Apple begs ex-Google bods to fix crap maps app
As reported on Friday, Apple is hastily hiring software engineers to fix its disastrous new Maps App. Not surprisingly, it appears the iPhone maker hopes to lure them from Google. Bosses are, we're told, sweet-talking engineers with experience in the sprawling Google maps team to woo them to Team Apple. The new Maps App - …
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Re: Apple users still win...
You obviously have not experienced Apple maps flyover yet... Its pretty amazing! Not experienced any inaccuracies myself yet.
Re: Apple users still win...
Of course they do, how do you think Google makes money...?
Re: Apple users still win...
Copy link paste in app of choice... not hard. There are already 3rd party apps that have Google Street view etc. So I do see it currently as the best of both worlds. Apple users can choose which map system to use, Android users only have 1 choice.
Cant wait until Apple add Venice in 3D (see preview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNr_ToOFvHI&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Of course Google Street view does not exist in Venice lol.
Re: Apple users still win...
I'm pretty sure that is not allowed as part of Apple's app store terms, under the Trademark & trade dress section of their rules:
"Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be
rejected"
Apple won't let Firefox into the app store because iOS already has a browser providing similar functionality, if they allow Google maps into the app store they will be two-faced on that rule. I think they will cause a shit storm of complaints on randomly following their own rules and some big names might take them to court over it, either forcing Apple to accept apps they don't want (along with Google maps) or forcing them to reject apps they do want in the store.
Re: Apple users still win...
I find it interesting just how many Iphone UI workflows involve copy/pasting between a 3rd party application (another example would be replacement keyboards like Swype - since on a feature phone, you can't replace the built-in keyboard, they instead run as a 3rd party app that you type in, then copy and paste into the other application...)
But it's particularly funny when you consider for years, the Iphone couldn't even do copy/paste - and the response from fans was to say "But why would you want to do copy/paste? Iphone has new 'paradigms' that means it doesn't need copy/paste". Yet now it has copy/paste, it seems they need it all the time.
And they say it has the best UI?
Re: Apple users still win...
I gave it a shot with my brothers iphone trying to direct us to a cigar shop in downtown Los Angeles. We were a mile and a half away as the crow flies.
Attempt 1: put it in an alleyway 2 blocks away
Attempt 2: using the turn by turn nav attempted to send us the wrong way on a one way....twice
Attempt 3: (using a co-workers 4s) flyover locked up maps, then he tried to impress me with the siri tricks of "open the pod bays doors", etc, etc)
In short I'm quite happy with my Nexus phone and its choco factory maps.
Re: Apple users still win...
Only time will tell. There is already a Chrome and Opera browser and countless others...
Re: Apple users still win...
>You obviously have not experienced Apple maps flyover yet... Its pretty amazing! Not experienced any inaccuracies myself yet.
This is an IT site - we've mostly all seen flyover years ago when C3 developed it - I was quite surprised that since Apple purchased the company, they've added nothing - same handful of cities, nothing new.
Re: Apple users still win...
"don't see a lot of use for inaccurate maps."
I take it you're not into orienteering competitions? Nothing hones your navigation skills like a bad map.
Re: Apple users still win...
these aren't real browser apps in the sense of them using their own engine, they just put their UI over the iOS webkit. and not even the fastest version of that, that one's reserved for safari
Re: Venice Streetview
Well, you get something. A shame they didn't put cameras on a boat though!
I think that it is possible that this needs a little bit of translation work.
"Still, despite the insider's account of lukewarm salary offers of $85,000 (£52k) plus moving expenses, it appears Apple is simply picking up people whose contract work with Google has ended."
I.E. "Cupertino has now realised that they are in fairly deep shit as far as this particular issue is concerned and are desperate enough to employ Mountain View's leavings". That interpretation may or may not be fair but on the basis of the available evidence it is as valid as any other call. I repeat a comment I made on another thread, it is impossible to believe that their former CEO would have allowed this out the door. That they are now reduced (if this article is the "real deal" as far as the information in it is concerned) to hiring those whom Google either do not wish to keep or do not need to keep says everything that needs to be said. I still do not understand how they could have released an app so important to so many users as the navigation/mapping app in this condition.
£52k?
Any Google engineers should be able to demand 3x that amount since Apple are in dire straight at the moment.
"which along with its Android operating system is locked in a fierce battle for supremacy with Apple in the world of mobile technology."
Battle for supremacy? I think it's pretty clear who's won when you look at sales figures. The battle will be more who in the market will compete for 2nd or 3rd place. (Apple only became 2nd place very recently after Symbian was dropped by Nokia, but it's unclear they will remain their long term.)
Re: Now where are those Apple fans
Lost somewhere a few miles away probably.
Looks like dodgy 3D code
I was looking at the Telegraph's slide show of bodged iOS 6 maps and many of them appeared to be the result of broken terrain data. Clifton suspension bridge for example looks like a roller coaster, as if Apple mapped the tiles over some depth map and unfortunately it was the wrong data or the terrain data had too much noise.
Missing and mispelt towns and misplaced markers are probably the fault of OpenMap. It's the wikipedia of maps which means it's mostly correct but could also be horribly wrong and it wouldn't be spotted.
If I were Google...
There's a reason why these ex-Google bods are out of contract.
I know why I don't re-hire people. This is probably along the same lines.
I would let the iSheep roam free... and utterly lost.
Google should keep GoogleMaps exclusive to Android.
Just in case I get the usual derisory FanBoi comments, I own an iPhone 4 and you can be absolutely certain that this will be the last iPhone I ever touch, ever!
Re: If I were Google...
I think Google should release Google Maps on the iPhone, but they should charge for it (if Apple were previously paying them to use it.) Maybe that is what their Objective-C converter is about.
Obviously they need to be pretty quick if they're doing this since Apple's maps will eventually improve.
$85K????
That's barely-passable wages here on the Least Coast. I imagine in Mt. View/Palo Alto that's sleep-in-your-car money (and not a terribly decent car, at that)!
Re: $85K????
Here in the real world $85k is but a dream.
So in response - fuck you. Fuck you with a big blunt stick.
Arogance or stupidity?
Google thinks it can produce great mapping software because it employs a thousand experts and six times as many contractors. It does.
Apple thinks it can produce great mapping software, how? By just being Apple?
baked in facebook and crappy maps...
iOS 6 feels desperate to me. Screwing up maps on a smart-phone seems suicidal, as it is one of the best features of a smart-phone. They gotta correct this asap, as I do not see how any decent techie could recommend a smart-phone with crappy maps.
Who do I contact at Apple to report a copyright infringement?
I want to report a copyright infringement to Apple. I asked the old woman in the library for directions twice and both times she sent me to the wrong place. Clearly she is using the new Apple maps without a licence.
Always the opportunity of opening Google Maps up in Safari. Or is that too complicated for people?
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