Apple maps better than Google in China
It seems that not every voice on the internet is critical of Apple's new maps application in iOS 6. Apple has come out best in a side-by-side mapping comparison posted online.
Anthony Drendel, a programmer based in China, has taken to his blog (http://anthonydrendel.com/) to run a side-by-side comparison with Google and congratulate Apple for delivering what he claims to be the most accurate and detailed maps of the country currently available on a non-Chinese mobile device.
Although both Google and Apple have a partnership with Chinese company AutoNavi to provide map services in China, when Google Maps is compared with Apple Maps, Apple's app provides more detail, more accuracy and, most importantly, it labels shops, restaurants and streets in both English and in Chinese characters. What's more, this accuracy and detail isn't confined to major cities and industrial zones.
As a nation, China is very security-conscious and as such has a strict licencing policy when it comes to allowing foreign companies access to its mapping data and navigation technologies. As a result, Apple has had to develop what many think is a standalone version of its app, specifically for this market, and although initial reports claim it is much better than Google's offering, it still faces serious competition from apps provided by domestic competitors such as Huawei.
Earlier this week, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was speaking at an event in Sydney, Australia, told ZDNET that he too had been "a little disappointed" by the company's new mapping service but said that he didn't think the problems were as severe as many have been claiming.
"Sometimes, there are a lot of complaints about one little thing people spot, but it's not that hard to deal with in life. I don't know yet about Maps -- I'm a little worried about the navigation, but I've still got it covered with a bunch of other navigation apps," he said.
