTom. TomTom said it stands behind the quality of its maps but didn't develop the app.
"During the process of turning mapping data into an app, every manufacturer does it their own way," said TomTom spokesperson Cem Cohen. "We are not part of that process. Apple uses exactly the same maps as our other customers."
Cohen said TomTom hasn't talked to Apple about the issues.
While in theory it will be possible for Apple to update Maps with a software fix, the problems appear to be "pretty profound and pretty fundamental", said Marcus Thielking, co-founder of Skobbler, maker of the popular GPS Navigation 2 app, built using the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap platform.
"The question is really how much expertise do they have in-house and what they sourced from third parties," Thielking said, adding that Apple requires people with a very specific skill set to fix it.
"It's not their core competence," he added.
Google has been in the mapping game for much longer, giving it the benefit of years of error reports to help shape its maps.
There's been a Google Maps app on the iPhone since it was launched in 2007, but it's always come with the operating system. Now that it's gone from the list of "core" apps, users are finding that it's not available for download either. Google says its goal is to make Maps available on iOS 6 as a native app, but hasn't said when that will be.
In the meantime, iPhone and iPad owners can access maps.google.com through their browser, said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. The browser version has fewer features but uses a comprehensive mapping database, he said.
Sunken boats in Circular Quay, Sydney? "The people who thought the world was flat were more accurate cartographers than Apple Maps," @RayneBradley said on Twitter.
"Apple Maps also have errors in business listings. I went to call a local taxi driver and it was a taxidermist (seriously)," said @TomDavenport on Twitter.
Luna Park Sydney and a nearby wharf as seen on Apple Maps. Jorgensen, a user interface designer for a San Francisco-based startup, began using Apple Maps months ago, because Apple made it available early to people in its software development program. He said he finds himself relying on Google Maps running on his wife's Android phone instead.
Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company launched the new service knowing it was a major initiative.
"Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get," she said. "We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."
The criticism comes on the eve of the launch of Apple's iPhone 5, which hits stores around the globe today. The iPhone 5 comes pre-loaded with the new iOS 6 software and Maps.
Users have created a Tumblr blog sarcastically dubbed "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps" where many have posted screen shots of the errors. Pictures showed the Norwegian town of Leknes in the Norwegian sea, the entire city centre of Stratford-upon-Avon is labeled as a hospital.
Some of the errors have even irked politicians. Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he was surprised to discover that Airfield - a 35-acre estate with working farm and café in centre of his constituency in Dundrum, Ireland - has been labelled with the image of an aircraft.
He said this could be dangerous for pilots and suggested in a statement that Apple use the image of "a cow, a goat, a sheep, a flower" instead, and that an "aircraft is an entirely inappropriate flight of imagination".
Users in Asia were surprised to see two sets of the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands. Some joked that this was Apple's effort at providing a diplomatic solution to Japan and China, both of which claim the islands.
Not an easy fix
New York city residents are also unhappy that Apple maps doesn't offer public transit directions, one of the most-used features on Google Maps in cities. This also affects Australian states that offer public transit directions through Google Transit, like NSW.
"My phone should be able to tell me which bus and train to take," said Kenan Ali, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who exclusively uses public transport in the city and has been an iPhone user since 2008. "I am hoping in the next update they will somehow add transit directions."
The most-hyped feature of the new app is a "Flyby" mode that shows three-dimensional renderings of buildings and other features. It presents a convincing depiction of the canyons of Manhattan, but has a hard time rendering bridges and highway overpasses, which tend to look wobbly or partly collapsed.
The Apple app also has a tendency to judge landscape features by their names. For instance, it marks the hulking Madison Square Garden arena in New York as green park space because of the word "Garden" in its name. The TD Garden football stadium in Boston gets the same treatment.
Apple licenses mapping data from vehicle navigation systems maker TomTom. TomTom said it stands behind the quality of its maps but didn't develop the app.
"During the process of turning mapping data into an app, every manufacturer does it their own way," said TomTom spokesperson Cem Cohen. "We are not part of that process. Apple uses exactly the same maps as our other customers."
Cohen said TomTom hasn't talked to Apple about the issues.
While in theory it will be possible for Apple to update Maps with a software fix, the problems appear to be "pretty profound and pretty fundamental", said Marcus Thielking, co-founder of Skobbler, maker of the popular GPS Navigation 2 app, built using the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap platform.
"The question is really how much expertise do they have in-house and what they sourced from third parties," Thielking said, adding that Apple requires people with a very specific skill set to fix it.
"It's not their core competence," he added.
Google has been in the mapping game for much longer, giving it the benefit of years of error reports to help shape its maps.
There's been a Google Maps app on the iPhone since it was launched in 2007, but it's always come with the operating system. Now that it's gone from the list of "core" apps, users are finding that it's not available for download either. Google says its goal is to make Maps available on iOS 6 as a native app, but hasn't said when that will be.
In the meantime, iPhone and iPad owners can access maps.google.com through their browser, said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. The browser version has fewer features but uses a comprehensive mapping database, he said.
theage.com.au 21 Sep 2012
Apple releasing again a sub standard product, this time one that can effect someone's life.
Some people rely heavily on navigators, and in this case it could lead someone up the garden path literally.
Users do not have any option, a matter that should be dealt with in he European / United States' courts .
No comments:
Post a Comment