Map alternatives

[cuskit]

As previously mentioned, I'm in Central NJ. Well, last week I had an appointment about 1/2 drive from my house. The appointment was located in a small shopping center just off the major highway I was taking to get there. About two miles before the shopping center a huge 5 car accident had taken place maybe 15 minutes before I got to that area - traffic was backed up almost a mile - sitting like a parking lot. I flipped out my phone, chose Apple maps with my current location and selected an alternate route. A right turn just two car lengths ahead of me took me through "turn by turn" directions which had me driving on some back roads - including through a large housing complex (the type with cookie cutter houses) and then entering the shopping center through a back entrance I didn't even know was there. Maps SAVED my day and had me five minutes early to my appointment. Without it I would have been stuck in that stopped traffic for hours! Every turn announced was exactly as depicted on the map with no errors at all.

So, again, in my area - Maps seems to be flawless. I'll know more next month with a four hour trip out to Pennsylvania. Looking forward to that!

 

[hookbill]

Based on what cuskit say maybe I should give the stock navigator a chance. I have mapquest in stalled, that's what I was going to use.

Stock maps did make an error on my one and only test, but it was almost an acceptable error. But I knew where I was going, someone else would have been in a parking lot for a water park that will be opening Memorial Day 2013.

 

[hookbill]

Hey I want to follow up on this. Today I had to go to a location I'm not familiar with. I was going to use the mapquest app but not voice activation and I didn't want to type.

So I just brought up Siri and said navigate to and she looked it up and off we went.

Just when I started getting close I was told to turn right in 1/2 of mile but no street name was given, then just turn right. Too late, I already passed. But immediately Maps told me to turn left on a street a mile down the road. Then it took me another 1/2 mile and another left. And then about a mile and another left. Then before I knew it I heard turn right 500 ft to Center St. And there I was.

I thought that worked well, it knew I blew the turn and immediately mapped me a route back to my destination. Not bad for such a defective app IMHO.

 

[techjunkie26]

Big google maps fan myself. Apple...if its not fixed don't change it. I imagine it has to do with phone and patent wars between google and apple.

 

[ClemsonMarshal]

Here's another example of where Apple's maps are very inaccurate when it comes to their streets...as everyone keeps saying the only problems with Apple maps is on new roads. These roads in this area have been exactly as they lie since the 40s (possibly even before that).

 

[zphone]

Here's another example of where Apple's maps are very inaccurate when it comes to their streets...as everyone keeps saying the only problems with Apple maps is on new roads. These roads in this area have been exactly as they lie since the 40s (possibly even before that).

<img src="http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8988"/>

I don't know the area but I don't think what you are showing is inaccuracy but rather the maps not aligning over the satellite images.

One gets you lost, the other just doesn't look pretty.

 

[ClemsonMarshal]

I don't know the area but I don't think what you are showing is inaccuracy but rather the maps not aligning over the satellite images.

One gets you lost, the other just doesn't look pretty.

Whatever you wanna call it, google didn't have that problem...

 

[scifan57]

Whatever you wanna call it, google didn't have that problem...

Who says Google maps don't have that problem?

This image is from Google maps.

This image is from Apple maps.

Which one do you think is more accurate, in this case?

 

[ClemsonMarshal]

Who says Google maps don't have that problem?

<img src="http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9003"/>This image is from Google maps.

<img src="http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9004"/>This image is from Apple maps.

Which one do you think is more accurate, in this case?

Looks like 2 different places...

 

[Thomasjtsi]

Looks like the same area... slightly different zoom level... much less development in the first as opposed to the second.

 

[scifan57]

Looks like the same area... slightly different zoom level... much less development in the first as opposed to the second.

It's a slightly different framing of the same area. The satellite imagery is at least 5 or 6 years out of date in the Google maps image and is spot on in the second view from Apple maps. I work right next to this housing development and saw the whole thing rise from the wheat fields.
Here are the two maps again, with more careful framing. The Google maps image is first, followed by the Apple maps image. Not only is the satellite image in Google maps out of date, but the street layout does not match the streets shown in the Apple maps image.

 

[Thomasjtsi]

The thing is.... every map application (be it native to the iPhone, Android, BB, Windows, etc) is going to differ from one to the next. No different than its respective supporting devices.

 

[scifan57]

The thing is.... every map application (be it native to the iPhone, Android, BB, Windows, etc) is going to differ from one to the next. No different than its respective supporting devices.

One of the points I wanted to make was that in spite of all the complaining being done about how bad Apple maps are, sometimes Apple gets it right instead of Google.

 

[Thomasjtsi]

One of the points I wanted to make was that in spite of all the complaining being done about how bad Apple maps are, sometimes Apple gets it right instead of Google.

Absolutely! And I'll admit that there are probably things that Android does better than the iPhone. ***Please don't hurt me iPF users....***

 

[Skull One]

This list of things that Android does better is longer than the list of what iPhone does better.

But because the Android list is so much longer that is what causes the iPhones to be considered better in the long run.