Neil Hughes
A new featured link on the iOS App Store invites users to "Find maps for your iPhone," and lists a number of paid and free alternatives to Apple's own Maps application in iOS 6.
The new link appeared on the App Store on Friday, after Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook himself highlighted competing options in an apology to customers. Since the launch of iOS 6 with Apple's all-new mapping solution, users have complained that the software is substandard.
"While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest, and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app," Cook wrote.
In addition to the public apology, the new "Find maps for your iPhone" is the first featured link on the iOS App Store curated by Apple. It offers a list of 13 alternative mapping applications available for download. They are:
- MotionX GPS Drive
- Waze social GPS traffic & gas
- MapQuest
- GPS by Telenav
- Garmin USA
- Gokivo GPS Navigator Navigon USA
- CoPilot Live Premium USA — offline GPS navigation
- CoPilot GPS — Plan & Explore with on-board maps & directions
- Bing
- Magellan RoadMate North America
- AT&T Navigator: GPS navigation subscription fee appears on AT&T bill
Most notably absent from the list is Google Maps, because a dedicated application from the search company is not yet available on the App Store. Google is said to be working on a standalone application, but in the meantime users can still visit the Google Maps website, as Cook suggested, to access the service. The popular Street View functionality is not available, but is expected to launch within the next two weeks.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
56 Comments
Such frigging crap.
The popular Street View functionality is not available, but is expected to launch within the next two weeks.
So if Google is going to be able to launch a version of Street View in the mobile web version that does not rely on Flash, perhaps they will also incorporate that version into their regular desktop browser map application. That will be quite the accomplishment if they only use HTML 5. With the old iOS app they had Objective C as a programming resource to provide multimedia support for the Street View app, but minus that it will be interesting to see how they overcome the interactivity issues of using straight HTML.
Such frigging crap.
Huh? It's crap that Apple is highlighting good alternatives to customers not satisfied with the built in option, or crap that Apple downgraded the quality of the built in maps app and has openly admitted as such? I'm confused.
So if Google is going to be able to launch a version of Street View in the mobile web version that does not rely on Flash, perhaps they will also incorporate that version into their regular desktop browser map application. That will be quite the accomplishment if they only use HTML 5.
Still think they should bring back QuickTime VR for that.
So if Google is going to be able to launch a version of Street View in the mobile web version that does not rely on Flash, perhaps they will also incorporate that version into their regular desktop browser map application. That will be quite the accomplishment if they only use HTML 5. With the old iOS app they had Objective C as a programming resource to provide multimedia support for the Street View app, but minus that it will be interesting to see how they overcome the interactivity issues of using straight HTML.
If I'm not mistaken, don't they forego Flash in the OpenGL version of their maps? Granted, you must use Chrome and enable OpenGL Maps first, but I'm pretty sure everything is HTML5 at that point.