Job listings on Apple’s website reveal it is currently seeking developers to help fix its newly-released Maps app, which has received widespread criticism since making its debut in iOS 6 on Wednesday. The company is calling for software engineers who will be tasked with “road rendering,” and “creating new and innovative features.”
There’s an awesome image flying around Twitter this morning that shows someone working for the London Underground has a great sense of humor. On one of the many signs littered around London’s tube stations, someone has written:
For the benefit of passengers using Apple iOS 6, local area maps are available from the booking office.
Apple’s new Maps app has taken a lot of stick since its debut in iOS 6 on Wednesday, and users have been flocking to Twitter to post images of towns and villages that have seemingly been wiped out by the Cupertino company.
Source: Ben Mathis on Twitter
Apple’s new Maps app has gotten a ton of complaints since iOS 6 officially released this week, and with good reason. Heck, right here at Cult of Mac, we have a feature on how to fix the iOS 6 Maps experience, as well as a gallery on some of the worst imagery from the Maps app itself.
Apple spoke out today about the issue in a statement to AllThingsD, saying, essentially, that people need to be more patient.
Since iOS 6 came out yesterday, everyone has been dog piling on the new Maps app, talking about how terrible it is (us included). There’s even an entire Tumlr dedicated to how badly it sucks. Is everyone being too hard on Apple for trying to build their own Maps platform? Or should Apple have kept Google Maps around?
What do you think? It seems like iOS Maps might be an understandable first step that will pay off for Apple big time in a couple of years, but do we really want to wait and have to use an inferior app for a few years while they try to get it right?
In case you don’t get the reference. More (real) iOS 6 Maps disasters can be found in our gallery here.
It’s no secret that Apple’s new iOS Maps app has been a pretty big letdown so far. Surely Apple is working on perfecting the app and correcting a lot of erroneous data, but if you’ve already updated to iOS 6 you’re stuck with maps that have a tendency to glitch out on you, especially if you live outside the U.S.
The Amazing iOs 6 Maps is a new Tumblr account dedicated to the uglier side of Apple’s new maps app. They’ve compiled a ton of screenshots of iOS 6 Maps doing terrible things. Here’s some of the best/worst ones so far:
iOS 6’s Maps is the biggest criticism of Apple’s new mobile operating system. In short, it’s clearly years behind Google Maps, which previously powered Maps in past versions of iOS. Most of the time, complaints about Apple’s new Maps accuse the latter of being under-developed and unreliable compared to Google Maps, but the Irish government has a different concern: they are worried that iOS 6 Maps will result in pilots crashing their airplanes directly into a park.
Today, three months after its first preview at WWDC, iOS 6 has been released to the public and is now available to download via iTunes. We’ve already presented you with a comprehensive guide to everything that’s new — big and small — but which of those features really stands out?
So that you can jump into iOS 6 and quickly start using its killer new features, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten for you to check out. These may not necessarily be the biggest features Apple has introduced, but we’re confident that once you start using them, you’ll agree that they’re the best.
We’ve all been itching to get our hands on iOS 6 since it got its first unveiling at WWDC back in June, and today, three months after that announcement, the software finally gets its public debut. Apple’s packed a ton of new features into this update, including some major new features like Map and Passbook, plus some enhancements to existing apps and features, such as new Siri capabilities and a VIP inbox in Mail.
Apple’s been promoting some of these features on its website, but there are tons you may not have heard about. With that said, here’s your comprehensive guide to everything that’s new in iOS 6.
While this tip may be moot once iOS 6 happens, it’s still available to you right now.
When you’re in a big city trying to drive somewhere, the route you may choose will vary depending on traffic conditions. There are a ton of third-party apps out there that can help figure out traffic, but why not just use one that’s already on your iPhone? Maps will do the job, and all it takes is a little tap.
Apple’s hardware product lines might be clean and sparse to the point of obsession, but behind the scenes it’s another story. Take iOS 6, for example. While yesterday’s Apple keynote showed off plenty of new features, many of them are location dependent. And I’m not talking about maps here – many features are switched off outside of the U.S, and just which one’s you can use depends on the country you’re in.
Back when Apple showed off the first iOS 6 beta, there were a paltry 11 cities featured in the spectacular 3-D Flyoverfeature.
I figured a week or two back that the new maps app wouldn’t launch with such a crappy line up, and I was right. With the Gold Master (GM) version of iOS 6 released to developers yesterday, maps just got a whole lot more 3-D cities.
Did you ever check to see which carrier offers the best coverage in your town? Or – worse – did you ever wonder which carrier’s pre-pay SIM you should buy when you go on vacation? It’s hell, right? Those maps are so deeply hidden in the carriers' sites that it’s almost like they didn’t want you to find them.
Enter OpenSignalMaps, which is not only an independent map showing you the 2G, 3G and 4G coverage in much of the world, but is also just about the sleekest and slickest map/info site we’ve ever seen. And it works just great on iOS devices.
Apple’s decision to ditch Google Maps in favor of its own mapping technology in iOS 6 wasn’t much a surprise. However, Amazon’s decision to reject Google Maps in its second generation Kindle Fire tablet is a bit of surprise – particularly since the Kindle Fire is an Android device.
Unlike Apple, Amazon isn’t developing its own mapping systems. Instead, the new Kindle Fire will rely on mapping functionality from Nokia. Unlike the original Kindle Fire, which had no innate location services or maps app, the new version will sport location-based services, though whether they will be based integrated GPS or solely on Wi-Fi triangulation (like the Wi-Fi only iPad models and the iPod touch) is still an unanswered question.
Here’s a handy feature in Apple’s new Maps app in iOS 6: When you’re traveling and you get near to roadworks, or there are roadworks ahead of you, Maps will throw up a new roadworks icon to alert you to them. What’s makes this feature really awesome is that you can then tap on that icon to find out more about the construction, including its start and description.
Google tried to beat Apple to the punch when it announced the Google Maps 3D view right before WWDC, but Apple still blew everyone away with its own 3D Maps technology in iOS 6. And even though Apple’s new Maps app is in developer beta, twice as many cites are 3D compatible in iOS 6 than Google Maps!
The above video compares Apple’s 3D Maps with Google’s in great detail. Make sure to check out Jeff of iDownloadBlog’s full post for more screenshots and info. Needless to say, Apple’s attention to detail has won again.
Source: iDownloadBlog
The search for the perfect iPad case is never ending, but that won’t stop me trying. And as you get further along in your quest, the differences between cases becomes smaller and smaller. At first glance, these two slimline cases from Lioncase look like any other slimline folios and Smart Covers, but close up they look much more compelling.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is a stunning new weather app called Solar, which boasts a simple, intuitive user interface and a no frills approach that doesn’t suffocate you with information you’re not interested in. There’s also a great new drawing and animation app from Disney that you and your kids will love; a great new photography app that adds bokeh light effects to your photos; and updates to Google Earth and Yelp.
Yelp just delivered the latest version of its iOS app to the App Store, and the company promises it’s “literally filled to the brim with awesomeness.”
“We’re not joking — we had to get an intern to stand on the top of it just to get it zipped up and shipped to the App Store.”
In addition to brand new business pages, Yelp 6.0 delivers support for Yelpy Insights, the ability to like and compliment tips, and lots more.
With iOS 6, Apple is looking to replace Google Maps with their own Cupertino solution that also provides 3-D maps of cities across the globe. Google isn’t going down without a fight though, so they just updated their Google Earth app for iOS to include 3-D maps before people get comfy with Apple’s Flyover solution in iOS 6.
When it comes to using mapping APIs on mobile, it’s hard to think about any name other than Google Maps. However, the truth is that Google Maps doesn’t fit the needs of every developer and/or company. Thankfully we live in a country that allows competition and choice (even though large companies continually try to squash it). There is, in fact, a broad number of mapping solutions available to developers, and with Apple and others recently abandoning Google Maps, we’ve seen a spark of interest in these alternatives. One that’s been working hard to provide a viable option to its customers is deCarta.
Apple purchasing several mapping companies over the last fews years, Apple is finally replacing Google Maps with its own solution in iOS 6. But it seems the Cupertino company may be planning to expand it beyond iOS. One developer has discovered some code within the iOS 6 beta that indicates Maps will also be coming to OS X later on.
Following Apple’s Google’s leap into 3D mapping technologies, Amazon has acquired a 3D mapping startup of its own. The online retail giant today sealed a deal to purchase UpNext in a move that could signal the company’s intentions to bring 3D maps to its Kindle Fire slate without any assistance from Google.
Navigon has added Google Street View to its iOS navigation app, as well as a few other enhancements — including the dangerous sounding “cockpit” mode. This probably won’t be the last independent app to include Google’s essential service after Apple kicked it out of iOS6, but it does at least mean we can keep using it when the new iOS ships this fall.
With iOS 6, Apple is finally ditching Google as a maps partner and releasing their own custom maps solution, built upon partnerships with companies like TomTom and using their own technology acquired from companies like C3.
How costly would it be for Apple to compete with Google Maps head-on, though, by building their own mapping system from the ground-up without any outside deals? More than you might think: in fact, Apple might have to increases its global workforce by 50%.
