Problems with Apple Maps is a bonanza for third party map developers

posted by Alan F. / Oct 08, 2012, 12:14 AM

Problems with Apple Maps is a bonanza for third party map developers

The Sears Tower is mis-labeled in Apple Maps

The problems that Apple has had with its heavily anticipated Apple Maps application for iOS 6 has turned many to the App Store where they could purchase a third party mapping application. Johan-Till Broer, who is a representative of GPS giant Garmin and its Navigon subsidiary, said that sales have increased over the last two weeks because of "the recent interest in map and navigation apps for the iPhone." Till Broer said that Garmin has the advantage of being one of the first third party mapping apps to integrate with Apple Maps and provide public transit information, as well as having a recognizable name thanks to its leading position in the GPS market. Additionally, once it became apparent that Apple Maps needed more work, Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested that iOS 6 users turn to third party services like MapQuest for an alternative to Apple Maps.

The Garmin rep noted that while free mapping applications have been around well before Apple debuted its mapping service, paid mapping apps have always done very well. Even on Android, where Google Navigation is a native application on the OS, paid mapping apps like Magellan, CoPilot Live, Garmin and Navigon have all been able to ring the ol' cash register. Garmin and its Navigon subsidiary both use Google Local Search and Google Street View although both can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Street View is now a feature of the mobile web version of Google Maps.

The bottom line is that third party mapping providers, especially those paid apps offering premium services, have always done well even before iOS 6 brought the beleaguered Apple Maps. Now, the money is flowing in faster and we could see this trend continue even when Apple Maps is re-launched.

source: TUAW

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15 Comments

1. phil2n

Posts: 519; Member since: Apr 30, 2012

in android superb maps... Free in WP(Lumia) Excellent maps... Free in IOS premium maps... I mean you have to register a premium account so that you can get a good quality which provided bye the two i state above

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 12:41 AM 16

12. Danre

Posts: 85; Member since: Sep 02, 2012

This is why I think all i$heep are fools. and the most stupid thing is that they proud of their foolishness

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 8:07 AM 1

2. DSmithee unregistered

What's funny is, yeah, Apple's maps leave something to be desired--but they're making loads of cash from iPhone users flooding to the App Store for map alternatives.

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 12:44 AM 12

13. GoodFella

Posts: 112; Member since: Oct 18, 2011

That's an incredibly good point... Tim Cook apologizes, and then tells people to purchase other map apps.. Apple still makes money. Win Win Lose. Win for Apple, Win for Apple and developers, Lose for consumer. Thanks Apple!

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 10:03 AM 1

3. cncrim

Posts: 1590; Member since: Aug 15, 2011

Third party apps now wish google maps go down too to help their sale LOL.... just saying.

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 12:46 AM 3

4. theyseemetrollintheyhatin

Posts: 10; Member since: Sep 28, 2012

it is time to move on every other post is about how bad apple maps suck.... they will not catch up till about 4 more years i do not want to to be reading about this for the next 4 years enough already.. bad maps bad camera with purple glare long skinny. enough already post about real phones that matter like the new nexus line =]

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 1:05 AM 2

11. Aeires unregistered

Apple has 40,000 of it's employees looking for problems in their maps. Each store has people who check the maps in their area and report problems to Apple so they can be fixed. It's going to be fixed sooner than people think, but it's going to cost a ton more money and resources to do it. http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/10/05/apples-40000-retail-employees-tasked-with-helping-to-fix-ios-6-maps-app/

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 7:59 AM 0

5. Whateverman

Posts: 3295; Member since: May 17, 2009

For what it worth, I think Apple Maps will be a killer feature in a few years. Maybe even a few months. I love my Google Maps, but the UI is a bit stale. And Street View is great, but Flyover is breathtaking. Google had better start adding a little more "pretty" into it's UI's, apps, and features. Because when Apple gets their data up to par, it will be Google playing catch-up, again.

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 1:20 AM 1

7. doejon

Posts: 411; Member since: Jul 31, 2012

if apple maps will be a killer feature than google maps will be a double no i mean 4 times more killerier xD feature in the future :D

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 1:42 AM 0

6. doejon

lool almost everytime apple did a realy foolish stupid thing remember that batteryissue and apple could not find the "trouble maker" than a "normal" person showed apple that in the backround is an app that sucks the whole battery.. and this is coming from the richest company in the world who have a lot of specialists but they could not solve such stupid problem on their own. what a shame apple just goooo too hell

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 1:39 AM 0

8. Stoli89

Posts: 333; Member since: Jun 28, 2010

I understand why Apple changed strategy, even though it greatly reduced quality of default map data on its devices in the process. What I do not understand is why Apple doesn't use its enormous stockpile of cash to buy Tom Tom's TeleAtlas. Sure, it's already licensing TeleAtlas for its own application...but not the entire data pool...just the basics. If Apple wants to cut its competitors' (Google, Nokia/Navteq) leads in location based services, it could buy TomTom/TeleAtlas without too much issue from regulators. I'm sure the price has gone up handsomely since the IOS6 launch, but time is critical here. In the meantime, its coveted user-base is being vectored to alternatives like Garmin (which uses Nokia Navteq data) or basic web based navigation from Google and/or Nokia Maps. At a minimum, it should be promoting a TomTom application to avoid putting more traffic through its competitors' pipelines. JMO.