[Macworld]

Post your comments for Review: Google Maps for iPhone drives competition with Apple here

[appledogx]

Well written article, but Google's map app is also missing the very basic option to set kilometers instead of miles. I find it amazing that such a simple, logical, option is such a glaring oversight to an otherwise very good app.

[ForrestBuffenmyer]

I downloaded Google's iOS Maps app for my iPhone 4…and discovered that I have been living in the wrong place all these years.

It lists my location as a nearby apartment complex--the location is spot on, but the name is wrong--and with no mention of the one I actually live in at all.

When I first tried to download the app, all initially went well. But, when I tried moving Apple's Maps app to the last screen of my iPhone and then moving the Google app from the second screen to the spot where Apple's app was--the iPhone crashed and rebooted--three times!

The solutions seemed to be to first move Google's app, THEN move the Apple one. When I did that, all was well.

Do you suppose Apple was subtly trying to tell me something?

[StraightlineBoy]

I think the key thing to remember is that Google had got complacent with it's old maps app on the iPhone with no real updates for ages. Apple kicks them out with it's own app, with new features such as turn by turn navigation, and in no time at all Google has responded with a greatly improved app compared to it's old offering. Competition is a great thing and it's win-win for the user.
My initial impression is that right now that the Google app has the edge, but it's no bad thing to have more than one maps app with you and I'm sure there's an Apple update just around the corner. Game on!

[tfigs121]

I tried Google Maps when it came out and too be honest, felt Apple Maps was better. I have not had a problem with Apple Maps and so far has worked very well for me. I like the Siri and Contacts integration. Google is a nice option to have, and in the end, we all win. But I will be sticking with Apple's Maps app.

[MtnBiker]

And neither app works if you don't have a net connection. This can be a problem in the boonies and also can result in slowing when surrounded by tall buildings; but even the navigation apps that don't need a net connection need to see satellites and that can be problematic in these conditions.

[Yokohama3021]

I think the article is very good except the international part. That probably needs better research locally. I can tell you from experience it looks like apple is not moving forward in Japan at least. The maps and locations are poor at best. It is the little things like clicking a place on the map then adding it to a contact. Then clicking on the contact and it takes you to a different place on the map. I like the apple maps design unfortunately not functional in Japan. Google has a big leap ahead of apple here. I hope apple does start getting it together here as in the United States. It would be nice if apple took it to the next level and let us pick the mapping app that the whole IOS used across applications the way we pick a search engine in Safari. Apple is now an international company and must start acting like one. Just having multiple languages is not the only part. Maps and contacts and other parts are just as important. It is easy to see apple is doing good here when you ride the trains or walk down the street. iPhones are everywhere!!

[jyntema]

I had high hopes for going back to Google Maps. But if it cannot access my iPhone address book, then I have no use for it, except to check traffic now and then.

[scottbayes]

I like having both apps onboard, so I can crosscheck the accuracy or reasonability of the locations and directions when in doubt.

[wardoggie]

Quote

I had high hopes for going back to Google Maps. But if it cannot access my iPhone address book, then I have no use for it, except to check traffic now and then.

Actually, that's the only reason I downloaded it. My seat-of-the-pants "testing" showed that Google Maps' traffic outperforms even the sigalert system used by local news media.

[goldyn chyld]

Quote

Well written article, but Google's map app is also missing the very basic option to set kilometers instead of miles. I find it amazing that such a simple, logical, option is such a glaring oversight to an otherwise very good app.

I totally agree. Well, at least it's possible to make it display distance in km if you choose a European country in your phone's "Region Format" --- but I'm not happy with it because I like to use the US format, and it will only display miles in that case (yet I was brought up on metric units).

[hebertmw]

There must be some disabling of the public transit data access for the new Google Maps app run on older iOS versions because I run iOS 5 on my iPhone 4 and I get the error message, "Public transit information not available in this region." Yet the original iOS 5 Apple Google Maps still does give me public transit directions. I live in the Tampa Bay area and Google does list surrounding sides of Tampa Bay are covered.

Would I have to upgrade to iOS 6 to get the new Google Maps app to properly access public transit data?

Does anyone have any experience with this?

[leebenjamin913]

One thing that no one seems to have mentioned: I have a car with Bluetooth and obviously I use it for all my hands-freee phone calls. I had wondered why Apple's Maps did not use that feature when giving turn-by-turn directions. If the car radio is on, it is sometimes difficult to hear the audio portion of the directions because they emanate from only the small speaker on the iPhone. With Google, the audio portion of the turn-by-turn directions work the same way as for the "built-in" GPS. The radio sound is muted and the voice comes right over the car speakers. ** Pretty nice! ** And one other feature on the Google software I like better... At the bottom of the screen is an estimate for the remaining travel time to your destination. That feature, also, is missing from Apple's Maps. It's a VERY useful piece of information! Like many of the other people commenting, I will use both map Apps, but for those two features alone, my first choice will be Google's software.

[dlm67]

Over hyped. First, it does not access your address book for contacts, forcing you to type in a search, find a location you might already have and then save it, creating a new address book. A complete waste of time. On my initial attempt to use it, it took me to the wrong location with directions that were inaccurate. Google has to do a lot better to compete with Motion X, and Apple must create an app that far exceeds both.