Apple Had Over One Year Left on Google Maps Contract

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busuan

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[citation][nom]restatement3dofted[/nom]Since companies started marketing smart phones as GPS/navigation devices? These companies are making GPS functions a main selling point of these devices, and so it makes perfect sense that people would complain when those features don't work as advertised.[/citation]
Why does it make "perfect sense"? Because the manufacturer says so? Since when people believe products 100% as advertised? Perhaps iP5 customers have the absolute right to do so. But then I don't understand all the hate from people who don't use iPs at all.
 

busuan

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[citation][nom]house70[/nom]To answer your question, it's been going on since the advent of smartphones that fail to do what they claim to do. you see, the way you put it, this is JUST a phone, hence expectations are too high. But it's not; it's touted as THE smartphone to have by it's manufacturer and it's fan base, something that just works. Well, it doesn't work. That's why people get pissed.[/citation]
You did not understand my question.
iP5 was advertised as a device integrating many functions from other portable devices, including GPS. Because of its failed GPS/Nav function, has it failed as a whole? Is it a bad PHONE?
 

the1kingbob

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I see, that does suck to have to click through each step of the trip... I would have to see the agreement between apple and google to say one way or the other. If google was responsible for providing a maps application... then in what way does that require them to provide a navigation application? They are clearly two different things. I hear people comparing the two and I wonder really how much google was contractually obligated to provide. I use navigator on my phone, not google maps. I use google maps to find places, but not to give directions, since that is not what the app was originally designed to do.
 
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busuan: Who wants to buy one of the most expensive phones out there and still have to lug around a separate GPS device? Plenty of Android phones have GPS that works perfectly well.

For that matter, why not just lug around a phone, a laptop, a portable WiFi hotspot, and a camera everywhere you go? Is it worth $700 for a phone that has a troubled history of not even being proficient at making calls, aka: "You're holding it wrong"?

Seriously, your comment wins the award for fail...
 

robochump

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Google was screwing around on Apple so I dont blame Apple from going in house. I dont recall Google Maps being perfect upon release and took several years of refinement that allowed Google to go under water...heh. Def a great app but Google of course left the best options for Androids only. I am confident that Apple will catch up quickly; even hired Google map software engineers...lol.
 

techcurious

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[citation][nom]busuan[/nom]You did not understand my question.iP5 was advertised as a device integrating many functions from other portable devices, including GPS. Because of its failed GPS/Nav function, has it failed as a whole? Is it a bad PHONE?[/citation]
Busuan.. give it a rest already, or at least stay on topic.
No one is criticizing the GPS on the iPhone or the iPhone itself (not in this article/discussion anyway). The issue is with the Apple Map software. Don't confuse hardware with software. I'm sure the GPS is functioning fine, but the software and it's data is not always working the way it should. That's all!
 

jakes69

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[citation][nom]hero1[/nom]It never did. You had to get an app that did that such as Navigon or TomTom. You could start and then you have to keep on pressing the arrows on the screen. I found it to be so annoying. My wife has a Windows Phone and it does turn by turn navigation with voice. Now if you have iPhone 4 you are stuck with the old ways with no turn by turn unless you keep on sliding the info on the screen. However, iPhone 4s and 5 have turn by turn but I can imagine some people ending up in lakes due to the state of affairs. Time they fix it or I'm ditching my iPhone 4 for Windows Phone, Android or next BB10 device. It's a shame really.[/citation]


uh...Nokia owns Navteq.
 

jakes69

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[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]Oh yeah? And which of those 3 are used by Bing? Is it Nokia or TomTom?Surprise: NEITHER of the mentioned companies is producing map data.They all buy it from other suppliers.Here is more on it: http://www.maproomblog.com/2005/10 [...] viders.php[/citation]

oops...

Nokia owns Navteq
 

freggo

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[citation][nom]busuan[/nom]There are only three independent map data providers...?[/citation]

Nope, not even close. You think TomTom actually 'created' their data from scratch ?
Google "Geographic information system" or "GIS data"!


 

freggo

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[citation][nom]michaelssw[/nom]someone hit 88 mph on that road[/citation]

Done that on the Autobahn.
Didn't work, only got bullied by a VW in the fast lane to move over and make room !

 

freggo

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[citation][nom]southernshark[/nom] I've also been sent down a highway which turned into a goat path.[/citation]

In some places of the world that IS the highway :)

 
[citation][nom]basketcase87[/nom]It does on Android, but didn't on iOS. Apparently one of the big sticking points for Apple was that Google was unwilling to add turn-by-turn nav. to the iOS app.[/citation]
My understanding is that Apple did not ask/pay for navigation in their original contract with Google to make the default Maps app. Subsequent negotiations with Google to add that functionality were unfruitful (unknown if Apple refused to pay enough or Google wanted to charge too much). Consequently, Google did not add the feature, and Apple decided to spin its own map app.

Also, all the GPS navigation maps trace their roots back to old Soviet-era satellite imagery of the world which became available on the market at the end of the Cold War. The big GPS makers (Garmin, Magellan, Trimble) were trying to figure out what else they could do with GPS other than provide boaters and pilots an alternate means of navigation. The best publicly available U.S. satellite imagery (LANDSAT) was too low resolution (about 30m at the time if I remember), while the ex-Soviet imagery went down to a few meters - easy to pick out individual roads. And multiple companies quickly bought copies of the imagery to create street maps for their GPS plotters.
 

gfair

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[citation][nom]ELMO_2006[/nom]Well it's kind of ironic that Apple would dump Google Maps with one year left in the contract, but then Apple to have it's Maps app fail so miserably.If Apple buried it's pride, it could have kept Google Maps for the remaining year thus to provide Apple the necessary time to polish off the app instead of submitting a half baked app![/citation]

Google produces Maps for iOS, and Android. A feature built into iOS, and the competition to iOS. Google fails to deliver a feature for iOS while it becomes available for Android... if it's not apparent, the thinking here is "Google is delaying the feature for our phone while it gives the feature to its phone."

This is why Apple broke contract and developed its own app. Google now has a majority of the smartphone market share, that share is increasing, and pretty soon they will be in the same position that Microsoft was with Windows, unless Apple or Microsoft sinks billions into buying back share they are giving up. The next thing for Google to do is bump off the competition, which it will gladly do. Rest assured, if you think Google is a saint despite the 2 guilty verdicts for breach of privacy and the DOJ investigation, wait till Google has a healthy 70%+ of smartphone OS market share. Their motto "Don't be Evil" has long been forgotten and painted over, and if this isn't the tip of the iceberg of Google in charge, then we'll see even worse soon enough.
 

dalethepcman

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[citation][nom]gfair[/nom]Google produces Maps for iOS, and Android. A feature built into iOS, and the competition to iOS. Google fails to deliver a feature for iOS while it becomes available for Android... if it's not apparent, the thinking here is "Google is delaying the feature for our phone while it gives the feature to its phone." This is why Apple broke contract and developed its own app. Google now has a majority of the smartphone market share, that share is increasing, and pretty soon they will be in the same position that Microsoft was with Windows, unless Apple or Microsoft sinks billions into buying back share they are giving up. The next thing for Google to do is bump off the competition, which it will gladly do. Rest assured, if you think Google is a saint despite the 2 guilty verdicts for breach of privacy and the DOJ investigation, wait till Google has a healthy 70%+ of smartphone OS market share. Their motto "Don't be Evil" has long been forgotten and painted over, and if this isn't the tip of the iceberg of Google in charge, then we'll see even worse soon enough.[/citation]

Paranoid much?
 

halcyon

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[citation][nom]hero1[/nom]Nice one. People who try and defend this crap should just stay away.[/citation]
There is no defense for this, even the whitest of iSheep can acknowledge that. Apple just failed as much as possible on this...but it'll get fixed sooner or later...iOS6 owners hope.
 

watcha

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Just so we're clear, Apple did NOT have a year left on their contract. The writer of this article should have read the Verge article.

The Verge article states that when Apple made the decision to drop Google Maps, it had 1 year left on the contract. Not that it does now.

And for all the people saying Apple made the wrong decision, Google was demanding advertising space, demanding to add latitude to collect information from that, and refusing to even discuss licensing turn by turn.

Has Apple agreed, it would be screwing its users over far more and for a far longer term by basically preventing them from ever having turn by turn.

For most people, the new Maps are working perfectly fine - and the issues that do exist are being sorted out very quickly.
 

halcyon

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[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Just so we're clear, Apple did NOT have a year left on their contract. The writer of this article should have read the Verge article.The Verge article states that when Apple made the decision to drop Google Maps, it had 1 year left on the contract. Not that it does now.And for all the people saying Apple made the wrong decision, Google was demanding advertising space, demanding to add latitude to collect information from that, and refusing to even discuss licensing turn by turn.Has Apple agreed, it would be screwing its users over far more and for a far longer term by basically preventing them from ever having turn by turn.For most people, the new Maps are working perfectly fine - and the issues that do exist are being sorted out very quickly.[/citation]
We all know Apple is working to fix the issue as you read this. They failed...and will likely learn from the mistake. When its corrected, watch out, the mapping app will be useful and offer features we didn't even know we needed. ...at least this should be their goal. We'll see if it materializes.
 
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