Comments on: GPSBites Interview

By: oscar myre iv

oscar myre iv — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:56:41 +0000

I’ve had great success with the the new map. It was a nice upgrade from the mapquest that I had been using previously.

By: Edward R.

Edward R. — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:50:57 +0000

Now I’m curious how long it will take Apple to create/acquire their own review database.

By: Michael Logan

Michael Logan — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:20:28 +0000

Thanks for the clarification. The list I had on file, some of the page was truncated.

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:15:19 +0000

@Michael

On this page of Apple Maps credits, Apple noted:

(OSM) OpenStreetMap contributors, http://www.openstreetmap.org/

That is somewhat ambiguous but would seem to me that they are using the maps.

By: Michael Logan

Michael Logan — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:11:40 +0000

@Mike
I don’t see OSM referenced in Apple’s attribution link for the providers of content for Apple Maps. However, since OSM is open to anyone Apple may be taking advantage of the resource.

We at Location3 Media stay up to speed with the ever changing local search ecosystem. Your blog is very imformative and we enjoy what insights you bring to the table. Keep up the good work.

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:44:05 +0000

@Michael
Navteq has always done a better job than TomTom and there is no reason to assume that won’t continue IF they don’t run into capital constraints imposed by Nokia’s decline. Mapping is expensive to get right. And Google has been out investing both TomTom and Navteq up to this point.

Apple does include Open Street Maps in their mapping product, right? I assume that they use whichever data set is better for a given geography.

By: Michael Logan

Michael Logan — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:35:51 +0000

Apple would have been in better shape working with Open Street Maps than Tom Tom (TeleAtas) in my opinion, based on the maps on Foursquare. The major players in mapping are obviously Google with Nokia/Navteq and MapQuest being 2 and 3 respectively. Nokia/Navteq just struck a big maps deal with Oracle and they also feed MapQuest’s Road Maps and Directions. Slowly but surely I see Nokia/Navteq in a prime position to challenge both Google and Apple.

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:13:00 +0000

@Edward

They entered the market with the product when Apple had to enter.

A mapping product does little good in the lab and to get “ground truth” it had to be released into the wild. Until such time as TomTom or Apple increase their streetview drive throughs, the product can best be improved through its increasing use in the real world.

The test is not the first day, the first month or even the first year but whether the product matures at a fast enough rate to be as good as (or nearly as) good as Google’s product. They need it to not be a negative but it doesn’t really have to be clear victor for Apple to have a win in the area.

It took google 8 years to get where they are today. If Apple can come close in 2 years, it will be a major victory and a threat to Google.

And a win for the public.

By: Edward R.

Edward R. — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:03:33 +0000

The bottom line is that Apple’s venture into the map world happened a little too soon — and now it’s consumers who are paying for it.