While iOS may not be as flexible or as customizable as Android, on the whole it looks a whole lot nicer. Android is steadily improving, that’s for sure, but it’s hard to deny that iOS developers appear to spend more time making their apps prettier, even if you’re a diehard Android fan.
And that was proven when Chris Hulbert, an iOS developer, went to work at Google for three months. In a post on his blog, Hulbert reveals the differences in attitude towards design for iOS and Android, which help explain why Android apps aren’t quite as pretty as they could be.
File under: Rampant Speculation. Apple Maps is pretty bad compared to Google Maps, and they need to get it fixed in a hurry, by either chaining their engineers to their desks, or buying another company with enough talent to fix Scott Forstall’s biggest snafu.
There was a ridiculous rumor last month that Apple might acquire TomTom to fix Maps, and now the web has sprouted another crazy rumor that Apple might acquire a different mapping company to fix Maps: Waze.
Open the Apple Maps app in iOS 6, tap the bottom right page curl, and enable Satellite view. All of a sudden whatever you’re looking at will be filled in with realistic details like grass, pavement, and buildings. The Google Maps for iPhone app is capable of displaying satellite imagery as well, but Google has also baked a hidden topography mode into the app.
Thanks to jailbreak tweak developer Ryan Petrich, there’s a new package in Cydia that unlocks the Google Maps for iPhone Topography mode.
As we near the end of 2012, Cult of Mac has taken a look back at some of the best iOS apps that have hit the App Store over the last 12 months. There have been some terrific releases this year, and we could have named a hundred that are well worth your hard-earned cash. But we’ve managed to whittle our list down to just ten titles that have really stood out for us this year. Check out our best apps roundup below.
Picking up a new skill is a very popular new year’s resolution. And this Cult of Mac Deals offer will go a long way in helping you pick up a skill that can bring both pleasure and profit – designing iOS apps.
The iOS App Design Course bundle is just $79 for a limited time, and if you have beginner level knowledge of Photoshop and a desire to learn iOS app design, this course trio will help you quickly learn how to design both iPhone and iPad apps and icons.
With your help, we’ve narrowed down the list of best iOS apps of 2012 to a handful of favorites: Clear, Temple Run, Angry Birds Star Wars, Google Maps, Letterpress, and Paper.
Big thanks to everyone who voted so far. Now’s your chance to pick a winner from the shortlisted finalists.
As Apple slowly but surely turns its back on Google, Siri, its intelligent digital assistant, is doing the same. If you’d have asked Siri a question back in June, there’s a 60% chance the data it came back with would have been from Google. Ask it a question today, however, and that chance is reduced to just 30%. Not only has Apple given YouTube and Google Maps the boot, then, it’s shunning Google’s search data, too.
It seems Apple’s problematic new Maps app was discouraging a lot of people from upgrading to iOS 6, the Cupertino company’s latest software. But now that Google Maps is official available as a native iOS app, there’s nothing to stop users from finally performing the upgrade. In fact, its arrival boosted iOS 6 adoption by 29%.
Apple is looking to evolve its own Maps app in iOS 6 by potentially partnering with Foursquare to provide local listings, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. Talks between Apple and Foursquare are still in the early “preliminary” stages, according to the report, but Apple is definitely interested in what Foursquare has to offer.
Yelp is already integrated into iOS 6 Maps, and Apple partners with other services to offer more than 100 million business listings. A partnership with Foursquare could help enrich Apple’s location data and even help fix inaccuracies in iOS 6 Maps.
![Apple Interested In Purchasing Social Maps Company Waze [Rumor]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/wazemapapp.jpg "wazemapapp")
![New Tweak Unlocks The Hidden Topography Mode In Google Maps For iPhone [Jailbreak]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Google-Maps-hidden-topography.jpg "Google Maps hidden topography")
![Our Editor’s Picks For 2012’s Best iOS Apps [Feature]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_0091.jpg "IMG_0091")
![Cast Your Vote: Pick The Final Winner For Best iOS App Of 2012 [Poll]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2012apps.jpg "2012apps")
![As Apple Turns Its Back On Google, So Does Siri [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Siri.jpg "Siri")
![Google Maps Boosts iOS 6 Adoption By 29% [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Screen-Shot-2012-12-19-at-17.02.21.jpg "Google-Maps-iOS-6-adoption")
![Apple Considering Partnership With Foursquare For iOS 6 Maps [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/main-foursquare.jpg "main-foursquare")
