The trouble with Maps

Written by

Max Slater-Robins:

iOS 6 is out. Check your iOS device — as long as it’s not the iPad 1 or iPod Touch 3rd generation or lower — and download it. Except, don’t if you use Google Maps. The new Maps application, Apple Maps, is awful.

I’ve heard from a lot of people about Maps after writing my review on the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 on Wednesday. In the places I tried Maps — Cupertino and Halifax, Canada — it worked flawlessly. However, it seems not all areas, countries and users are having the same experience.



  • Daniel

    I actually just did a brief comparison test. In my hometown, the Apple maps are actually better than Google’s. Google has a bunch of parking lots and alleys listed as roadways. They even did Street View for a McDonald’s parking lot! Apple’s maps for the most part only have the actual roadways.

  • http://twitter.com/yathindran Y

    Yeah ! In my country We had directions with google maps but now no directions ! and it cant find my work place ! .. I hope they fix soon and beef up the database !

  • Domicinator

    I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. Google Maps sucked for actual navi in the car because it didn’t read you the instructions out loud. Most people I know use Mapquest Mobile or MotionX for “real” GPS. The only way Google was useful was if someone was in the passenger seat READING you the directions as you went.

    • gjgustav

      The fuss is that not all places are mapped correctly and no transit or walking direction support. You don’t need spoken directions for those applications.

      • Domicinator

        Fair enough, but Google Maps still works and you can just save the web app icon on your home screen. People are acting like they have no access to google maps anymore. If you prefer Google Maps, you still have full usage of it on the web. Apps are not the only way to access data.

      • kibbles

        there IS walking direction support.

  • Adam

    I’m conflicted. I understand Apple’s likely desire to move away from a competitor’s map data. But theirs is woefully incomplete. Google has spent the last 7 years building up wonderfully detailed and very accurate maps. Apple has a long way to go before they match that level of quality.

    Also, I’m not really a fan of flyover. It’s kind of a cool gimmick, but the appeal wears off after a couple of minutes. It’s not practical for much. Street View was much more useful for actually identifying storefronts, houses, etc. from street level, which is great when you’re visiting somewhere you’ve never been before. Flyover doesn’t (and can’t) provide that level of detail. Also, the elevation profiles they’re using for flyover are not great, either…buildings, streets, trees appear as lumpy blobs in many cases. Only the most plain, square, or well-known buildings have accurate shapes.

    I hope Apple takes some of its billions sitting around in cash and uses it to very rapidly and proactively improve the quality of its maps.

    • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

      building up wonderfully detailed and very accurate maps

      Unless you live in Canada, and entire subdivisions take years to show up…

  • Ron Miller

    Apple maps where I live in Portland, OR is not bad. I’ve been using the maps for about 2 months as I’m a developer. There is a little less detail, but I really like the driving directions in iOS. My experience is that the driving directions makes better use of traffic than any other GPS system I’ve used. It always seemed to give the right route based on the time of day.

    However, I did a trip to Japan and the maps there are absolutely horrible. Unusably horrible. In Japan, people drive a lot less, so for most people there isn’t really even an upside. Just worse data and no public transportation help.

    While I was there, I added a home page icon for Google Maps web page. The web page is not as nice or easy to use as the app, but at least it is functional.

    Hopefully Google does actually create a maps app, and Apple approves it. Then we will have the best of both worlds, and the competition between the two should drive innovation going forward.

    p.s. Part of me is wondering if Google knows how bad Apple’s maps are, and is holding off on submitting their app so Apple gets a bit of bad press.

  • http://twitter.com/holamau @holaMau

    It is a bit disingenuous how they are presenting “the Hoover Dam” within this post’s link. Just saying. () While the 3D is not perfect, there are many positive things from the new maps. The turn-by-turn navigation is fantastic.

  • http://twitter.com/aarond Aaron Dunlap

    I think the people who like or dislike the new maps generally fall into walkers versus drivers.

    The new maps are great for drivers, with the GPS-unit-like driving directions and clear labels. People who generally use a car to get around (people in suburbs or more car-centric cities like Detroit or Austin) should have no complaints.

    For people like me who live in a big city (Chicago, personally) and rely on our maps application to find our bearings or locate a business, transit terminal, or point of interest, I find the new maps almost unusable. There’s no details of buildings or landmarks, no mapping of the various sidewalks and paths through the parks. Grant Park is a richly detailed entity on Google Maps, with footpaths and all of the attractions/kiosks/sections described perfectly. In Apple Maps, it’s just a big green square.

    • Kelake

      Turn by turn is quite nice when it can find the address. But like you mention the level of detail is woefully incomplete compared to Google. I searched for Starbucks and it gave me locations in China, Google gives me 6 locations within a 5 minute walk of my house.

  • D Pauw

    The lack of public transportation is a deal killer in some areas. There is the OpenTripPlanner Kickstarter but they don’t look anywhere near to shipping.

    As far as comparison to Google, people seem to have a short memory regarding Google Maps. People forget that Google Maps used to instruct people to drive off piers? As recent as this year Google Maps has consistently been blocks off for some cities, in my experience. It isn’t an excuse for the screw ups in Apple Maps and hopefully they fix the problems quickly but it does make these issues understandable.

  • Matt Chea

    Jim, welcome to life outside of the Reality Distortion Field, where outside of Cupertino, things actually aren’t as they appear.

    Why the iOS 6 Maps app was not introduced as ‘Beta’ and Siri still is in Beta with commercials and fancy celebrity endorsements toting its usefulness (debatable still) is beyond me. Very odd software execution for the most profitable company in history, don’t ya think?

  • http://twitter.com/weycoolhan WeyHan Ng

    Google maps where I live sucks anyway. If Apple’s map sucks even if in different ways, makes no difference to me. ;)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BINT3YIUC4HMKPISP327EK55LU TomV

    The Point of Interest database is hopelessly outdated. And that’s for points in Apple’s backyard. School across my home in Sunnyvale? Has a name that was used decades ago. Church one block away? Marked incorrectly as a school. The nursing home in Cupertino right next to where I used to live? Also marked as a school.

    A lot of parks of the popular parks in the Bay Area are missing. Fremont-Older park in… Cupertino? Missing…

    The list is endless.

    Apple Maps is a disaster.

  • joesteel

    I live in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area (LA). This is not a small market, the sprawl requires accurate maps to navigate to and from many unfamiliar locations.

    My address, entered in full down to the zip code, drops a pin over 5 blocks away from my real address in the City of Los Angeles (not the city or zip I entered). The addresses numerically before and after my address drops pins correctly, but my home address is elsewhere. Utterly useless to me. I have reported the problem, but who knows when, or if, I will see a resolution.

    The lack of StreetView is something I was prepared for. The 3D maps, at full zoom, have a great deal of detail. Unfortunately, that data is inconsistent across the LA metro area. Patches of flat satellite data butt up against more detailed 3D data. My inaccurate address, a two-story structure is recognizable, along with all the small structures on the surrounding streets. Then, less than 2 miles away, skyscrapers, and other large buildings, become nothing more that white and gray squares.

    If Apple is banking on turn-by-turn an 3D data to make up for the shortcomings of this shift, then I think they miscalculated. Sure, I’m reporting address issues, but there is no report for “this section of the map needs 3D data.” Or for “This 3D geometry is too distorted to be useful.”

    Inconsistency means it’s unreliable, which means people will avoid using it when they get burned.

    If many pundits assume that the maps will improve with use, then what happens if people use other resources? What happens if there is a Google Maps app released? Does that mean iOS 6 maps won’t improve?

    Apple often takes an approach with services where they provide a simple experience and they let others create other solutions. Podcast app vs. Downcast or Instacast. Reading List vs. Instapaper. Maybe Apple’s goal is Podcast app level that “works” for the most part, and they just leave other app developers to provide more fulfilling experiences. They went that direction with Transit directions, but many assume that was just a temporary shortcut.

    I want Maps to succeed. It is a slick, and aesthetically pleasing interface. For me: data trumps style.

  • noliv

    In France, the maps seems very good but the points of interest are really pathetic. Outdated, not accurate, and respond very poorly to keyword searches. Yelp have never been very popular here. Sad consequences.

  • Adriano Geletes

    Mapgate

  • Adriano Geletes

    They will fix it! I dont know when and how long it will take, but its software and Apple is very good at software! Please dont forget, they just started two years ago and its something completely new to them. Its not the best publicity and therefor they have to invest more money because they have enough.

    Just to add my opinion: its not good, so it just can get better ,) and thats good, isn’t it!?

  • http://twitter.com/bertinio_7 Roberto Felgueiras

    Works great here in Winnipeg. Could use more attractions but figure that as soon as businesses see they aren’t on it they will amend it quickly.

    • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

      Works great in Alberta as well. The sat pics are actually newer than Google Maps pics.

  • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/his-divine-shadow His Shadow

    The day can’t some soon enough when Apple’s product announcements really are boring. As in “don’t generate reams of histrionic bullshit” boring.

    In the form of a previous Divine Predecessor, I once believed that instantaneous communication technologies would be used to further the public good and improve the human condition (up until the point I exterminate you all). Now, we use this wonder of modern communications infrastructure to make sure that if anyone anywhere in the world is whining, the entire world can be notified within minutes.

  • Kelake

    Maps had better work well in Cupertino!

  • Bgrinter

    Australian users didn’t get public transit in the old app and apple have chosen an excellent third party app for Sydney. I haven’t seen any issues in my local area.

    On the other hand, apparently Belgrade in Serbia with 7m(?) people only has one road in the whole city now!

  • Tarmyg

    It is awful in the UK, whether its the low grade satellite imagery, businesses not being searchable or businesses in completely the wrong place.