Waze is one of Apple’s (assumed) mapping partners but its CEO has slammed what he considers to be the poor quality of local data and directions in the new iOS 6 mapping app. Noam Bardin told the following to Business Insider:
“Apple went out and partnered with the weakest player,” Bardin says. “They’re now coming out with the lowest, weakest data set and they’re competing against Google, which has the highest data set. What’s going to happen with the Apple maps, is that you’re literally not going to find things. When you do find them, they might be in the wrong place or position geographically. And if you do have it, the route to it may not be the optimal route.”
He’s referring to TomTom as the primary data/navigation provider for iOS 6 maps. There are a lot of companies on the copyright page but the general sense is that TomTom is providing much of the local POI data and directions.
I had my own bad experience with a TomTom powered GPS device this summer and it caused me to wonder how competitive Apple maps would be. If my experience is any indication, and if Bardin is right, the quality of Apple’s maps experience (aside from visuals) will be quite weak.
Many people are responding positively to the visual aspect of Maps. This is from CNET this evening:
Whenever you hear that an app is beautiful to behold, especially an app as integral to the use of the iPhone as Maps, it can’t help but feel superfluous. Still, try to look at Maps on an iPhone 5 and not feel wowed.
I haven’t used iOS 6 maps and can’t affirm or contradict any of the statements above. But if the data in Apple’s maps are as bad as Bardin suggests then Apple will have to scramble to swap out TomTom with another vendor or vendors. One would have assumed that Apple did its due diligence. Still many people (in the industry) can’t distinguish among the various local databases.
In the end Apple is going to have to do much more to “bring mapping in-house.” It really can’t outsource core functions to third parties. They’ll find (like Google) that if they want to offer a top-notch mapping product they’ll need to get much more involved with the horrors of local data.
Has anyone else tested iOS 6 maps and found them to be lacking (beyond Street View and public transit data)?
Update: See comments below for some favorable reviews of Apple Maps (USAToday, TechCrunch). See also, my related post at Search Engine Land: Critics Rave About iPhone 5 But Many Roast Apple’s Maps.
September 19th, 2012 at 4:07 am
After Google’s face plant w/ Maps/+ Local, I was hoping that Apple would give them a swift kick in the– but this not a good way to start.
September 19th, 2012 at 4:35 am
Ed Baig from USAToday has favorable things to say about maps and directions. But otherwise most of the reviewers don’t seem to have investigated Maps in depth. It’s still possible that maps are OK and Bardin is not speaking with authority. We’ll have to see as more people get access to iOS 6 and start to use (and compare)
September 19th, 2012 at 4:37 am
Here’s what Baig said about directions: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/story/2012-09-18/iphone-5-review/57803932/1
“Apple has generally done a very good job with its own turn-by-turn feature, which I tested driving in San Francisco and the greater New York City area. The Maps app includes real-time traffic and accident alerts, and a feature called Flyover, photo-realistic 3-D imagery of landmarks as you zoom in over major cities.”
September 19th, 2012 at 4:40 am
MG Siegler also says positive things about maps and turn-by-turn directions http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/18/iphone-5-review/
September 19th, 2012 at 9:51 am
You would have thought that tracking the movements of iPhone users over the last 4 to 5 years would have given Apple a tonne of super accurate mapping data. However, it seems that they have chosen to ignore that data completely. Frankly I find that odd.
September 19th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
[...] CEO Noam Bardin was quoted last night by Business Insider saying that the local data were weak and the navigation might get [...]
September 19th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
[...] CEO Noam Bardin was quoted last night by Business Insider saying that the local data were weak and the navigation might get [...]
September 19th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
I am somewhat confused by some of the opinions here. Why would the Waze CEO, who one presumes knows a thing or two about the mapping and nav landscape, make comments seemingly suggesting Google’s dataset is superior to TomTom’s and users ‘might get lost’ using apple maps.
Do people still think apple is ‘building’ a mapping dataset? They went out and licensed TeleAtlas (owned by TomTom) who have been building maps and routing for nearly 30 years, so have a solid 28 year head start on Google, rather than Google having a two year head start on Apple.
As an Android navigation user, I know first hand that Google’s mapping and navigation / routing product is still far inferior to TomTom’s. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great product, but the core data set is still not up to par yet. Google should be commended for building a functional dataset in such a short time, but it’s still not up to the standard of the Navteq’s and TomTom’s of this world who have been doing this as their core business for years (POI’s might be a different question).
September 19th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
While it is possible that Navteq or TeleAtlas have core data sets that are superior in some respects to Google, the overall user experience on tom-tom devices and certainly in my experience of Nokia Maps is inferior to Google’s holistic user experience.
September 19th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Totally agreed Greg. TomTom’s still stuck in a PND mindset which results in a sub par mobile mapping experience compared to Google. Google maps and Google maps mobile is a fantastic product, and works well when joined with Google Navigation. I just take issue with people claiming the underlying map data is somehow inferior because ‘Google has a head start on apple here’ when of course it’s entirely the other way around.
September 19th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
A company called implied-intelligence has done some work comparing the databases and local data quality of some of the directories and search sites. However, in my experience no one has done a comprehensive analysis of local database quality.
Aside from the implied-intelligence studies I mentioned, there are a lot of perceptions out there but no real empirical evidence of who’s got the best local database.
September 19th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Well, I’m about to find out. Downloading the iOS 6 update now.
September 19th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
As am I. But it’s telling me I’ve got something like 45 mins.
September 20th, 2012 at 5:22 am
Hi Greg, my interest lies in Canadian local search. I just completed a run down on how I see listings being pulled in. For Canada anyway, Apple seems to prefer claimed Yelp profiles. A Yelp profile that is not claimed is not the source of the local info – that job likely falls to Acxiom. With no claimed Yelp profile and no Acxiom listing no result can be returned. Full details with examples here: http://www.locallyfound.ca/hands-on-with-apple-maps/
September 20th, 2012 at 10:36 am
TomTom’s IQRoutes is far far beyond anything else available in the market. The routing is beyond anything available on the market. Their HD Traffic is top notch. Navteq sets the bar on mapping but also falls to TomTom for routing and traffic. Google a poor third. Their allure is that the product is free and nothing more.
It sounds like Waze would like to be in TomTom’s place. Sour grapes. TomTom is a weaker player than Waze? On what planet?
An article titled such as this one from someone who hasn’t even tried the product yet shows a clear disconnect with reality.
September 20th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
I did use a TomTom device in Europe pretty extensively this summer. The overall user experience was quite poor. It couldn’t find my hotel several times. I often had to input the specific address. There were a few times where it took me near but not right to my destination. I did write about this earlier.
I abandoned it for Google Navigation on the Galaxy Nexus and it worked fine. I did not do any systematic comparison of the two data set but my “real world” usage of TomTom left me with a negative impression.
September 20th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Adam: Thanks I’ll take a look at your post.
September 21st, 2012 at 4:29 am
When you wrote this you admittedly had not used the Apple mapping program which is a soup of different provider info and the subject. Notice the TomTom paid app is doing just fine on its own. Apple should have just bought TomTom. My understanding also is that Apple is not using TomTom outside of the US but many other smaller providers.
Also disliking a TomTom pnd (no model number?, age?, was it rented with old maps?) and moving to Google Maps on an Android device when the article is about Google Maps on the iPhone is disingenuous.
Did Google Maps on the iPhone have turn by turn voice directions? No one wants to mention that answer.
September 21st, 2012 at 4:38 am
My experience with the TomTom device was in the context of a new Hertz Audi A6 rental car. I did not at the time write down the device ID (why would I?) or otherwise seek to determine what year it was made or whether the software/maps were old. I assumed they were current.
Apple Maps will improve dramatically over time. The new app is an improvement in significant ways over what existed before. I spoke to someone this morning who is a mapping industry veteran and he argued that TomTom was probably not to blame for the problems. I’m not technically knowledgeable enough to figure out what’s gone wrong on the back end. But this individual suggested there was something wrong with the “places data.”
September 21st, 2012 at 3:13 pm
I think Noam’s comments were self serving. Waze is quietly building their own map from GPS races so it helps him to put down a future competitor. Map people argue endlessly about the quality of various databases but ultimately, TomTom’s street map data is not the issue with Apple Maps. The Nav works pretty well and I really like the vector based app and nav app. The problem with Apple Maps is in POI data and search. Even there, I don’t think it is necessarily a problem with the data, but the way that data is merged. This is a huge issue and always has been for mapping companies. See Mike Dobson’s thoughts for a great perspective: http://blog.telemapics.com/?p=399
September 21st, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Thanks Marc I appreciate your perspective.