Apple Maps

mondaynote.com

8 points·pohl··4 comments

iOS Maps may be a strategic choice in the sense that "let's get rid of Google's Maps and put our own to screw with them", but it's not the type of strategic choice where they think "let's hire thousands of people to work on our Maps to make the app a competitive advantage".

How do you know that?

The iOS maps app with Google data sucked. No vectors, no turn-by-turn, no 3D. It wasn’t a modern apps app like you can find on Android. It was perpetually stuck in 2007.

What if Google refused to give Apple access to all that modern stuff and forced Apple to do it on their own? Why do you think it was Apple that made the choice here to switch? It could as well be Google that forced them to switch (by not giving them access to vectors, turn-by-turn, 3D).

"vectors, turn-by-turn, and 3D" are nice, but essentially shallow, features. They aren't fundamentally important.

It's far better to have ordinary boring maps with good coverage than it is to have pretty frippery-laden maps with horrible coverage.

Of course, I'm sure Apple wants both good coverage and pretty maps—but that's not what they delivered. Either Apple screwed up, or their priorities are way out of wack.

Vectors are very important in mobile devices. They are anything but shallow, as is turn by turn. I'm not really sure where you get the crazy idea that turn-by-turn is not important.

Anyway, the point is that Google could as well have forced Apple's hand. I'm honestly confused why people are so certain that Apple is the aggressor here.

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