Apple fumbles and apologizes -- Google goes underwater

BCEagle91 · October 3, 2012, 11:25pm

It is my first iPhone but I have been using apple products sine the early 1980s.

I have three iPod Touch models and a MiFi and can use the iPod touch as a mobile maps platform just like those with an iPhone. I just can’t make iPhone-style calls. But I can make calls and send text messages via talkatone.

I have an iPad 1 and iPad 2. They both work fine. The iPad 1 is a little slow though.

I do maintain my statement that most complaints are from non-users. Perhaps you don’t spend as much time on Android forums as I do.

xiggi · October 4, 2012, 1:09am

I do not spend any time on an Android forum, but I have used all the recent iPhones. You might understand why some users who relied on the public transportation information in large cities are ticked off if you actually experienced the then and now.

I did not mention anything about iPods. The iPad with the heat issue is the latest one, and that is not the iPad2. I talked about abysmal PROGRESSION. Antenna issues with the 4. Nothing really new in the 4S, and losses of useful tools with the 5. And Ios6 is a yawner, at best. Is that it?

Apple will need a blockbuster new model --perhaps the mini version-- in the very near future to stop the slide. They won’t get away with it for the next iPhone as most people will not be so gullible or eager to upgrade from the fourth or fifth version. Same story for the next iPad.

BCEagle91 · October 4, 2012, 9:28am

Then you don’t see the level of negative comments on the iPhone from non-users that I see.

I have the old Google Maps on two iPod Touch models that haven’t been upgraded so I did use Google Maps on iOS. I used it on the iPads too. I also use the updated and faster version on my Android tablet. So I read the articles on the loss of support for transit systems along with their suggestions for replacement apps. I didn’t even know that there were apps for transit systems before the controversy but I now have HopStop on my iPhone for those times when I use the MBTA in Boston.

I’ve worked in software for a long time and am fairly used to changes in functionality from application to application or release to release. I also understand the processes and decisions in software development. You just deal with it. The Apple apps ecosystem makes that fairly easy.

On the other hand, I haven’t been able to figure out why Google doesn’t provide Apps for Google News or Google Tasks on iOS or Android. There are third-party Apps that provide a shell over Google News and Google Tasks and I use those on iOS. I just use the browser on the Android tablet but Apps would be nicer but the number of tablet apps on Android is pitiful compared to iOS. Actually, they probably don’t provide Apps for News and Tasks because doing ads would be hard.

The difference between an iPod Touch and an iPhone is that one has a phone and a wireless data plan. If you add the phone and wireless data plan, you effectively have an iPhone. There’s no difference when I run maps in my iPod Touch with my MiFi and your running maps in your iPhone.

Well, you can just buy the iPad 2 if you have a problem with the amount of heat the the iPad 3 has. I read about the design issues with the Retina display and the increased amount of power that it requires. Hopefully that gets fixed with their new iPhone screen tech and a CPU/GPU process shrink in the iPad 4.

The feature that I like the most in iOS 6 is the voice recognition so that I can speak emails or forum posts. It’s one thing that Android had that iOS 5 didn’t. Sure, I could use Dragon Naturally but the cut and paste was a bit clumsy. Still, the advantage of Dragon is that it does the conversion locally instead of sending it to a server. I find that Apple’s transcription works better than Google’s transcription. They both send your waveform to a server though. That’s fine on WiFi but it can be slow on cellular data.

Apple faces far more competition than they have in the past. Samsung has some very nice phone products and Google and Amazon have very nice mini-tablets. Intel is getting into the game with Motorola though phones for the US market won’t arrive until next year. Intel’s chips could become a game-changer in terms of performance and power savings. They are a little better than the competition except for Apple’s new A6 chip which is the best of the mobile chips out there right now.

Apple faces competition for its Mac line from Ultrabooks and Windows 8. Fortunately for Apple, Ultrabooks have turned out to be a flop. The next phase, though, is convertible Ultrabooks which will allow you to use the screen part of a laptop as a tablet. It should be interesting to see if consumers are interested in these models. Apple has kept these two areas separate saying that it doesn’t make sense - I guess we’ll see if they are accepted or not. If they are in a big way, then Apple would have a ton of work to develop a combo-device since they use different operating systems for their mobile and desktop devices.

It seems that you’re focused on Apple devices - you might give the Samsung devices a try if you don’t like iOS or maybe even a Nokia Windows Phone 8 a try. What I can tell you is that things are not all rosy on the Android side either. I haven’t tried Windows Phone 8 yet so I can’t give you an opinion on that yet other than what people that have them (they’re beta testers) say.

xiggi · October 4, 2012, 10:59am

BC, the comments from the Android is akin to the French debating the Obama versus Romney election. But it does not change much to my point that there are plenty of people who are unhappy about the Apple/iPhone snafu. And the people who lament the loss of the maps are obviously people who had them on an iPhone.

Regarding the MiFi, it seems that YMMV. When I used a MiFi abroad, some of the features worked differently from a direct cellular access. It seemed to process the location more or less like it were on a wifi hotspot. But I am not arguing about YOUR experience as it might be different than mine, and you know yours. Perhaps one of your friends might have an older IOS/iPhone combo and you could compare the old maps via MiFi, the older version, and the new Apple maps.

Regarding switching devices, I am not eager to switch because iMessage is very useful on a family plan with users who travel extensively outside the US, not to mention the great number of friends who are Apple-centric. On the other hand, the Samsung ads are funny and their users seem very happy. However, I am not engaged in a my device is better than yours argument. I am critical of the lackluster evolution of Apple’s flagship products.

PS One of those convertible tablet/computer was recently discounted heavily. It operated on an Android platform. Not sure if the discount reflected a poor adopting or a clearance of an older model. It seems that there is a market for something between the iPad and the Airbook.

Lergnom · October 4, 2012, 11:52am

The thing about Google and maps is interesting when you view it from Google’s perspective. Analysts believe iOS (Apple) generates a substantial portion of Google’s revenue from mobile. Remember, Android costs them money and by far the largest share of web usage is iOS, far more than market share of iOS versus Android generally. That revenue comes from search. Some portion of that comes from map-related search, but I don’t know what portion.

So what Google did is cripple the iOS version of maps - no vector maps, no turn-by-turn - to build Android market share. Apple responds by booting Google from iOS. It also drives Apple to boot Google from search on iOS over time.

Is this, was this a sensible decision by Google? I’ve seen numbers that iOS accounts for billions in revenue. Why didn’t Google commit to Apple to preserve its significant revenue stream? Why not say, “we’ll treat you evenly or close to evenly with Android maps and search as long as you favor us on iOS.” That would save Apple money by not having to do mapping. It would tend to lock out other competitors - like Nokia and Microsoft - because iOS and Android together would have such a large market share.

Why aren’t people asking about Google’s decision to cut off their own revenue stream? It’s the largest mobile revenue stream they have and to keep it they only needed to deliver Apple what they do for the Android OS that they lose money on.

Over time, this event may be considered a much bigger Google fumble.

xiggi · October 4, 2012, 12:08pm

And next we will read about Apple being an open company.

xiggi · October 4, 2012, 12:36pm

For the record, I do not think that Google comes out smelling like roses here. It is obvious that Google cannot claim to have been blindsided by Apple’s decisions.

The result, as far as a customer, is still the same. Apple could have waited until the next release and avoided the bonehead move altogether. Again, nothing but arrogance from Cupertino and the same disregard for its customers as always.

I could not care less if they make Apple Map better or buy the other failed giant Nokia to get there. They should have given customers the chance to choose. But then, Apple never does. It decides what version of the software we should use. It decides that the world should circle around the moronic iTunes. It decides that Flash and USB are bad choices.

Slowly but surely, this company is reverting to the ancient days before Jobs and a lot of luck saved this company from itself. One could forgive the business practices as long as the innovation and imagination were tangible, even when “borrowed” from others. Based on the last iPhones and iPads, it is obvious that innovation and imagination have been replaced by exploitation and greed.

The design prowesses and the cult following will only carry you that far. And that is probably why Apple hopes to bribe its way in a complete dominance of the education sector, a sector that is a complete oxymoron as far as its label.

Lergnom · October 4, 2012, 2:52pm

I’m out of this thread. I’m trying to make constructive points. If you want to rant, go ahead. You seem to care a lot about this and I don’t.

BCEagle91 · October 4, 2012, 2:59pm

I concur.

Unsubbing.

Apple fumbles and apologizes -- Google goes underwater

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