Improvements
Jesus Diaz on the new Google Maps app for iOS:
After some intensive testing since its yesternight release, there’s no doubt about it: Google Maps for iOS is, hands down, the best maps application, perhaps on any platform. So good, so fast, and so clean. There’s really no contest. They nailed it, and shamed Apple in the process.
It’s not the snarky tone that bothers be. You can dig up a whole bunch of my pro-Apple snark on this site. What strikes me is the irony of the snark used by Jesus.
Let’s be clear what just happened—Google delivered a best-of-breed maps app for iOS. It features more accurate map data, Street View (oh how I missed you, Street View) and turn-by-turn directions (which I still can’t get on my iPhone 4 running iOS 6). In building their Maps app, Google has improved the overall experience of iOS and made a lot of people happy.
Google has also lit a much-needed fire under Apple’s ass to improve their own Maps app. Forget what Tim Cook says about, “If you think what are customers’ expectations are high, you should see our own internal expectations…” Yes, we know Apple expects the best, but there’s nothing like another car in the race to make things interesting.
So did Google just school Apple? Oh snap, oh no they di-int!!! Did Apple just get directions on where to get its ass handed to them?
Hell yeah they did, and I got a better iPhone for it.