Increased (and collective) competition from the likes of Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Mapbox is starting to eat into Google’s lead in the map world, prompting Joe Morrison to predict that we’re “at the tail end of the golden era for Google Maps.” I am quite sure that all that data coming from Android devices still gives them some protection. This is worth a read.
Apple Maps
The Bing of Maps
Seven years ago, Apple decided that it’d had enough of using Google’s mapping data. They realized that maps and mapping services were so strategic that they couldn’t really afford to depend on a smartphone rival. So, they began building their own, and in September 2012, the company launched Apple Maps. And if I am being honest, the program has always been akin to that baby face that only a mother can love.
When it launched, Apple Maps was widely panned for being inaccurate and missing key information. Google launched its own dedicated Google Maps for iOS three months later and has never looked back. Apple, on the other hand, has spent billions on Apple Maps in an effort to build a more accurate and rich experience. Yet, in many dense locations, like San Francisco Bay Area or the Big Apple, it still performs like the kid who got into the private school because their grandfather’s name was on one of the buildings. On sheer merit, Google Maps was and still is better. Continue reading “The Bing of Maps”
Apple, Attention & Competition
I couldn’t help but notice that Apple announced that it was getting rid of iOS chief Scott Forstall and retail boss John Browett on the day Microsoft announced its new Windows Phone 8 and Google announced a slew of new Nexus devices including a new 10-inch tablet. That is a good way to suck the … Continue reading Apple, Attention & Competition