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2012-12-13 07:41:42
By Leo Kelion Technology reporter
Google has released its Maps app for the iPhone, in the wake of complaints
about Apple's software.
Apple controversially replaced the search giant's mapping service with its own
when it released its latest handset, the iPhone 5.
The move was widely criticised after numerous mistakes were found in Apple
Maps's search results.
Google's app introduces functions previously restricted to Android devices.
One analyst said it would prove popular, but added that Nokia still posed a
challenge.
The Finnish company recently launched its own free maps app for the iPhone.
Apple's mapping nightmare
When Apple announced in June that it was launching its own maps app - using
licensed data and its own software - developers cheered.
But soon after it launched in September, the complaints began.
The UK's historic town Stratford-upon-Avon was missing, a farm in Dublin had
been labelled as an airport and Hong Kong's Queen's Pier boat terminal was in
the wrong location.
Satellite images were sometimes blurry or only showed cloud cover, and the
much-vaunted Flyover facility had created surreal views of landmarks including
the Brooklyn Bridge and Hoover Dam.
Facing growing criticism, Apple boss Tim Cook penned an apology acknowledging
users' frustration.
It did not seem to dampen early iPhones sales, but the affair was linked to the
high-profile ousting of iOS software chief Scott Forstall, who had reportedly
refused to sign the apology himself.
Mr Cook recently acknowledged that the firm had "screwed up", but promised
Apple had a "huge plan" to improve the app.
Brooklyn Bridge Apple's early Flyover images of the Brooklyn Bridge were mocked
on the Amazing iOS6 Maps blog
The firms are motivated in part by a desire to gather data automatically
generated by handsets using their respective software, as well as users' own
feedback.
This allows them to fine-tune their services and improve the accuracy of
features such as traffic status updates.
Android's advantage
Features Google has introduced that were not available in its earlier iPhone
app include:
Voice guided turn-by-turn directions, with estimated travel times.
Indoor panoramic images of buildings that have signed up to its Street View
Business Photos service
3D representations of the outlines of buildings that can be viewed from
different angles
Vector-based graphics based on mathematical lines and points rather than
pre-created bitmap graphics, making it quicker to zoom in and out of an area.
Among the facilities Google's iPhone app lacks that are present in its Android
equivalent are indoor maps, the ability to download maps for offline viewing,
and voice search.
However, over time, project manager Kai Hansen told the BBC that what was on
one platform should be on the other.
"The goal is clearly to make it as unified and consistent an experience as
possible," he said.
Ground Truth
One area Apple's own software still has an edge is its integration of Flyover
which offers interactive photo-realistic views of selected cities using
3D-rendered graphics within its maps app.
Google offers a similar facility via Google Earth which is promoted in its main
maps app, but involves switching into a separate program.
However, for many users the key feature will be the level of accuracy that
Google offers.
Since 2008, the firm's Ground Truth project has mashed together licensed data
with information gathered by its own fleet of Street View cars and bicycles.
Google iPhone app screenshots Google's app allows users to see details and
reviews of businesses and view interior photos
The images and sensor data they collect are analysed by computers and humans to
identify street signs, business names, road junctions and other key features.
To date, more than five million miles (eight million km) of roads across 45
countries have been covered.
This information is supplemented by the public filing their own reports. iPhone
users are encouraged to do likewise by shaking their handsets to activate a
feedback function.
"Google Maps, as much as any other map application, lives from the data that we
receive," Mr Hansen explained.
"If a road is closed for the next six months, or a road was opened two days ago
- these are things that somebody who lives next to the road immediately
notices, but if you're not in the area it becomes hard to know.
"The more we can give you the ability to let us know about things that are
changing on the map, the more other users will benefit from that corrected
information."
He added that once operators verify these reports, changes can be made "within
minutes, rather than hours".
Making money from maps
Google says the new iPhone app does not feature advertising - unlike some
promoted results in its web browser map pages.
Suggestions for specific locations - such as restaurants or shops - are instead
based on a user's search history and other information gathered from their
Google account.
Google will cover some of its costs by charging certain third-party developers
who embed its maps in their products.
But for now, the biggest benefit is likely to be brand loyalty, helping to
drive users to its main search engine, which is profitable.
That may change in the future.
Earlier this year, Google's mapping chief Brian McClendon told the BBC that
"local advertising is going to be a critical part of any mapping or local
search experience" in the long term.
Apple is also seeking to improve its own data through user feedback, but risks
having less to work with if iPhone users switch to another product.
There had been speculation Apple would reject Google's app from its store for
this reason.
But since iPhone sales are at the heart of Apple's fortunes, it may have felt
it had more to lose than gain by allowing rival Android handsets to offer a
popular app it lacked.
'Neutral' Nokia
Google's launch will also have consequences for Nokia, which recently launched
its own Here Maps app on iOS.
The European firm's location division is decades older than Google's, and also
has a strong reputation for accuracy.
However, the Here app has had a shaky start with many users complaining about
problems with its interface - a consequence of it being written in the HTML5
web language rather than as a native app, specifically for the iOS system.
Nokia Here screenshots Nokia's Here Maps app currently has been scored
two-out-of-five by UK users of Apple's App Store
Even so, one telecoms analyst said it would be premature to write the company
out of the game.
"I'm not convinced Nokia as a brand for maps will become a big thing in the
consumer consciousness, but what I think is going to happen is that more
businesses are going to quietly do deals with it for maps," said Ben Wood from
CCS Insight.
"Because of the issues that Apple had, people have suddenly understood the
importance of quality mapping and they may also say they don't want to go to
Google as all of the data then runs through the search firm, strengthening it
as a competitor. Nokia is more of a neutral partner.
"Amazon has already done a deal with Nokia on its Kindle tablets, and I
wouldn't be surprised if RIM's new Blackberry devices and Facebook follow."