Disappointed with maps, will google maps be available in the App Store?

Really Apple, Flyover on Left, a blur! Buckingham Palace is a right mess using iPad. Google streetview on Right, clear & crisp. Apple is walking backwards in a developing world!

I hope that Google releases an stand-alone app, and I REALLLY hope that Apple approves it.

I was 30 minutes late to a meeting today in New York City because the new app gave me directions that were 7 blocks off. Basically cost me a $32,000 rental contract with a new client. I cannot even begin to explain how furious I was. Came home and immediately spent 3-4 hours downgrading to iOS 5. I refuse to lose another contract due to Apple's ego. I can't afford it... I have payroll that I need to meet. Last thing I want to due is tell my employees that I can't pay them because a stupid map application on my cell phone gave me wrong directions.

I'm sure Apple's app will get better as time progresses, but honestly I cannot wait for something to get better when I need it to run a buisness. It needs to be reliable and it needs to be reliable now. Already canceled my iPhone 5 preorder, as I know you won't be able to downgrade that to iOS 5. So hopefully a Google Maps app is released soon, or I'll just have to stick with iOS 5 or simply switch to Android.

I absolutely detest the new maps! I referenced it a lot for volunteer transport work I do, but it's completely useless to me now. Where are the interstate exit numbers? Many of the locations I go to look up are "not found", when I know for fact they exist. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? I think the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies perfectly here. And the ****** is, you can't delete it! I'll be looking for another map app and placing this "new and improved" mess in my "Useless" folder (Game Center, Stocks and their version of Weather already reside there). Sigh...

Perhaps I was a bit overly upset yesterday, and perhaps I should be partly at blame for relying on Apple's new map app to run my buisness. But then again, you'd think a new Map app would get you where you wanted to go. I had assumed the data behind this new Map app was still being pulled from Google Maps, and had I known differently earlier, would never have made the mistake.

But regardless of yesterday's fiasco, I still need a Map app that works and I can't be waiting around a 6 months to a year for Apple to make minor improvements to their database. So hopefully, Google will release a Map app for the iPhone once they are done laughing at Apple for this mess. If not, guess I'll be using this iPhone 4 and iOS 5 for a LONG time.

Many of us have spent thousands of pounds or dollars as an investment in Apple products, so that we have the most professional products on the market for both business & personal use. Reliance on Apple is justified, especially after their last conference, repeatedly stating how they are the best at what they do, how amazing their new products are; unfortunately they knew while making those statements that the products on demonstration such as Maps were fundamentally flawed, the proof of the pudding is now on display. Equally Passbook in the UK as of date only has two Apps, the demonstration was shown with many cards within the App. All of this reminds me of Nokia pretending that their phone took the pictures advertised on TV, when in fact it they were taken by SLR. My new iPhone 5 arrives in a few minutes, unfortunately this whole senario has soured the moment and my trust in Apple as a brand.

Lucky for me I am due for an upgrade on October 1st. Thank you apple for helping me finalize my decision as to which phone I will be upgrading to. We were all duped by the propaganda hype campaign of iOS6 and the big media event on th 12th. No hard feelings from me though. I only have to tolerate this inferior product for 10 more days! Hello Android!

I want this crap Maps App off my phone!

You guys are seriously acting like the sky is falling and world is coming to an end. It's just an app on phone. How big of a life issue is this????

Templeton Peck wrote:

You guys are seriously acting like the sky is falling and world is coming to an end. It's just an app on phone. How big of a life issue is this????

Well obviously the sky isn't falling and the world isn't coming to an end.

BUT, while I can't speak for everyone, I lost a $32,000 contract for my buisness because of the Map app. That $32,000 basically allows me to pay everyone that I employ for 2-3 weeks. So essentially we are talking about people's jobs and the welfare of their families. No small issue by any stretch.

Luckily, I don't run my buisness like a complete idiot, so I have other means to cover my payroll. However... if this had happened back in 2008 when money was extremely tight for my buisness, I would of had to lay off 2-3 people if I had lost that $32,000 contract.

So, yes, it can be a big deal. Now are some people on these discussion boards overly dramatic? Probably. But regardless, Apple purposely made their product worse just because they don't want to work with a company that has a blatantly superior product. Apple, by their own admission, is all about delivering the best user experience possible, but this time they didn't deliver.

Try the MapQuest app. It's free.

Okay, without getting into the wisdom of using a brand-spanking-new app when you've got $32,000 on the line, or double-checking a location (which I'd do routinely under circumstances like that) or how it can take half an hour to go seven blocks in New York City, I've gotten very curious about what the address that Apple misplaced was. I've been using the new Maps app around Santa Cruz, and haven't run into any real vagaries myself.

New York is one of the easiest places there is to turn an address into a location; people have been doing it since before there were personal computers, so I'm finding this a little surprising...

"Apple purposely made their product worse just because they don't want to work with a company that has a blatantly superior product."

More like "Apple purposely decided that they didn't want to work with a company which had used the presence of its CEO on Apple's board to rip them off."

"Apple, by their own admission, is all about delivering the best user experience possible, but this time they didn't deliver

I don't believe that this extends to providing additional income for a company that Apple feels ripped them off.

StoneMirror wrote:

Okay, without getting into the wisdom of using a brand-spanking-new app when you've got $32,000 on the line, or double-checking a location (which I'd do routinely under circumstances like that) or how it can take half an hour to go seven blocks in New York City, I've gotten very curious about what the address that Apple misplaced was. I've been using the new Maps app around Santa Cruz, and haven't run into any real vagaries myself.

New York is one of the easiest places there is to turn an address into a location; people have been doing it since before there were personal computers, so I'm finding this a little surprising...

"Apple purposely made their product worse just because they don't want to work with a company that has a blatantly superior product."

More like "Apple purposely decided that they didn't want to work with a company which had used the presence of its CEO on Apple's board to rip them off."

"Apple, by their own admission, is all about delivering the best user experience possible, but this time they didn't deliver

I don't believe that this extends to providing additional income for a company that Apple feels ripped them off.

There was a lack of wisdom on my part for sure, I will admit that. But like I said before, I thought originally that the new Maps app was simply a new UI on top of the existing Google Maps database. Had I known differently, I would haven't have trusted it. Normally (even before iOS 6) I verify the address before I even leave my house for the city, but in this case the meeting wasn't a pre-planned event.

As for the address, it wasn't an address, it was the name of a cafe that I had only been to once before several years ago (which, by the way, I originally found on my iPhone 3G using the Maps app). Unfortunately, the person I was meeting was a client from Los Angeles that is unfamilier with New York City. Normally when I meet with someone that is familier with the city, they give me a cross-street, which anyone who has spent any amount of time in the city can find with relative ease.

Obviously us underlings will probably never truly find out why Apple broke ties with Google. But it probably revolved around money and the competition from Android. Which is perfectly okay with me, I honestly could care less whether Apple works with Google or not. My point is simply that Apple touts the user experience in all of its products, but in this case they fell short.

I actually am reinstalling iOS 6 as we speak, now that I know I can use the web browser to navigate using Google Maps. Still haven't decided if I will re-order an iPhone 5 though. But anyway, when all is said and done, I still enjoy Apple products and I am by no means angry at Apple for doing what they did (granted, I was pretty angry the day it happened). It is their money, their product, and they can do whatever they want. I just really don't understand why they would purposly release a product with an App that is blatantly worse than what was previously available.

"Obviously us underlings will probably never truly find out why Apple broke ties with Google. But it probably revolved around money and the competition from Android."

Actually, that seems to be pretty well understood. After personally mentoring Sergey Brin and Larry Page after he'd turned down an offfer to become Google's CEO, Steve Jobs was quite surprised to discover that Google was working on a directly competitive mobile platform that "borrowed" numerous features from iOS, thanks — almost certainly — to Eric Schmidt's presence on the Apple board and his abrogation of his responsibilites as an Apple director.

Well that is what we can all assume... but its been more than 3 years since Schmidt resigned from the board of directors... and Apple is only just now getting around to removing Google software?

Apple is constantly working on improving their new Maps service, but until it reaches the level of finesse necessary to be usable, take a look at some alternatives.

Bing Maps offers a very good maps service with Bird's Eye, a feature similar to Flyover. It's arguably better than Google Maps.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bing/id345323231?mt=8

You can use Google Maps by creating a shortcut to the Home Screen with help from the article below.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/20/how-to-get-google-maps-on-ios-6

MapQuest also has a very nice app available.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mapquest/id316126557?mt=8

Nokia Maps is another great service that you can add to your Home Screen via a web shortcut.

http://m.maps.nokia.com

Waze is another very well reviewed app.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8

Here's an article detailing how to receive Public Transport directions.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/09/transit-apps-ios6-woes/?pid=3798

If you want a YouTube app, Google has made a very improved version available on the App Store.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/youtube/id544007664?mt=8

RUMOR: Google has submitted an improved Google Search and new Google Maps app to Apple, but they haven't been approved.

If you would like to send a suggestion to Apple, please go to http://www.apple.com/feedback or you can Report a Problem via the Maps app by tapping the bottom right.