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Comment by dwaite | Hacker News Reader

In what way have they not "figured out" maps? It isn't a defective product, Google just has more user features (partly because they monetize location data, partly because they monetize priority display of businesses, and partly because they were around 8 years longer)

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All I know is that I've repeatedly run into situations where Google maps will take me to the entrance of something like a rec center, park or school while Apple maps takes me to a spot a quarter mile away on the other side of the block in the middle of a stretch of road with no entrance. Multiple times my wife and I will use her iPhone to get close and then switch to google maps on my note5 to actually get to the entrance.

Apple is a big company and forces you to use Apple Maps with Carplay. There is just no excuse for Apple Maps to continue to be so far behind. Been an Apple fan before it was cool to be an Apple fan but I can be realistic.

Here is a great link that breaks it down compared to Google Maps. When did Apple decide the goal no longer is to be the best?

Do not even get me started on Siri. I find this defense of Apple baffling? Why is it acceptable to do a poor job at a product?

https://www.justinobeirne.com/google-maps-moat/

The problem is that there is essentially no limit to how detailed a map can be. As long as Google continues to add detail to their maps as fast as Apple does, Apple will not be able to catch up.

Most other products have a plateau where adding more features ceases to make the product better.

Apple Maps definitely has improved a lot since when it was introduced in 2012.

That’s fine and understandable, but Apple should not be forcing their maps product down the throats of iOS users by crippling competitors’ products for no good reason (same goes for Apple crippling Spotify to promote Apple Music, etc.)

That's a bold statement. I use Google maps on my iPhone. What's the problem?

I'd say Apple Maps did its job well... It got Google to release Google Maps FOR iOS.

Now if I could just get Siri to navigate with google maps...

What Apple is doing now is similar to what Microsoft did in the 90s regarding Internet Explorer. Yes, you can use other apps, but much of the common ways to integrate into the OS are purposely disabled for non-Apple apps for obvious anti-competitive purposes; for Google maps, you can't set it as your default maps app (which means Apple Maps is constantly opening in contexts where you obviously want Google Maps), there is no CarPlay integration, can't use it properly with Siri, etc.

I guess they can get away with it because iOS isn't a monopoly, but I think it's a dumb move on their part.

Fair point.

Open one of your contact's addresses in Google Maps. It's trivial to replace the default mapping application in Android and impossible on iOS.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/290873

Forcing users to use your stuff never works out well. But really just like to see Apple fix the problem and get back to trying to provide the best UX in the industry.

Just to be clear, there is no statement from Apple or Google that Apple has blocked Google Maps or any other third party mapping from CarPlay. It could very well be Google just hasn't prioritized support.

I'm aware (and I'm sure Apple is aware) that Google Maps has more features. AFAIK Apple has never in their history thought that having the most features makes their product the best.

I'm also unsure Apple wants Maps to "beat" Google. My understanding is that based on a requirement for data from users as part of the licensing of Google Maps, Apple felt they're had to create and ship their own default maps app to preserve customer's privacy and default experience. That doesn't mean they're are against customers opting into a Google product.

Apple Maps are so defective that they are completely useless.

I disagree, during the odd time I've worked Amazon Flex Apple Maps has saved me. It was more up to date than the crap Amazon use and was more up to date than Google Maps.

The issue is Apple Maps is still far behind Google Maps. It is far behind Waze. It is not close and the gap grows.

I am old and been an Apple fan for a very long time. So I just do not get when it became acceptable at Apple to have poor products? They use to strive to provide the best and most importantly the best user experience.

If I can say take me to X and my mapping takes me to X that is the ideal user experience. Versus with Apple I say take me to X and it wants to take me to Y which is 300 miles away!

Saying take me to X and it tells me that it will be closed before I get there is a far better user experience.

And please do not tell me it is because of no access to data. Read their privacy agreement.

https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/

For some odd reason it is now acceptable and even defended for Apple to provide poor products.

Now if they do self driving vehicles and they kill people are we going to say well it is good enough? Or say well that is because they do not have data?

Here is a great site that lays out how Apple Maps is NOT closing the gap but instead the gap is growing. Why on earth does this not bother Apple?

https://www.justinobeirne.com/google-maps-moat/

The issue is Apple Maps is still far behind Google Maps. It is far behind Waze. It is not close and the gap grows

This isn't true at all. When I was in Japan recently I was so grateful I owned an iPhone with Apple maps, as Google maps could never send me to the correct location, and Apple maps got it right every time.

You are mischaracterizing Apple maps. Try it for a month. That one blog post that everyone cites here doesn't tell the whole story. Also, I get significant peace of mind knowing that I'm not being fed POI data based on who is the highest bidder the way things work in Waze and GMaps.

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