Good news if you bought an iPhone 5 -- or upgraded to iOS 6 -- and are sick of Apple Maps pointing you in the wrong direction. Google Maps is almost ready to launch on the iPhone and iPad, the Wall Street Journal reports. That'll be a relief to anyone who's looked for Heathrow Airport and ended up in Hyde Park.
Google has been putting the "finishing touches" to the app, according to the paper. While it hasn't submitted it to the iTunes App Store for approval yet, it has been sending it out to individuals outside Google.
A Google spokesperson wouldn't confirm the rumours, but said, "We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world. Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system."
Google Maps was available for Apple devices before the launch of iOS 6, when Apple replaced it with its own version as the default maps app. It also kicked out Google's YouTube app. But unfortunately Apple failed to test its Maps app thoroughly enough, with some of the data woefully out of date: as well as misplacing entire towns, it pointed out the nearest Our Price and Woolworths shops. Which is only handy if you've got a time machine.
Apple Maps is improving, but it'll take a while to right all these blunders.
The next version of Google Maps is said to feature turn-by-turn navigation, according to the Journal's source. This was missing from the previous iOS version because of a disagreement between Google and Apple.
Judging from the reaction to the joke that was Apple Maps, I think we can expect plenty of downloads when Google Maps goes live on the App Store.
Are you waiting for Google Maps to upgrade to iOS 6? Is Apple Maps improving fast enough? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.
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Comments 19
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anonymous 19 November, 2012 11:12
Thank goodness for that! I will be one of the first downloaders of the G Maps app on my iPhone. It just WORKS!! I am sure in time Apple maps will be a lot better but it should never have been released as unfinished and error-prone as it was!
anonymous 19 November, 2012 11:29
Oh thank god! I typed in stanstead airport in the apple map as my tomtom was broken and it told me at first there was no such place then 10 minutes later I tried again and it told me it was near the millennium dome in the river!
anonymous 19 November, 2012 12:05
Oddly I've never really had any significant issue on apple maps but I'm pretty sure google will be better thanks to their years of experience in mapping now.
anonymous 19 November, 2012 12:42
Please make an SDK also
anonymous 19 November, 2012 14:18
I personally have had no issues with Apple maps. But an additional free maps does not hurt.
Late8 19 November, 2012 15:19
Trust Google to save the day. Apple Maps is a disaster. Obviously it will be locked so you can have a default navigation / maps for the Google version.
Glad my phone is android and iPad is apple. iOS6 for me has made my iPad worse. Its slower and more glitchy - mainly Safari and the Store.
anonymous 19 November, 2012 15:55
Apple should not kicked out YouTube & Google Map. they released Dual-Core iPhone 5. They should release quad core with very high end spec iPhone. iOS 6 is nothing but a bullshit this in this 2012. Apple should invent some extra ordinary user friendly high end OS soon, if not then they are gonna kicked.out from smartphone market near future.
ASA 19 November, 2012 16:17
Google Maps App: This is such welcome news! And if they need anyone to test it just drop me a line!
I HATE Apple Maps, and I do not use that word carelessly, it makes my blood boil every time I have to try and use it - and I (try and) use it every day. My work requires navigating round a city and checking for traffic also. The problems with Apple Maps: not so much its out of date info and directional errors, but more that it doesn't look like a map! The road colours, names and numbering make it virtually unintelligible! Even areas I know VERY well I cannot recognise and the names of shops and businesses are more visible that street names!!!
Then
CaptainPicard 19 November, 2012 16:23
Someone tell me, what is the difference between the Google Maps app and the Google Maps website?? So many people were complaining about Apple Maps and no Google Maps on IOS6, why didn't they just go to Google and click on maps?
Late8 19 November, 2012 17:24
Just remembered it wont be the full blown version you get in Android with Navigation etc?
anonymous 20 November, 2012 09:31
But will it be free?
anonymous 20 November, 2012 14:51
I use Apple maps every day and have not had a problem yet. The turn by turn works well and for that reason I like it better than the old google maps. Possibly the area where I live just has good data as most of my use is local.
anonymous 20 November, 2012 18:31
Strangely I have a version of 'maps'. It is printed on a piece of paper and folds up neatly. It has never presented a problem or misled me yet!!
anonymous 21 November, 2012 12:10
@anonymous 19 November, 2012 15:55
"Apple should not kicked out YouTube & Google Map"
They didn't "kick out" those apps. They were removed from being included with the basic OS.
Google would not let Apple have the fully featured version of Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation, so Apple have done their own version (but released it far too soon).
Google can’t afford to lose the custom they get from iOS users and have therefore speeded up the release of the new Google Maps app for iOS.
@anonymous 19 November, 2012 15:55
“... they released Dual-Core iPhone 5. They should release quad core with very high end spec iPhone.”
Quad core means nothing if your software and hardware don’t take advantage of it.
If you do a bit of simple research, you’ll find that the iPhone 5 actually beats the quad core competition in almost all practical applications (that includes the best Android phone to date - the Nexus 4). Simple Geekbench tests of processor speed are almost useless indicators of actual real life performance. There are other benchmark tests that give a clearer and more accurate assessment of real world performance.
@anonymous 19 November, 2012 15:55
“.... iOS 6 is nothing but a bullshit this in this 2012. Apple should invent some extra ordinary user friendly high end OS soon, if not then they are gonna kicked.out from smartphone market near future.”
Well there’s no sign of Apple sales slowing down or falling. Even though their “market share” of the smartphone and tablet markets is falling as more competition enters the marketplace, with the overall size of the market expanding at an amazing rate; their actual sales are still increasing at a fairly healthy rate.
How about the last reporting quarter where iPhone sales were up 58% on the same quarter last year?
Also consider that all their smartphone business is at the higher end profit making part of the market and they don’t operate in the mass market, mid to lower end sector where Android has it’s strength.
As such there is no sign of Apple being “kicked out” of anything.
As far as iOS is concerned, many consider it to be just right for them, although there is a consensus amongst observers that the look of iOS is beginning to look a bit stale. The again is that bad if it works so well?
Live Tiles or Widgets and other new stuff would be a good enhancement, so let’s see what they come up with under their new design leadership.
anonymous 21 November, 2012 12:21
@anonymous 19 November, 2012 11:29
"Oh thank god! I typed in stanstead airport in the apple map as my tomtom was broken and it told me at first there was no such place..."
I hate to break it to you......Apple Maps was probably right; there isn't such a place as Stanstead Airport. It doesn't exist.
Now if you'd tried Stansted Airport.........!
anonymous 26 November, 2012 02:24
I was so angry when I downgraded to iOS 6 because its slower and apples map app doesn't have street view we want street view, we want street view. Come on apple, NO MORE DOWNGRADES RATHER UPGRADE
anonymous 10 December, 2012 16:22
I was about to switch to Samsung just for Google Maps. I use Google maps more than I use my phone to dial. I travel extensively and use google maps to find my hotel, my restaurant, my customer address, where I am, .....I would say I use it 75% and all other apps combined 25%
I would gladly PAY for a good map...and have since upgrading tried them all! Nothing even gets near Google maps!
anonymous 11 December, 2012 08:35
Google Maps is more helpful, from Apple Map I can't find any places I want!
Harem 11 December, 2012 08:36
Google Maps is more helpful, from Apple Map I can't find any places I want!