Maps

Shake ups and shufflings: some thoughts on the new Apple

Sébastien Page ∙ October 30, 2012

If there's one thing that really came as a surprise this month, it's certainly not the iPad mini, or any other product announcement, but the executives shake up and shuffling at Apple. SVP of Retail John Browett is gone, and that's a good thing, and really, hardly a surprise. The biggest surprise was that he was hired in the first place. The real bombshell in yesterday's abrupt announcement is the departure of SVP of iOS Software, Scott Forstall.

Although it was the biggest kick, Apple's press release also told us that Ive would now be in charge of Human Interface (aka everything design), iOS and OS X groups are now one, Maps and Siri are now part of the Internet Services unit, and Mansfield will lead the new Technologies group.

Now that we've gathered a little more information about the news and that I've had time to really soak it in, I'd like to share my thoughts on the situation, and what it all means for the new Apple...

WSJ: Scott Forstall was pushed out of Apple for refusing to sign Maps apology

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Earlier this evening, Apple announced some major changes to its executive team. John Browett, the head of Apple Retail, will be leaving the company. And more importantly, so will Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall.

Browett's departure comes as no surprise, as he's had several missteps in his short time at Apple. But Forstall's exit caught some folks off guard, begging the question: was it his decision? And according to a new report, the answer is no...

Apple pulls Google-powered ClassicMap from the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ October 12, 2012

While the jury is still out on whether or not Apple will approve Google's rumored standalone Maps app, it seems clear now that the company doesn't want any copycats in the App Store.

Reports started surfacing this morning that Apple has pulled ClassicMap, a Google-powered mapping application that looks a lot like the Google Maps app Apple replaced in iOS 6...

ChangeWave: Mapgate and Lightning woes did not affect massive iPhone 5 buying

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2012

According to a new study by ChangeWave Research, a 451 Research company, "massive iPhone 5 buying" continues despite a string of at times sensationalist reporting of various teething problems with the handset, ranging from the unwarranted cellular data usage and light leakage issues to the purple haze and virtual keyboard flickering woes.

More interesting than that, the study found that so-called Mapgate and incompatibilities with 30-pin accessories brought upon users by Apple's new miniature Lightning connector literally had zero effect on iPhone 5 sales...

Microsoft targets Android’s Google Maps app in German patent lawsuit

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2012

Google's pricey $12.5 acquisition of handset maker Motorola Mobility didn't change the dynamics of patent wars as Google hoped it would. Recently, Microsoft and Apple scored a major win in a patent dispute in Germany, forcing Google's Motorola subsidiary to pull all of its Android-based smartphones and tablets from store shelves in the country.

Luck continues to be in short supply at Mountain View, California. Today, the Windows maker has expanded the Motorola patent case to include Google Maps for Android, specifically naming Google as a defendant.

As the public fight between Google and Microsoft gets uglier, Google faces a real possibility of Google Maps becoming unavailable in Germany as early as next spring. Ouch!

Eric Schmidt on Maps situation, the Android-Apple platform fight

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Google chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with The Wall Street Journal tech columnists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher last night to talk Maps, Apple and Android. “Apple should have kept our maps”, he remarked. “Apple decided a long time ago to do their own maps", he revealed, suggesting Google very well knew way in advance that the iPhone maker would nuke Google Maps from orbit on iOS devices.

He also talks about the epic iOS versus Android fight and comments what it would take to persuade him to become an Apple CEO. A couple more highlights and a nice video right after the break...

Developers say Apple knew about Maps issues months ahead of launch

Cody Lee ∙ October 10, 2012

With all of the criticism and complaints Apple has received over its new Maps application in iOS 6, you have to wonder, how did it not know that it had all of these issues? Isn't that what the three month beta testing period was for?

Well apparently, Apple was aware of the problems. A number of developers have come forward this week saying they submitted several bug reports to the company regarding Maps issues in the months leading up to its launch...

Taiwan demands that Apple Maps obscure missile defense system images

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Trashing Apple's iOS 6 Maps has become a norm these days, so it's good to know that some people are quite concerned by the precision and quality of satellite imagery Apple's using for the feature. According to a new report, The Taiwanese government wants Apple to blur the images of its brand spanking new early warning radar station, located near the Hsinchu Airbase in northern Taiwan and worth $1.4 billion...

Apple’s Maps app starting to show signs of improvement

Cody Lee ∙ October 5, 2012

It appears that Apple is making good on Tim Cook's promise. Just a week after the CEO posted an open letter regarding the shortcomings of the new Maps application, users are starting to see improvements.

Particularly, users are starting to notice an improvement in the 3D aspect of Apple's Maps app. Landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty, and buildings, that were once missing from the flyover mode are now present...

Apple Maps offers automatic caching for offline navigation

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

While most media attention about Apple Maps has centered on bridges on dry land, landmarks that don't exists and other oddities, the digital cartographers at Cupertino, Calif. have been stuffing the app with some amazing features, like offline browsing. Unlike maps in iOS 5, Apple's vector-based Maps are cached and GPS navigation work even without an Internet connection.

For instance, Apple's vector maps loaded while in San Francisco, Calif. can still be browsed on a flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Lima, Peru, according to AppleInsider. The writer was able to navigate across the state and via street-level maps as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah -- and in 3D, to boot. By comparison, Google Maps, which use bitmap tiles, would let you navigate offline for about a 10 mile radius before complaining.

Street View feature now available in Google Maps web app

Cody Lee ∙ October 4, 2012

As expected, Google has started rolling out its popular Street View feature to the web version of its Maps app this morning, bringing the option back to iPhone 5 and iOS 6 users.

Early reports claimed that the data was limited to the US and Canada. But now it appears that the feature has gone live around the world. Keep reading for our first impressions...

How Steve Jobs initiated Maps project, almost dropped Google search from iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Bloomberg Businessweek has an interesting story up this morning which takes a look at Tim Cook's first year as Apple's CEO. The article also offers a few previously unknown tidbits related to late CEO Steve Jobs's role in the iOS 6 Maps project (originally an afterthought during the iPhone development). It also touches upon the retirement of hardware boss Bob Mansfield and his $2 million a month advisory agreement with Cook, Apple moving away from Intel, the iPad mini later this month and more...