Apr 4, 2013 at 11:19am ET by Greg Sterling

The New York Times offers an interesting story about Google and the competitive landscape of mobile. The headline is "As Web Search Goes Mobile, Competitors Chip at Google’s Lead." The central idea of the article is that while Google is used on the PC equally to discover information and to navigate to specific sites, on smartphones people go directly to apps such as Amazon, Kayak or Yelp. As a basic matter, that's accurate. However, quoting Danny Sullivan, the story also acknowledges that there's still a great deal of mobile search activity, which is dominated by Google. Indeed, accordin [...]

Apple Hiring ‘Ground Truth’ Managers To Improve Maps

Mar 28, 2013 at 5:32pm ET by Matt McGee

If job listings are any indication, Apple remains committed to improving its iOS Maps app. As the iDownload Blog spotted, Apple currently has seven job listings for what's called a "Maps Ground Truth Manager." The positions are based around the world -- U.S., Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Middle East/Africa. The job description explains that these Ground Truth Managers will be responsible for improving and ensuring the accuracy of Apple Maps. The Maps team is searching for a manager for the team responsible for regional map quality and ground trut [...]

Apple Buys Indoor Location Company, What’s It Up To?

Mar 25, 2013 at 10:06am ET by Greg Sterling

This weekend the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had paid roughly $20 million for a company called WifiSLAM. The company was an early stage startup that had raised roughly $1 million in angel investment. It appears to have had some ambitious plans, according to a company description on AngelList: We are building the next generation of location-based mobile apps that, for the first time, engage with users at the scale that personal interaction actually takes place. Applications range from step-by-step indoor navigation, to product-level retail customer engagement, to proximity-based [...]

Rumor: Apple May Buy Crowdsourced Mapping App Waze

Jan 2, 2013 at 5:56pm ET by Greg Sterling

Is Apple considering buying Waze? That's what TechCrunch is saying by way of the rumor mill. If you don't already know, Waze is a crowd-sourced mapping and traffic app. But it's also a social community; it's not that far removed from Foursquare. That's what makes any potential acquisition here really interesting. There are many local data providers or vendors that could help improve Apple's local database of places. But if it were to acquire Waze, which has a strong international following as well, it would get a social network and not merely a database. If you squint a little an Appl [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: Maps | Channel: Mobile

Study Hints At Long-Term Siri Threat To Google In Mobile

Dec 20, 2012 at 1:28pm ET by Greg Sterling

Apple Insider is reporting, based on a study by investment firm Piper Jaffray, that Siri today (iOS 6) relies on Google considerably less than it did in iOS 5. That's partly a result of the switch from Google's local data in Maps to Apple's own mapping data. However another part of the change is probably the addition of more non-Google sources of structured data to support Siri. In Piper Jaffray's previous study it found that Siri used Google or Google data to answer 60 percent of queries. Now that number has dropped to 30 percent. The chart below (via Apple Insider) illustrates who "w [...]

Apple Vs. Google Maps: Reality Check Time

Dec 19, 2012 at 2:54pm ET by Greg Sterling

Google Maps new iOS app is terrific -- although initiating navigation isn't as intuitive as it might be. But I've found that Apple Maps is as good or nearly as good, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have not had a chance to test maps apps side-by-side in other regions. Here's what can be said from my experience of the comparison this past weekend: Google Maps offers more local data on the map when doing a category search. It also does a somewhat better job with the "local search" experience overall when the map is the entry point Google's local business profile pages offe [...]

Google Maps Is Back On The iPhone: Native iOS App Released

Dec 13, 2012 at 1:18am ET by Greg Sterling

Google has released its long-awaited map app for the iPhone. And it delivers all the expected features: voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, traffic, public transit, Street View and so on. It's better than Google Maps for Android because it has been built or rebuilt "from the ground up" and didn't grow by accretion. The bottom line: it delivers. Yet it's also not 100 percent satisfying (at least in my initial test). I'm not sure what I was expecting. It's not integrated with Siri. You can't say "I need directions to San Francisco" and be taken to Google Maps, as you once could. Instea [...]

Australian Police Tell iPhone Users Not To Rely On Apple Maps

Dec 10, 2012 at 9:01am ET by Greg Sterling

This is a bit of bad PR: Macrumors reports that Australian police have warned iPhone owners in that country not to rely upon Apple Maps due to "safety concerns." According to a local police statement: Mildura Police are urging motorists to be careful when relying on the mapping system on the Apple i-phones operating on the iOS 6 system after a number of motorists were directed off the beaten track in recent weeks. Local Police have been called to assist distressed motorists who have become stranded within the Murray-Sunset National Park after following directions on their Apple i-phone [...]

Seeking Maps Fix, Apple Fires Mapping Team Manager And Asks Outsiders For Help

Nov 27, 2012 at 3:24pm ET by Greg Sterling

According to a widely cited Bloomberg report published earlier today Apple has fired another executive in connection with its mapping woes. The article says that Eddie Cue, who's now running the software division, ousted Richard Williamson who managed the mapping team. The same report says that "Cue . . . is seeking advice from outside mapping-technology experts and prodding digital maps provider TomTom NV to fix landmark and navigation data it shares with Apple." Bloomberg reports that "Cue wants to install a new leadership team for the group." Anecdotally I've noticed improvements in [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Maps | Channel: Local | Top News

Google Maps App A Step Closer To iTunes Submission

Nov 15, 2012 at 6:15pm ET by Greg Sterling

When Apple announced, in June, that it was introducing its own maps and ousting Google from its default position on the iPhone, that was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Mountain View. Apple subsequently introduced an elegant-looking but flawed mapping app as part of iOS 6. While Apple and its mapping mistakes have helped to open up the market somewhat, and brought new attention to third party mapping apps such as Waze, Scout and others, they have also created an opening for Google to fully monetize local search on the iPhone in ways that were not equally possible before. [...]

Trying To Get There From Here: Nokia And Mapquest Launch New Maps Products

Nov 13, 2012 at 9:05pm ET by Greg Sterling

Globally there are arguably four main digital mapping competitors: Google, Apple, Microsoft and Nokia. Google is the clear leader. However Nokia is making a renewed bid to challenge Google's mapping supremacy with a rebranded platform "Here," new APIs, a Google Street View-like offering, augmented reality and new apps for third party smartphone operating systems. Apple is busy trying to fix its recently launched maps and seems to be making some progress. Bing, after aggressively investing in maps for several years, now seems to be outsourcing key parts of its mapping infrastructure to Nokia [...]

Guardian: Google “Inside Source” Not Optimistic About iOS Maps App Approval

Nov 5, 2012 at 5:03pm ET by Greg Sterling

Citing "sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans," the UK Guardian website reports what amounts to anxiety that Google's forthcoming mapping app will not be approved by Apple: Sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans say they are "not optimistic" that Apple will ever approve a dedicated Google Maps iOS app. Though the app is reportedly in development and should be ready to ship by the end of the year, the sources say their plans are only proceeding in "the unlikely event" that Apple will choose to approve the app. Although any user can bookmark a page on the Safari browse [...]

Apple Maps Sees Its First International Territorial Dispute As Korea Protests Island Naming

Nov 1, 2012 at 4:27pm ET by Matt McGee

From the it-had-to-happen-sooner-or-later department: Apple is in the midst of its first international territorial dispute over its new Apple Maps product. As the Korea Times reports (and also picked up by ZDNet), the South Korean government is upset because Apple is displaying a collection of small islands in between it and Japan with different names -- including the non-Korean name. The islands are known in Korea as Dokdo, and Korean Apple Maps users see the correct name. But elsewhere, the islands appear on Apple Maps using the Japanese name, as shown on the screenshot at right that [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Maps | Channel: Local

5 Things Businesses Need To Know About Apple Maps Right Now

Oct 22, 2012 at 1:36pm ET by Andrew Shotland

You've probably heard all of the noise about how much Apple Maps suck, but do you know what doesn't suck? The 1,000,000,000 iOS devices projected to be in the hands of consumers worldwide by 2015. But forget about the far away future. Tomorrow, Apple is likely to unveil the "iPad Air", which combined with the iPhone5 + upgraded older iOS devices + Santa Claus is going to equal tens of millions of new iOS6 devices in use Q1 of 2013, just in the US alone. And most users will be using Apple Maps to find local stuff, no matter how much they purport to suck. So even if you think Google Pla [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: Maps | Channel: Mobile | Local Search

Map Search On PCs “Eroding,” Shifting To Mobile — comScore

Oct 16, 2012 at 10:34am ET by Greg Sterling

It all makes sense. According to comScore, map-based search on the PC has now peaked and is starting to erode. By contrast mobile usage of mapping applications is growing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Apple Maps' problems notwithstanding, smartphone mapping apps offer a better overall experience than online maps. Because they're in your pocket they're available when they're most needed: on the go. And they offer location-aware/search nearby capabilities that online maps do not. Here's what comScore recently said about the decline of PC mapping and the rise of sma [...]

Google’s iOS Maps App Appears In Leaked Screenshots

Oct 15, 2012 at 10:20am ET by Greg Sterling

From Ben Guild we get to see some blurry native iOS Google Maps screenshots. We know the app is coming; the questions are: 1) precisely when and 2) will Apple do anything to block it? My guesses would be: 1) within the next month and 2) no. Guild says the mapping app is currently in an alpha stage. He offers some additional detail about its functionality: It’s vector-based It’s got two-finger rotation to any angle It’s super fast 4-inch height of the iPhone 5 is supported This suggests he's seen a demo or played with it himself. Here's one of the shots from Guild's blog p [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: Maps | Channel: Mobile | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile

Google’s Schmidt: “What Apple Has Learned Is That Maps Are Really Hard”

Oct 11, 2012 at 8:50am ET by Greg Sterling

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, during an interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York last night, made the case that Apple should have kept Google Maps on the iPhone. "Apple's done very well using our maps," he joked. When asked directly about a forthcoming iOS Google Maps app, Schmidt gave the familiar line that he didn't want to "pre-announce" products. He also repeated another line he's said before: "Apple would have to approve it." Multiple reports have effectively confirmed that Google is working on an iOS maps app. These reports also suggest that since the public announcemen [...]

Survey: iPhone Owners Generally “Not Affected” By Maps Issue

Oct 10, 2012 at 7:59am ET by Greg Sterling

Hyperbole is the stock in trade of many tech bloggers and journalists. Yet beyond simply trying to grab eyeballs with exaggerated headlines, people in the tech press often get very worked up about issues that have little impact on "ordinary people." That may be the case with the so-called "Apple Maps debacle." Mike Blumenthal used the Google Consumer Survey tool last week to ask iPhone owners whether they've been affected by the documented problems with Apple Maps. The survey received 168 responses. Just over 50 percent said it's had no impact on them. A second group (23 percent) agreed [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: Maps | Channel: Mobile

Still Stuck Behind Apple’s Doors: The New Google Search App

Oct 9, 2012 at 1:56pm ET by Danny Sullivan

Two months ago, Google previewed a new Google Search app that it said would be coming to iOS, bringing with it what seemed a blend of Siri and Google Now-like features. Despite being submitted to the Apple App Store back then, Apple's still not approved the app. Why not? Apple didn't have any comment, when I asked last week. When I checked with Google, it simply reiterated what it said in August, that the app has been submitted. That leaves us with guesswork about why the app remains in limbo. Too Close To Core Functionality? One guess is that Apple doesn't like that you can both talk [...]

Google Maps For Mobile: An iPhone User’s Guide

Oct 4, 2012 at 9:20am ET by Greg Sterling

As we wait for a new native Google Maps app for iOS 6, the company has introduced Street View imagery this morning to Google Maps for the mobile web. It's another attraction that may pull Apple Maps users over on the iPhone and iPad. Below, a look at some of the key features in Google Maps For Mobile, from Street View and beyond, for especially for the iPhone users trying them for the first time. Street View The full corpus of Street View imagery is supposed to be available. Accordingly it should work for any location in the world where Street View photography exists. In general it wo [...]

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