The state of Apple Maps in 2016...

[Cakefish]

Just out of curiosity I decide to see if Apple Maps is any good now that's it's 2016. I search for 'Costa' with both Apple and Google apps. Google Maps shows me all of the nearest Costa coffee shops in the local area. Meanwhile, Apple Maps decides that I really need to take a gander at the former province of Coast, Kenya (a quick Google search tells me this hasn't formerly existed since 2013)...

That's not very encouraging. Hopefully iOS 10 improves the Maps app.

 

[kch50428]

I'm sure I could come up with a load of examples that would cast Google in a negative light...

How does Apple Maps do when you search Costa coffee?? Ask it for what you really want, and you might have a good chance of getting it...

 

[BittenApple]

Google just deals with information better.

 

[rijc99]

I'm using both Apple and Google maps and feel both are fine. Although, the other day when I searched for Farrell's Ice Cream and Angelo & Vinci's Pizza, Apple gave me better info than Google on both. So "in my case" Apple did better.

 

[Cakefish]

I'm sure I could come up with a load of examples that would cast Google in a negative light...

How does Apple Maps do when you search Costa coffee?? Ask it for what you really want, and you might have a good chance of getting it...

Yeah it has no trouble understanding 'Costa Coffee' but I think it's quite telling that the very first basic test that I put Apple Maps through it fails spectacularly. I want the accuracy and reliability of Apple Maps to be good as I really like the fluidity and smoothness of the app thanks to Apple's use of the Metal API.

 

[BittenApple]

Heres another experiment

Go to both apps and put directions from your location to the white house.

apple maps has the worse directions. it just not good enough. they should have paid google more and used their services until they could create their own that met Apple standards .

 

[Phil A.]

Just out of curiosity I decide to see if Apple Maps is any good now that's it's 2016. I search for 'Costa' with both Apple and Google apps. Google Maps shows me all of the nearest Costa coffee shops in the local area. Meanwhile, Apple Maps decides that I really need to take a gander at the former province of Coast, Kenya (a quick Google search tells me this hasn't formerly existed since 2013)...

That's not very encouraging. Hopefully iOS 10 improves the Maps app.

That's strange because I was searching for that very place, and all Google Maps would show me was some local coffee shops

On a serious note, I got exactly the same as you did when searching for Costa (no idea why Apple think that's a good match), but searching for Costa Coffee did work fine. The only time I use Apple maps now is if I want directions on my Watch - I just find Google Maps far better most of the time

 

[GreyOS]

haha did the same for me

 

[Harmonious Zen]

That's strange because I was searching for that very place, and all Google Maps would show me was some local coffee shops

On a serious note, I got exactly the same as you did when searching for Costa (no idea why Apple think that's a good match), but searching for Costa Coffee did work fine. The only time I use Apple maps now is if I want directions on my Watch - I just find Google Maps far better most of the time

Google Maps continues has a much larger and more useful database of points of interest. Its search algorithm is much more intelligent as well, as illustrated by OP. And Street View does not have an Apple equivalent. The only thing I like about Apple Maps is its OS integration. But for pure information and usefulness, I trust Google Maps way more.

 

[joe-h2o]

Heres another experiment

Go to both apps and put directions from your location to the white house.

apple maps has the worse directions. it just not good enough. they should have paid google more and used their services until they could create their own that met Apple standards .

"Directions Not Available
Directions cannot be found between these locations."

"Sorry, we could not calculate driving directions from "Nottingham, UK" to "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA""

Apple: 0, Google: 0

 

[campyguy]

I'm hoping for improvements from all of the big boys - all of them miss details, and I've just learned to deal with their individual shortcomings. I could pick nits, but I'd rather watch basketball and Bundesliga & Premier League games. The quick & dirty nits? Just in the past few days...

Three breached roadways, one by Oregon DOT, one by the Corps of Engineers, one by Washington State DOT, terminated/breached 4/3/3 years ago all still show up as navigable roadways. The breaches are all signed - but vandals take down signs more often than most people think, and there's significant drops into waterways at all three dark, unlit locations. But Google/Apple-TomTom/Here (and I'm a Benz owner)/MS Bing blithely show the breaches as navigable. As a responsible civil engineer, I've notified the local agencies AND the aforementioned companies - 2 years ago and again earlier this year, to no avail. My trusty Thomas Guide shows the closures...

Disparities in search results, picking on Google here. Searching for "restaurants" in a region gets me results in the iOS app that shows all of the closed businesses, but they don't show up in the browser map. Picking on Here, the icons are so small I need to take off my glasses to see them - and the POI database is so out of date it's really not funny (and I'm glad I didn't pay $250 for an updated DVD for my Benz's nav unit. Thanks, MBWorld Forums for the DL). I'd offer that Google's much larger POI includes businesses that have been closed for YEARS, and that someone needs to take Yelp out behind the woodshed and shoot it since the majority of their "reviews" are several years old, suck balls, and, yeah, that's pretty much it.

What I'm looking forward to? If you haven't checked it out, use the Bing Maps Preview - I've seen their cars all over WA/OR/ID/MT/Nor CAL, and the results are IMHO pretty sweet - one needs a browser for this, but there's product here that is so much cleaner and updated and I'm carrying a hacked Lumia 640 around so I can use these maps while on the road. And, the updated version of Apple Maps - this had better be good, or Tim should fire pretty much every one that's worked on this project and start over (or, just give up...).

 

[yellowscreen]

"Directions Not Available
Directions cannot be found between these locations."

"Sorry, we could not calculate driving directions from "Nottingham, UK" to "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA""

Apple: 0, Google: 0

Maybe theres no road between Europe and America? Or subway... Just a guess

 

[gpo1956]

Sorry, but Apple Maps, along with Siri,is just not up to the standards of Google Maps and Google Voice in everyday situations.

 

[jpn]

The state of Apple Maps in 2016...

very much depends on the country.
usa: totally enjoyable to use.
japan: google maps is better, but apple map can be used (usually but not always).
vietnam, cambodia, thailand, myanmar: totally unusable. most roads and locations are not marked. thank god for google.
world level Report Card: F
its been now several years since Maps was mistakenly announced as non-Beta etc etc.
apple is not spending the money or effort needed to close the gap with google.
yet they are working possibly on services for self-drive cars? no way.

 

[C DM]

Sorry, but Apple Maps, along with Siri,is just not up to the standards of Google Maps and Google Voice in everyday situations.

Don't think Google Voice is what would compare to Siri.

 

[JT2002TJ]

The state of Apple Maps in 2016...

very much depends on the country.
usa: totally enjoyable to use.
japan: google maps is better, but apple map can be used (usually but not always).
vietnam, cambodia, thailand, myanmar: totally unusable. most roads and locations are not marked. thank god for google.
world level Report Card: F
its been now several years since Maps was mistakenly announced as non-Beta etc etc.
apple is not spending the money or effort needed to close the gap with google.
yet they are working possibly on services for self-drive cars? no way.

I am not defending Apple. I just wish their maps were better, but they are years behind Google, and since Google is a moving target, I'm not sure they ever will catch up (until the day Google decides to quit the maps game).

 

[Hevelius]

Using Apple Maps in Eastern Europe induces a Zen-like state as you stare at all the empty spaces and contemplate nothingness.

 

[campyguy]

For those wanting to observe a bit of chatter related to what's here, the source - http://www.justinobeirne.com/essay/what-happened-to-google-maps - has led to some banter over at Slashdot - https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/05/01/1634235/what-happened-to-google-maps - and IMHO it's a fun read. Fun, as I'm often working on cartography, from the design/layout and construction/documentation side of it.

I'm still sticking to waiting until MS and Apple get their new products out there for us to rail on, at least MS has a preview on the web - and I still see Bing and Apple cars driving around when I'm out on the road for work.

I'm not sick on Apple Maps, but rather Apple's still leasing TomTom's crappy Teleatlas mapping/traffic data (here in the US, and lots of locations in Europe) like Google used to do before hitting the road and buying Keyhole; Google's more or less slightly modified Keyhole's backend and search engine and IHMO this interface/parsing really hasn't changed in the 10-odd years since Keyhole, nee Google Earth, was assimilated by Google.

Teleatlas has been a PITA to work with since I got into GIS/mapping, over 20 years ago - the snarky line we use(d) is along the lines of if you're in NA, use NAVTEQ and if you're in Europe use Teleatlas. IMHO Google was smart to cut Teleatlas loose - my last TomTom GO cost a pretty penny, and I can still recall the panic in the voice of the tech with NAVTEQ when Google Maps came out, which I used on my Symbian S60 handset on that zippy ATTWS EDGE network - but I had little empathy for NAVTEQ then as platted properties with new roads seemed to take 12-24 months to show up in their data, and I could get better maps from Thomas Guides (and still can, but it's hard to stuff them into my iPhone...).

Most of the readers here have no idea how bloody expensive it is to lease GIS data from the agencies I work with as NAVTEQ/HERE and Teleatlas have lowered their payments to agencies my rates for data have skyrocketed; it's cheaper for me to dispatch a survey crew than buy (then fix) outdated GIS data. I still find out of date POIs - including postal offices a mile or so away from where they've been for 50 years - so it's an arsenal of map apps for me! Cheers!

 

[electronicsguy]

Apple doesn't "Get" services - esp. ones where public contribution is more that theirs. Take google maps - it became so good because people like you and me could contribute to it... Apple maps does have report a problem, but then again, it's not as good as google's...plus you must use a apple device. google maps corrections for a business can e sent by a manager today sitting on a, say, Dell PC.

 

[C DM]

Apple doesn't "Get" services - esp. ones where public contribution is more that theirs. Take google maps - it became so good because people like you and me could contribute to it... Apple maps does have report a problem, but then again, it's not as good as google's...plus you must use a apple device. google maps corrections for a business can e sent by a manager today sitting on a, say, Dell PC.

Not counting the fact that Google is primarily a service company with years and years of dealing with maps and all kinds of related projects.

 

[macfacts]

Not counting the fact that Google is primarily a service company with years and years of dealing with maps and all kinds of related projects.

It is not Google's fault Apple wants to expand into all kinds of different services and products (voice search, maps, TV, car, smart watches, music subscriptions).

Steve Jobs knew Apple couldn't be a pro in every field and made strategic partnerships with the best companies out there. Tim on the other hand buys up companies and tries to do everything in house. After Steve's death, Apple started buying more companies:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple

 

[electronicsguy]

Not counting the fact that Google is primarily a service company with years and years of dealing with maps and all kinds of related projects.

totally agreed. but then, a wise man knows what things he doesn't know, and hires the people who know more than him on that subject. Apple doesn't want to do that. As I said in another thread - their whole mindset is that of a rich, priviledged 'murican guy. anything else doesn't matter for them. and to be fair to them, up till now, things have been going well for them, so maybe they've not needed to mind it. But things can go downhill even for the best of them (Yahoo, aol, compaq, blackberry).
[doublepost=1462241704][/doublepost]

Maybe theres no road between Europe and America? Or subway... Just a guess

that's no excuse. they used to have NY-london directions as "swim 4000 miles across the atlantic"

 

[DingeZ]

I feel that Apple Maps gets a lot of **** by just people saying that Google Maps is always better without proper knowledge.
My main reason to use Apple Maps and not Google's, is not because of its information, but for its technical superiority. Google Maps is still using bitmaps, while Apple has implemented vector maps since day one. Dragging, zooming and exploring is just infinitely smoother on Apple Maps that it is on Googles. Since the additions of local search, implementation of reviews from a bunch of sites and Transit routes it becomes more and better useful. I find that flyover gives me a lot better sense of direction than the clumsiness of street view. Right now I'm just waiting for transit info to come to Amsterdam. That would be perfect.

 

[GreyOS]

just people saying that Google Maps is always better without proper knowledge.
...
Google Maps is still using bitmaps

Google maps has used vector graphics since 2012 according to many reports?
[doublepost=1462281853][/doublepost]In general I prefer the UI of Apple Maps but still use Google for reliability and wealth of data

 

[gsmornot]

The GPS built into my car covers the majority of the roads out there. Even if it's not aware of a new road built in the last several years since its last update it still finds a way to the destination. Apple Maps is a step above with integration in my calendar with time to leave notices for appointments, traffic data and POI data with ratings from several sources. Maybe Google Maps is better in some ways but one thing its not is integrated into my device and my iOS like Apple Maps. I much rather have the integration than a 3rd party application even with its shortcomings. I myself have had great experiences using Apple Maps and love that it taps my wrist via watch keeping my eyes on the road and off the screen.

I know it happens both ways but not long ago we had a group heading to the "same location", the Apple group made it, the Google group was 15 minutes away. It was clear then who used what system. I'm sure the same stories are there for Apple too.