Neil Hughes
Between Apple and Google, the biggest winner in the launch of Google Maps for the iPhone is probably Google, one analyst believes.
Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company characterized the return of Google Maps to iOS, in the form of a third-party application on the App Store, as a "mixed blessing" for Apple. He views the more definitive winner as Google, which launched its Maps application in more than 40 countries and 29 languages this week.
"We see the Maps app on the iPhone as a win-win for Google because the company will now be able to generate location-based advertising and other revenues from iPhone users who use the app," Wolf wrote in a note to investors on Friday.
The positive for Apple, he said, is that the availability of Google Maps — now with the addition of turn-by-turn directions — will help to soften some of the negative public perception surrounding iOS 6 and the iPhone 5.
"It has the potential to attract a meaningful number of new users to the iPhone who had previously shunned it," Wolf said," because of Apple's well-publicized misstep in releasing a less-than-market-ready product in the first place."
However, he also conceded that the launch of Google Maps on the App Store could also hurt Apple by driving users away from its own Maps application.
"Users' input is critical in improving the quality of the application, and Apple will now receive less feedback on its own Maps app what with iPhone owners flocking to Google Maps," he said.
Apple's decision to enter the mapping business has placed a new focus on mobile maps, helping to spur competition on the App Store. Most notably, Nokia entered the market with its new Here maps last month, in an attempt to make a splash after users were disappointed with Apple's Maps.
But Google Maps, which previously powered Apple's iOS Maps application before the launch of iOS 6 in September, is the market leader, and its return to the iPhone has been highly anticipated. As such, the free Google Maps has been the most downloaded application on the App Store since Wednesday, and with YouTube and Google Earth, Google now has three of the top five free iPhone applications.
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267 Comments
Good for both the customer in that they're getting a fully-functional Navigation/mapping solution for their iOS devices as well as Google for the aforementioned reasons. One can only hope Apple is much more careful in the future not to release such half-hearted efforts like iOS Maps as other companies might not be there to so quickly help bail them out.
I love google maps, however I tested yesterday to go to a meeting that I have for a job and the turn by turn was good but when I got close to the destination, google maps thought that it was in a corner the final destination when in fact was the next corner down and a right. It got me close but not exactly where I was suppose to go. I called the guy and he told me the route to take. I don't know how apple maps will perform but I assume that can be the same result or worse.
Google maps turn by turn directions are terrible. I used them last night, and luckily I already knew where I was going, but Google maps had me doing U turns, and all kinds of crazy things. Apple maps may not have the place-of-interest catalog of google, or the quality traffic data and good display of that data... but the app is easier to use, more intuitive and the turn by turn is FAR better.
I disagree with Mister Wolf. I'm not sure if this was the main purpose, but I think that Apple developing his own map application made Google finally brings to IOS the best version of google maps, something they would have not done otherwise to focus on Android OS. Apple purpose on IOS, by my point of view, never has been to propose Apps that are better that any other : this would be a bad strategy, making developers think they would never be able to make a better app that Apple does. Instead, what Apple needs is that most user enjoy IOS experience because it is rich, safe and functional. IOS is an excellent OS, it just needed to have the BEST map app to stay on the top, and they finally have this trough Google maps. They had to spend a lot of money with maps to get this done, but money investment is not a real problem for Apple, as soon as this investment keeps IOS as the leader.
I haven't used Google maps yet, but what I have been using of late is Waze. It worked great every time I have used it so far. Fun little app, and you can't beat the price.