Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Software : Apple ditched Google Maps a year before its contract was up

Software : Apple ditched Google Maps a year before its contract was up

Apple ditched Google Maps a year before its contract was up

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Apple ditched Google Maps a year before its contract was up

Apple's controversial new iOS 6 Maps App could have had another year's gestation as its deal with Google Maps had at least another 12 months to run.

According to two sources, Apple decided to run with its own maps app quite some time before WWDC in June.

It seems the Cupertino crew weren't happy that Google's iOS Maps app was falling behind its Android equivalent, nor that Google wanted to add in more of its own products into the mapping mix.

Back and forth

The sources claim that rumours of the de-Googlification of iOS Maps spurred Google into action, working on a competing maps app of its own.

The Google made app is apparently still in development and won't hit handsets for several months at least.

We can believe that although it doesn't exactly echo what Eric Schmidt told reporters yesterday, specifically that "we have not done anything yet".

Complaints about the native iOS 6 Maps have flooded in since the new software hit handsets last week, with spelling mistakes, error-ridden cartography and shoddy satellite imagery abounding.

Garmin tries to snatch iOS users with new features

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Garmin tries to snatch iOS users with new features

Apple's Maps app is still catching a lot of flack in its early stages, and that has opened the door for competitors.

Both Nokia and Google have taken time out to claim their navigation products are superior to Apple's new first-party offering.

Now even Garmin is getting in on the action, as the company released a new update to several of its navigation apps on the iTunes store Tuesday.

Though Garmin charges for some of the apps' new features, it's not ashamed to tout new additions like Google Street View and Panorama View 3D.

Garmin adds support for iOS 6, iPhone 5

The latest versions of the Garmin apps add compatibility with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, making this a particularly timely update.

By adding that support, along with the free edition of Google Street View, Garmin is effectively hoping to capture the disappointed users turned off by Apple Maps.

Additionally, the updated Garmin apps will allow users to purchase Urban Guidance in-app, which "considers public transportation options, such as subways, trams, busses and water taxis, when calculating pedestrian routes."

That feature costs $2.99 (UK£1.85, AU$2.87).

Panorama View 3D is also available for $9.99 (UK£6, AU$9.60), and offers "true 3D elevation views obtained from NASA's height and terrain data enable intuitive orientation and show users what lies ahead."

While Garmin is an industry leader in satnav technology, its Garmin U.S.A. app, for example, runs $39.99 (UK£24, AU$38), and that's not even the most expensive version.

Despite how barebones the Apple Map is, it's still free, and Apple assured its users that Maps' will lose its bugs and inaccurate listings as more people use it.

Although a report surfaced last week that Google was working on its own maps app for iOS 6, the hopes of many lost users were squashed as the company's CEO announced Tuesday no work has been done on any such app.

While it's not yet time to break out a compass, you might want to re-familiarize yourself with the North Star.
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