Comment by infinotize
12 years ago
You can't compare the browser situation however many years ago and the Maps calamity. Google's app was hardly a "shitty" alternative, but as others have indicated the Apple response is mostly due to other reasons. How many iOS users rejoiced when Google Maps got rereleased?
> Google's app
The pre-iOS6 app wasn't "Google's app".
It was Apple's Maps app which used Google-licensed data. Insofar as it was neglected, it was neglected because Apple neglected to improve it and declined to license additional uses of the data (like for turn-by-turn nav).
"Apple neglected to improve it and declined to license additional uses of the data (like for turn-by-turn nav)."
Or, translated from Google spin speak, Apple wanted to improve it but the two parties were not able to agree on terms.
http://allthingsd.com/20120926/apple-google-maps-talks-crash...
Or, as translated from Apple-spin-speak, according to the allthingsd story, Apple wanted to commoditize the Maps data, Google wanted more say over the app, including for it to be called "Google Maps", and feature things like Latitude and other features Android had.
In short, Apple wanted the maps data, but did not want it to be "Google Maps".
If it were really just about withholding features from iOS, why then are most major Android features on iOS, including Google Now, and including a version of the new Google Maps before Android even had it.
Sounds to me like Apple was pulling a John Boehner, refusing to compromise.
1 reply →
"You can't compare the browser situation however many years ago and the Maps calamity."
Actually I just did.
"Google's app was hardly a "shitty" alternative ... How many iOS users rejoiced when Google Maps got rereleased?"
'Rereleased' he says... you mean with turn-by-turn which was never there in the original app. Which is why the original was shitty compared to Maps for Android. QED.