Justin O’Beirne:
Both are the default mapping apps on their respective operating systems (Android and iOS). And both are in a race to become the world’s first Universal Map — that is, the first map used by a majority of the global population. In many ways, this makes Google Maps & Apple Maps two of the most important maps ever made.
Who will get there first? And will design be a factor?
In this series of essays, we’ll compare and contrast the cartographic designs of Google Maps and Apple Maps. We’ll take a look at what’s on each map and how each map is styled, and we’ll also try to uncover the biggest differences between the two.
While O’Beirne “designed and led the development of Apple’s cartography” and therefore might be considered biased, this is nonetheless a (very) long and interesting discussion of the differences and similarities of the two apps. I’m directionally-challenged so these kinds of discussions are really interesting to me. I still prefer a dedicated GPS device but occasionally need to use one of several iOS apps in order to find my way around and can see some huge differences in the way these two apps present information.
Why doesn’t he compare it with openstreetmap/Maps.me? Everyone I know in Poland/Russia use them because they are offline and are much more detailed and useful than these two. Aren’t they popular in the States?
There’s a lot of focus on things like balance without looking at how people use their devices. Why is having a balanced mix of POI types good if that’s not where people are interested in going? My guess is that Google includes locations that are frequent destinations/waypoints for directions. This would explain why there are so many transit stops. If people are frequently being directed to certain transit stops as way points, then Google can infer that this is an important POI for users of maps. Because Apple Maps did not have transit directions for so long, transit will artificially seem unimportant, while landmarks will seem relatively more important.
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I love this detailed analysis, however my personal experience has shown that Google Maps still excels in almost all meaningful ways…..search, labels, routing, traffic, and incidents. I WANT to love and use Apple Maps, but it is still just terrible when it comes to what matters.