Apple has dropped the ball with iPhone 5 and maps

I went into the Apple store and had a look at the iPhone 5.

The device is very well build and there is something about it that "makes sense" in my head and makes me "feel that if I buy it I am buying a quality product". Maybe their marketing got me but this is what I felt. Don't know if they tricked me. Well done if they did!

Regarding the issues and maps etc. I am happy (personally) that Apple decided to compete with Google directly. You will never become the best if you follow someone else, simply because by definition you will make the same mistakes as them. This is very simple and yet loads of people simply "go with the flow". Well, what made Apple what it is today is the fact that Jobs did not think like the rest. For me, the only thing that matters is to have the VERY BEST of map software. The competition between Apple and Google will produce exactly that. Whoever gets to it first will get my money next. For now I am happy to allow Apple to prepare, but if in 1-2 months there is no MASSIVE improvement I will be disappointed.

Just my thoughts on the matter!

Thanks for reading.
 
drak3 said:
Regarding the issues and maps etc. I am happy (personally) that Apple decided to compete with Google directly. You will never become the best if you follow someone else, simply because by definition you will make the same mistakes as them.

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For me, the only thing that matters is to have the VERY BEST of map software. The competition between Apple and Google will produce exactly that. Whoever gets to it first will get my money next. For now I am happy to allow Apple to prepare, but if in 1-2 months there is no MASSIVE improvement I will be disappointed.
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But you, the customer, are collateral in Apple going with their own mapping solution - is that really something to be happy about? There is zero chance of Apple closing the gap in a month or two.

If the very best mapping software is the only thing that matters, today or in the short term future at least, it certainly won't be what you get with iOS.

So, it can't be the only thing that matters, otherwise you wouldn't even be giving the iPhone5 consideration. Brand loyalty is what Apple is riding on at the moment (and yes, all companies do it)
 
drak3 said:
I went into the Apple store and had a look at the iPhone 5.

The device is very well build and there is something about it that "makes sense" in my head and makes me "feel that if I buy it I am buying a quality product". Maybe their marketing got me but this is what I felt. Don't know if they tricked me. Well done if they did!

Regarding the issues and maps etc. I am happy (personally) that Apple decided to compete with Google directly. You will never become the best if you follow someone else, simply because by definition you will make the same mistakes as them. This is very simple and yet loads of people simply "go with the flow". Well, what made Apple what it is today is the fact that Jobs did not think like the rest. For me, the only thing that matters is to have the VERY BEST of map software. The competition between Apple and Google will produce exactly that. Whoever gets to it first will get my money next. For now I am happy to allow Apple to prepare, but if in 1-2 months there is no MASSIVE improvement I will be disappointed.

Just my thoughts on the matter!

Thanks for reading.
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If your buying a device for great maps etc Nokia drive is better than al of them , the software and mapping are fantastic ...
 
The maps will improve.

I'm more concerned they released it in its current state.
 
Not sure I buy the complaints about the build quality. I think it's the sort of thing which affects a small minority of users and is inevitably over-reported. Apple seems to be held to higher standards on build quality than other manufacturers - certainly iPhones are better made than a large majority of Android phones, and yet it's Apple who gets held to account.

The Maps app, on the other hand, is atrocious. I get that the only way to fill in holes in the database is to open it up to the public and crowdsource the corrections. That would be fine if the issue was simply lack of local listings. But the app doesn't get basic things right. Entire towns are disappearing. You can't find Man United, for Pete's sake.

Why didn't Apple blow some of that cash pile on licensing some decent map and satellite data? Heads should roll for this. If you're gonna replace a mature, popular product overnight, you'd better damn hope your own is up to scratch.
 
EVH said:
I'm more concerned they released it in its current state.
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I think they were forced to. Their license with Google expired and I doubt they could've extended it by just a year or something. As has been shown with Android Google can be pretty ruthless when it comes to this kind of thing.

Don't get me wrong part of it is the anti-Google thing at Apple now. But they have to go through this pain (which is amusing :p ) to get a decent Apple controlled service.

It's almost like Nokia have done with Windows Phone. Release whatever you have that puts you on a path for the future while killing off the past.

But yes they knew this time would come and they are the biggest company in the world. As I stated in another thread they have enough money to buy out both TomTom and NAVTEQ at least 16 time over. IMO because Tim Cook is now in charge they are effectively crowd-sourcing their new maps instead of spending the money.

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Mattus said:
Why didn't Apple blow some of that cash pile on licensing some decent map and satellite data?
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Because the only alternatives to TomTom are NAVTEQ (owned by Nokia and now used extensively by Microsoft in Bing/Windows Phone 8) and Google. They had the money to do it right but like I said I think Tim Cook (basically a money man) is being cheap and just crowd-sourcing most of it.
 
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theheyes said:
features are arbitrarily withheld for older products
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In fairness, Apple isn't the only guilty party. The alternative is to buy an Android or Windows Phone, and get ready to flip a coin concerning whether you actually get software updates for more than six months, let alone those which include major new features.

Apple's 'planned obsolescence' strategy is a bit aggravating, but I'm willing to be a bit more lenient on the basis that they're still arguably the best in the business. The 3GS - a phone which is nearly 3.5 years old - still gets updates. Sure, they're relatively minor ones - but which other phone manufacturer offers that duration of support at all?
 
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I popped into my local Apple Store this afternoon and it was HEAVING. Apple are on to a a real winner with their products.
I had some hands on time with the iPhone5 and my initial immediate thought was that it didn't feel real, it was too light and its edges felt unfinished, something didn't feel right. But, in use I was blown away with how fast it was, its incredible.
 
theheyes said:
Apple won't do terribly with the iPhone5, but they are certainly making serious withdrawals from the bank of goodwill with a lot of people - myself included.

I've been a Mac user for many years, I was an original iPhone early adopter and have used one ever since, and I have an iPad3. Unfortunately because of the way Apple have conducted themselves over the past couple years I have no plans to buy another Apple product.

The problem is Apple don't care about customers like us any more, and who can blame them? They struck oil with the mass smartphone and tablet market so why bother continuing to mine for a few tech enthusiasts who will hold them to a higher standard. It's no coincidence that the standard of software has slipped over the past few years.

The majority of people buying iPhones, iPads etc. today don't give a hoot that the maps are inferior, security updates are slow and that features are arbitrarily withheld for older products. The device mentality goes hand in hand with a company that is primarily geared to moving hardware.

A TV, a fridge, a DVR, a tablet, a smartphone, a laptop... if you can install the idea in your target markets mind that new features (or even some new features) necessitate a device replacement then bingo... you've gone a long way to securing your future revenue stream if your business is selling hardware.

People think I'm nuts when I say Windows is the way to go, but let's face it, Microsoft's revenue is intrinsically bound to providing excellent software, support and services. All you need to do is buy products and services from companies that align with your interests.

If I could buy Apple hardware and run Microsoft software on it perfectly, I would.
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Couldn't agree more, however knowing the problems I've had with Windows before I really have no idea where to turn!
 
This is why it is important for Samsung to keep going strong and Google to refine their Android OS to make it more efficient. For a long time Apple were not really tested but next few years is a real test because Microsoft will go at them hard and Google will keep up their relentless assault on the mobile market. At the moment Apple are still top dogs but things can change. They have more than enough money and resources to push the boundaries, that is for sure.

As for Maps, I think it is a case they are trying to move away from any dependency on Google to quickly. I think Maps is still another year from being a mature enough product for their iOS, the bad thing was it is one of the new 'key' features of the new iOS and iPhone and maybe that is why they rushed it out because whatever else they have planned isn't ready yet. They have done the same with Samsung, cutting their orders with them and going elsewhere so hopefully the hardware will keep strong because that is for me the key thing about the iPhone. Spec wise in terms of CPU and GPU power it looks top notch.
 
Maps will improve over time just as Google Maps did. The latter was a disaster when it first hit the scene iirc. I agree that they shouldn't have released it though as it is fairly obvious it isn't anywhere ready.

As for the i5, I only know of one person with it and this morning he told me his was perfect. I haven't purchased one yet as I am still wrestling with abandoning iOS (and my library and trying an S3.

I would be interested in seeing what anodizing process they are using though because easy scratches should not be happening. My i4 is in perfect condition since day 1, and it is used nekkid.
 
JAzz said:
This is why it is important for Samsung to keep going strong and Google to refine their Android OS to make it more efficient. For a long time Apple were not really tested but next few years is a real test because Microsoft will go at them hard and Google will keep up their relentless assault on the mobile market. At the moment Apple are still top dogs but things can change. They have more than enough money and resources to push the boundaries, that is for sure.

Don't know what andriod looks like in the UK but the Belgian version doesn't have movies or music and the store looks like poundland and is difficult to navigate so they can forget selling S3's here in Belgium.

the reason for maps is clear with their own maps they can customise which adds are places on their maps which will be linked to their advertising model and google has no input.

I'm also sure google have the app for iphone ready to be released and wonder what the hold up is perhaps a deal between the two to delay launch?
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Don't know what andriod looks like in the UK but the Belgian version doesn't have movies or music and the store looks like poundland and is difficult to navigate so they can forget selling S3's here in Belgium.

the reason for maps is clear with their own maps they can customise which adds are places on their maps which will be linked to their advertising model and google has no input.

I'm also sure google have the app for iphone ready to be released and wonder what the hold up is perhaps a deal between the two to delay launch?
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I very much doubt Apple and Google would be making deals these days. The maps is a clear indication of a change in direction for Apple, before they put the customers experience first, with their new maps they have clearly put themselves first. Will be interesting to see how Apple do over the next 5 or so years in my opinion.
 
I don't knew why you think it will take years to sort the maps out. The app is great, it's no different from google maps really.

Using crowd sourcing. Means business and errors should be fixed within months. They must already have 10s of millions of reports they have to go through one at a time and decide if its correct or not. I can't see that taking years.
 
Why did they even release it as it is, why not just use ios5 and google maps lol, why give themselves all this headache, whatever there reasons for doing it i am sure it could have waited while they fixed it and then rolled out ios6 when it was ready - i could understand if the phone was hugely different and it needed a proper refresh of IOS to make the most of it but its not really is it.

They have dropped the ball with that, i think only time will tell if they have dropped the ball with the phone when Samsung etc respond with new phones as the S3 is already very close, closer than anything else has ever been.

Just read the above comment about the maps update been in there own interest.. thats a good way of putting it, google maps just worked, every time.
 
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Probably as they announced it ages ago and simply ran out of time to improve it. They were hardly going to hold off update for that due to release of ip5.

I read one article that speculated they knew it wasn't ready as just a few weeks ago, they advised tons of map related jobs.
 
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vila said:
Are you blind ?
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Did you read everything I said?

There is zero wrong with the app.
There are errors in data. Errors in data does not take long to sort. Especially when you have consumers using the report problem button. All they have to do is look through them, decide if they are correct and implamnet them. Like they have done for thousands of errors already.

So why would that take years? The software is fine, the data not fine.
 
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