New Apple iOS6 Mapping

[realjd]

I've been playing around with the new iOS6 maps this evening on my iPad. It looks absolutely gorgeous. In particular it has accurate US, state, and county shields and the layers (land, parks, water, etc.) look like paper. It doesn't seem as full featured as Google Maps was, but I fully expect that to improve throughout the beta cycle.

I'd post screenshots but I don't want to violate the developer NDA. Go google it though. It looks that good.

[MrDisco99]

Are they putting it on the web for the rest of us?

[realjd]

I hope so. Apple may write the rendering engine but the map data belongs to TomTom so hopefully it isn't a licensing nightmare to have an online mapping service like Google or Bing.

[codyg1985]

I saw one screenshot where a California Spade shield was used for the State Routes. I wonder if Apple has managed to get every state route shape and use it? This would certainly one-up Google a bit.

Edit: Looking at these screenshots, in Kentucky the circle in a black square is used. This website shows the NY shield and the NJ circle.

[NE2]

But there are also green rectangles for 9A and 495.

[realjd]

A few states like IN and IL also use green squares. I assume this is temporary since states like CT uses a white box. All of the other states I saw had accurate shields.

Other countries, including Canada, still use green squares also. I assume this is their placeholder shield as they work on the map renderer.

[rickmastfan67]

but the map data belongs to TomTom

From what I've heard, some of the data is from OSM as well.

[realjd]

but the map data belongs to TomTom

From what I've heard, some of the data is from OSM as well.

OSM is listed as one of the sources, as are numerous other domestic and foreign entities. Surprisingly, Waze is on the list as well.

[Scott5114]

The state route shields are great...but the US shield is hideous. How hard is it to just download the real shield off Wikipedia?

[agentsteel53]

The state route shields are great...but the US shield is hideous. How hard is it to just download the real shield off Wikipedia?

comparable in hideousness to '70 spec. 

[Quillz]

I don't think the US Route shield they're using looks that bad:



But notice that CA-18 becomes "US Route 18" east of I-15...

Similar errors can be seen here:



Notice how CA-30 and CA-42 still exist, CA-39 is oddly signed (as the portion of the route north of I-210 isn't there at all) and CA-47 appears to head in two different directions.

You can tell right away the Maps app is just taking one particular shield and either stretching or shrinking it. Look at the Washington route shields, for example:



I want to figure out how to extract the vector elements they're using from the App. It will probably require jailbreaking and something like iExplorer, though.

[realjd]

I want to figure out how to extract the vector elements they're using from the App. It will probably require jailbreaking and something like iExplorer, though.

You won't be able to. Like most online maps, it's rendered on the server and downloaded as image tiles.

[realjd]

The state route shields are great...but the US shield is hideous. How hard is it to just download the real shield off Wikipedia?

comparable in hideousness to '70 spec. 

I don't see it. I don't have a good eye for things like that though like you do. I struggle similarly with identifying fonts.

One other thing I noticed is that in the UK, the A roads are white and the Motorways are yellow like on the US maps. They also use the green box shields for all the roads. I assume this is a case of "haven't gotten there yet" and that it will change to the standard green/blue road lines and shields by release date.

[Kacie Jane]

But notice that CA-18 becomes "US Route 18" east of I-15...

This does not bode well.

[hbelkins]

I've been playing around with the new iOS6 maps this evening on my iPad.

Where did you get iOS6?

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

Every time they come up with a new iOS, I have to wait to upgrade until there's a jailbreak for it. I recently jumped from 3.0.2 to 5.0.3 because they finally came out with an untethered jailbreak.

For that matter, what's the point in coming out with a new model of phone so frequently? The 4S hasn't been out that long.

[agentsteel53]

on a similar note, what's with Firefox jumping a major release on not just every minor upgrade but some seemingly bug-fixy subminors as well.  what would've been 3.6.24 to 3.6.25 or the like is now 12 to 13.

[NE2]

For that matter, what's the point in coming out with a new model of phone so frequently? The 4S hasn't been out that long.

Good old American capitalism. They know the fanboys will buy anything they put out.

[Scott5114]

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

That's not how software development works. Programmers generally tend to program, and once they have some improvements they're pleased with, they release it. Even if the previous version was "good enough". If you don't release for a long period of time your software will no longer reflect the needs of the users, since the things they want to use the software for will evolve too and your software won't.

[Quillz]

Apple has been doing yearly update cycles of nearly all their products for as long as I can remember. When Steve Jobs came back in 1998, the iMac was released. The next year saw the first revision. Then in 2000 came the second one. Same is true of their software... Once Mac OS X was released in 2001, almost every year had a major version upgrade.

It's nothing new and Apple isn't the only company to do frequent product/software updates.

And as for getting iOS 6... You can either get it through ADC as I do, or you can find it on the usual torrent/download sites. But unless your UDID is tied to a ADC account, it won't install.

[blawp]

I've been playing around with the new iOS6 maps this evening on my iPad.

Where did you get iOS6?

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

Every time they come up with a new iOS, I have to wait to upgrade until there's a jailbreak for it. I recently jumped from 3.0.2 to 5.0.3 because they finally came out with an untethered jailbreak.

For that matter, what's the point in coming out with a new model of phone so frequently? The 4S hasn't been out that long.

You seem oddly against improvements...

[flowmotion]

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

They built a few million memory-constrained iPad model 1s, and it turns out that software developers really don't like trying to fit things into 256MB of RAM, so they need some (un-)planned obsolesce stat.

[DBrim]

I've been playing around with the new iOS6 maps this evening on my iPad.

Where did you get iOS6?

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

Every time they come up with a new iOS, I have to wait to upgrade until there's a jailbreak for it. I recently jumped from 3.0.2 to 5.0.3 because they finally came out with an untethered jailbreak.

For that matter, what's the point in coming out with a new model of phone so frequently? The 4S hasn't been out that long.

New IOS every year happens because Apple isn't in a bubble.  Turn-by-turn directions, for example, have been built into Android for a couple of years now.  The old "evolve or die" saying, more or less.

New model every year happens for 2 reasons. 1. They like money, and 2. Most people are on a 2 year per phone cycle.  The one phone per year is their compromise between putting out a million phones (Android) or falling behind by releasing less often than once per year.  I think you'd find that most people don't buy every phone, but skip one generation between phone purchases.

[empirestate]

but the map data belongs to TomTom

From what I've heard, some of the data is from OSM as well.

OSM is listed as one of the sources, as are numerous other domestic and foreign entities. Surprisingly, Waze is on the list as well.

Also now using OSM fairly obviously is MapQuests's mobile app. It's also a source on their web version, but doesn't show as much in the U.S., where their own older data seems to be prevailing. Not sure why they show different maps on mobile than on web...

[realjd]

I've been playing around with the new iOS6 maps this evening on my iPad.

Where did you get iOS6?

And pardon the slightly off-topic rant, but why does Apple see the need to come out with a new iOS so frequently? What's so wrong with iOS 5? For that matter, what was so wrong with iOS 4?

Every time they come up with a new iOS, I have to wait to upgrade until there's a jailbreak for it. I recently jumped from 3.0.2 to 5.0.3 because they finally came out with an untethered jailbreak.

For that matter, what's the point in coming out with a new model of phone so frequently? The 4S hasn't been out that long.

I got iOS6 beta 1 through my Apple Developer Program membership. They give developers to prerelease beta version for two purposes - first, it gives developers a chance to update their apps to work with it (if needed), and secondly, it lets us find and report bugs for Apple to fix before it's released to the public.

They release a new phone yearly to stay competitive with other phone manufacturers. As technology progresses, they can implement more features for the size/weight/cost. There's nothing wrong per se with any of the older iPhones, they just don't have the hardware to support some of the newer features. I work with a guy still using the original iPhone and he's perfectly happy with it. It just doesn't support 3G, GPS, compass, etc.

The new operating system comes out to implement the new features available to the new phone. If a feature isn't hardware dependent on the newer phone hardware, it's usually available to older phones as well.

[hbelkins]

You seem oddly against improvements...

Define "improvements."

We don't see a new version of Windows or Microsoft software every year. Apple doesn't even release a new version of its desktop OS every year.

The latest Office release came out in 2010. In the last 17 years, there have only been six versions of Windows (95/NT, 98, Me, XP, Vista and 7).

It seems to me that Apple does a bunch of incremental stuff that would be, IMNSHO, better done in fewer but bigger upgrades.