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Comment by sfotm | Hacker News Reader

I also find it perfectly usable. Does it sometimes suggest a longer route than Google Maps does? Sure. That could be partially attributed to the sheer number of drivers Google Maps has, though.

I think search is almost certainly better on Google Maps, but that's no surprise. I think Apple Maps is the better choice for iOS users, though, if only for the tighter integration with the OS itself and reportedly better battery life.

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Honest question - How does the tighter integration with OS help when you're trying to do directions?

For one example: I believe this is no longer the case, but for a long time 3rd party mapping apps could not display route information on the iPhone lock screen.

Last time I checked, one of my favorite apps for routing me on back roads, Scenic, still can't use my Watch for routing.

Why would your phone be locked while you're driving and trying to use it for navigation? Surely you're not looking down and locking / unlocking it every time you want to look at it, right? You just have it mounted on your dash and it stays on.

>if only for the tighter integration with the OS itself and reportedly better battery life.

So, gmaps is more accurate and overall better in execution, but you recommend an inferior product because of OS integration and battery usage? Makes no sense to me. The number one priority is getting the best directions to where you want to go.

The google UI paradigm is utterly bewildering and foreign to me. I would probably give Google Maps a chance, but every time I open it, I feel lost. When the maps are good enough, the other stuff matters.

I suppose I just don't understand that at all. I open it, enter an address, and it takes me there. Every time.

The Google Maps app doesn't follow any of the iOS UI paradigms, so any time I want to do anything beyond what you described (like transit directions, bike directions, etc), I have have a hard time figuring out how to do that.

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