Apple Maps

Apple Maps

Flyover view in iOS 7 maps showing the real structures of Empire State Building (left) and Chrysler Building (right) in New York
Developer(s) Apple Inc.
Initial release

iOS: September 19, 2012

OS X: October 22, 2013
Development status Active
Operating system iOS
OS X
Platform iPhone 3GS onwards, iPad 2 onwards, iPad Mini (1st generation) onwards, iPod Touch (4th generation) onwards
Available in 34 languages[1][2][3][4]
Type Web mapping
License Proprietary
Website www.apple.com/ios/maps/
www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html

Apple Maps is a mapping service application developed by Apple Inc. for its iOS and OS X operating systems. It allows turn-by-turn navigation by car or walking including re-routing, and night mode. It is the default mapping application for iPhone, iPad and Apple computers. It can be controlled by voice with Siri.

Introduced in 2012, it replaced Google Maps which had been the default mapping application on Apple products. Its release was met with considerable criticism due to many errors. By September 2013 Apple Maps was used by 4 times as many iPhone users as the optional downloadable Google Maps alternative.

History

Background

Prior to the release of Apple Maps, the default mapping application for iOS (previously iPhone OS) operating system had been Google Maps.

A new version was announced by Scott Forstall at WWDC 2012 keynote on 11 June 2012 that would use Apple's own mapping system with data provided by a number of providers instead of Google Maps,[5][6] mainly through Dutch manufacturer of navigation systems TomTom,[7] and a Chinese mapping company specifically for just the Chinese market version, AutoNavi.[8]

Apple Maps was released on 19 September 2012.[9]

Early bugs

Upon release[10] many users and commentators were critical of the app for a variety of reasons ranging but not limited to improper labeling of places to unmapped roads.[11] Users complained about errors and omissions[12] and about heavily distorted 3D representations of many features.[13] Drivers heading to Fairbanks International Airport in Fairbanks, Alaska were instructed to drive onto an airport taxiway located directly across from the runway, which is used by aircraft on a regular basis.[14] Victoria Police in Australia advised travellers against using the application to get directions to the remote town of Mildura. Police noted that several motorists required rescuing after following incorrect directions off the highway into the park, referring to is as a "potentially life-threatening issue".[15] The Victorian Country Fire Authority blamed Apple for "dangerous deficiencies" after the iOS6 version of the map service caused inaccuracies in the Authority's pre-existing bushfire alert app.[16]

Apple issued a statement, saying the company is "continuously improving" Maps and they "appreciate all of the customer feedback."[17] On 28 September 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted a letter on the Apple website apologizing for Maps and suggesting that iOS 6 users use third party map apps or websites while Apple works to improve Maps.[18] In October 2012, Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President of iOS software and the 'directly responsible individual' for mapping was removed from his position.[19][20] During an Apple earnings call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer stated that Apple would "work non-stop" to fix the remaining issues.[21] Apple CEO Tim Cook then announced that Apple is "putting the weight of the company" behind improvements the mapping.[22]

An iPhone version of Google Maps returned to the iOS platform on 13 December 2012 as a downloadable application, rather than as the default map. As of November 2013, US iPhone users who used Apple's Maps outnumber Google's maps app by 35 million to 6 million.[23]

Updates

On 19 March 2013, Apple released iOS 6.1.3 that included several iOS Maps fixes specific to Japan.[24] On 10 June 2013, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Craig Federighi announced that Maps would also be provided with OS X Mavericks in late 2013.[25][26] The application was updated with the release of iOS 7 in September 2013 and again with the release of iOS 8 that included 'City Tours', being visual tours on tourist attractions in the Flyover City.

Since its inception, Apple Maps has licensed U.S. business listing data from the following business data aggregators: Acxiom, Factual and Neustar/Localeze and Yelp.[27] By 19 November 2014 it also contained data from the following suppliers:[28] DAC Group, Location3 Media, Marquette Group, Placeable, PositionTech, SIM Partners, SinglePlatform, UBL, Yext, Yodle. New additions in April 2015 include reviews from Booking.com and TripAdvisor.

Criticism

The app was criticized for its lack of certain features contained in Google Maps, including Street View and transit directions.[29] Apple Maps was named one of the Top 10 technology 'fails' of 2012 by CNN in December 2012.[30]

Errors

Users can report bugs from inside the Apple Maps software, and POIs can be claimed and edited using an Apple account at https://mapsconnect.apple.com/ where available.

Flyover

Locations available in Flyover mode are:[31]

Country Cities Landmarks
 Australia Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
 Austria Graz, Linz
 Bahamas Nassau
 Czech Republic Brno
 Canada Calgary, Montreal, Surrey, Toronto, Vancouver
 Denmark Arhus, Copenhagen, Helsingør, Odense, Roskilde
 Finland Helsinki
 France Avignon, Beziers, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Le Mans, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nimes, Nice, Paris, Perpignan, Reims, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, Saint-Tropez, Strasbourg Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceaux, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Millau Viaduct, Mont Saint-Michel, Pont du Gard
 Germany Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Munich, Kiel
 Gibraltar Gibraltar
 Holy See Vatican City
 Hungary Budapest
 Italy Ancona, Bari, Cittadella, Milan, Perugia, Rome, Turin, Venice Paestum
 Ireland Cork, Dublin Cliffs of Moher
 Japan Tokyo, Sapporo
 Mexico Culiacán, Ensenada, Guadalajara Chichén Itzá, Teotihuacan
 Monaco Entire country
 The Netherlands Rotterdam
 New Zealand Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Wellington
 Portugal Braga, Coimbra
 Puerto Rico Aguadilla, Arecibo, Mayagüez, Ponce
 South Africa Cape Town, Durban
 Spain Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Badajoz, Barcelona, Cáceres, Cadiz, Córdoba, Huelva, Jerez de la Frontera, Madrid, Seville, Valencia
 Sweden Gothenburg, Linköping, Helsingborg, Malmö, Stockholm, Visby
 United Kingdom Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton Stonehenge
Country State Cities Landmarks
 United States Arizona Phoenix Grand Canyon (partly), Hoover Dam, Meteor Crater
California Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Modesto, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton Yosemite National Park
Colorado Denver Royal Gorge
Florida Miami
Georgia Atlanta
Hawaii Honolulu
Idaho Boise
Illinois Chicago
Indiana Indianapolis
Louisiana Baton Rouge, New Orleans
Maine Portland
Maryland Baltimore
Massachusetts Boston
Minnesota Minneapolis, Saint Paul
Nevada Las Vegas, Boulder City Hoover Dam
New York Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Schenectady
Ohio Cleveland
Oklahoma Tulsa
Oregon Portland, Salem
Pennsylvania Philadelphia
Rhode Island Providence
South Dakota Mount Rushmore
Tennessee Memphis, Nashville
Texas Arlington, Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio
Utah Arches National Park, Zion National Park
Washington Seattle, Tacoma
Wisconsin Green Bay, Milwaukee
Wyoming Cheyenne Devils Tower

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Apple – iPad Air – View the technical specifications for iPad Air". Apple. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Apple – iPad mini – View the technical specifications for iPad mini". Apple. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Apple - iPhone 5c - Technical Specifications". Apple. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Apple - iPhone 5s - Technical Specifications". Apple. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Acknowledgements". Apple Inc. November 7, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ Markowitz, Eric (June 12, 2012). "Meet 3 Start-ups Behind Apple's New Maps". Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ Chen, Brian X. & Wingfield, Nick (September 11, 2012). "Apple Updates Laptops and Mobile Software". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Apple Built Special Version of Maps for China". China Real Time Report. Wall Street Journal. September 26, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ Pogue, David (June 27, 2007). "The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ Donna Tam (September 19, 2012). "Apple's iOS 6 release date: Start your downloads on Sept. 19". CNET. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  11. ↑ Allsopp, Ashleigh (September 1, 2012). "Apple's iOS 6 Maps app fails to impress, users want Google Maps back". Macworld. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Apple's new map system riddled with errors". Emirates 24/7. Agence France-Presse. September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  13. ↑ Levine, Eitan (September 2012). "Apple iOS 6 Maps Fails". Heavy. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  14. ↑ Cole, Dermot (September 24, 2013). "iPhone map app directs Fairbanks drivers onto airport taxiway". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Police concerned with Apple iOS 6 mapping system". Victoria Police. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  16. ↑ Moses, Asher (February 12, 2013). "Apple Maps blamed for 'dangerous' inaccuracies in bushfire app". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  17. ↑ Wingfield, Nick (September 20, 2012). "Apple on Its iOS 6 Maps: Things Can Only Get Better". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  18. ↑ Cook, Tim (September 28, 2012). "A letter from Tim Cook on Maps". Apple Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  19. ↑ Rodriguez, Salvador (October 29, 2012). "Apple ousts Scott Forstall, executive in charge of Maps and Siri". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2012. Apple's head of mobile software, Scott Forstall, is leaving the company following the release of Apple Maps and Siri, two major projects that were considered flops for the technology giant.
  20. ↑ "Apple Announces Changes to Increase Collaboration Across Hardware, Software & Services". Apple Inc. October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  21. ↑ Ingraham, Nathan. "Apple has made 'a number of improvements' to Maps, will 'work non-stop' to keep fixing issues". The Verge. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  22. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh. "Tim Cook's Freshman Year: The Apple CEO Speaks". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  23. ↑ Dockterman, Eliana (November 12, 2013). "Read more: Failing Up: Apple Maps Takes a Bite Out of Rival Google App". Time. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  24. ↑ Gurman, Mark. "Apple releases iOS 6.1.1 beta to developers with major enhancements to Maps for Japan". 9to5Mac. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Maps, iBooks, iCloud Keychain coming to OS X Mavericks". AppleInsider. June 10, 2013.
  26. ↑ "OS X Mavericks - Do even more with new apps and new features.". Apple Inc.
  27. ↑ "Attribution".
  28. ↑ http://applemapsmarketing.com/2014/11/apple-maps-announces-new-business-listings-data-partners/
  29. ↑ Fottrell, Quentin (September 21, 2012). "In Apple-Google maps war, consumers lose". MarketWatch. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  30. ↑ The top 10 tech 'fails' of 2012
  31. ↑ "Flyover List".