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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Tech News > Sources: Steve Jobs instigated move away from Google Maps

Sources: Steve Jobs instigated move away from Google Maps
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Oct 3, 2012, 10:19 AM
 
Former CEO Steve Jobs was responsible for Apple's push away from Google content in iOS Maps, according to "Apple insiders" quoted by Bloomberg. By the time of his death Jobs is said to have come to hate Google, which he accused of copying iPhone features while at the same time withholding turn-by-turn directions, a key feature of the Android version of Google Maps. Sometime before then he put iOS chief Scott Forstall in charge of the project, creating a secret workgroup on the third floor of Building 2 at Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

Two former Apple executives claim that Jobs even considered removing Google as the default search option in Safari. The people add, though, that Jobs decided against it in the belief that customers would be upset. In the US, people can also choose to use Bing or Yahoo for iOS web searches. Back in January 2010, Bloomberg reported that Apple was in talks with Microsoft about making Bing the default for search. Bing has just a fraction of the marketshare of Google, despite being backed by Microsoft.
     
SierraDragon
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Oct 3, 2012, 11:09 AM
 
Personally I think the move away from the lamed Google Maps is a great move. I love iOS6 Apple Maps and Siri integration, use it constantly; hated the crummy version of Google Maps that Google limited Apple users to.
     
blahblahbber
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Oct 3, 2012, 11:35 AM
 
But but but crApple never copies!
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 3, 2012, 12:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by blahblahbber View Post
But but but crApple never copies!
You didn't even read the article?
     
drbroom
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Oct 3, 2012, 01:09 PM
 
The people in this "article" have to be kidding themselves...

Tell them to stop trying to blame a man (who is not around to defend himself) for the mistakes of a of an unworthy few!!!!

iOS 6 is just plain BAD BAD BAD!!!
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 3, 2012, 01:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by drbroom View Post
The people in this "article" have to be kidding themselves...

Tell them to stop trying to blame a man (who is not around to defend himself) for the mistakes of a of an unworthy few!!!!

iOS 6 is just plain BAD BAD BAD!!!
Huh?

You're referring to just the Maps app, right? Not to iOS 6 itself?

Because everything I've seen of iOS 6 in two weeks of daily use now has been pretty awesome. (That's *including* maps, for the most part—I've used them almost daily for navigation, and am quite happy, but obviously, YMMV.)
     
SierraDragon
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Oct 4, 2012, 07:34 AM
 
Sheesh. Morons who do not use iOS6 troll to an Apple forum to try to tell actual users that iOS6 is bad bad bad. Go figure.

iOS6 especially including Apple Maps IMO is a very good small-device OS. I use it on an iPhone 4s.

I usually wait to load any new OS or app version, but the lousy Google Maps that Google constrained iOS5 to was so irritating I upgraded to iOS6 on day one.

Apple Maps with Siri integration, flyover, readable text, vector graphics, etc. are an immediate huge improvement over the lamed maps Google screwed to Apple.

-Allen
     
leoofborg
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Oct 4, 2012, 07:39 AM
 
BOOGA BOOGA. Let's exhume Steve Jobs AGAIN, because Apple needs some deflection PR. Or Bloomberg analysts need something desperately to talk about. Or both.

Sooner or later, Cook is going to have to find his own voice. It's not Steve Jobs' company any more, and won't be until we live in the world of Futurama (exhumed heads in jars that talk).

It's pretty much a fact that Microsoft violated trust in the early days of Apple and Jobs never got over that. He saw the same things happening with Google and gave that 'going nuclear' speech to head that off. And I wouldn't put it past him to actively punish a vendor/competitor, the way Apple is doing with Samsung right now.

Judge Apple by their actions and the end results. Not from the intermediate blather that you'll be reading at Bloomberg while all the maneuvering is going on.

As to Apple maps? I miss some landmarks, but the maps are, for the most part as accurate. It's not like GPS coordinates are messed up.. just the occasional map tile.

-Leo
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 4, 2012, 10:11 AM
 
Originally Posted by leoofborg View Post
And I wouldn't put it past him to actively punish a vendor/competitor, the way Apple is doing with Samsung right now.
FWIW, Apple isn't "actively punishing" Samsung.

They are FORCED to enforce their intellectual property, or they may (read: "will") forfeit the right to ever enforce it in the future, and they are using Samsung as the most prominent and most-likely-to-survive-until-the-end-of-litigation candidate to establish legal precedent.
     
blahblahbber
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Oct 4, 2012, 10:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by leoofborg View Post
BOOGA BOOGA. Let's exhume Steve Jobs AGAIN, because Apple needs some deflection PR. Or Bloomberg analysts need something desperately to talk about. Or both.
Sooner or later, Cook is going to have to find his own voice. It's not Steve Jobs' company any more, and won't be until we live in the world of Futurama (exhumed heads in jars that talk).
It's pretty much a fact that Microsoft violated trust in the early days of Apple and Jobs never got over that. He saw the same things happening with Google and gave that 'going nuclear' speech to head that off. And I wouldn't put it past him to actively punish a vendor/competitor, the way Apple is doing with Samsung right now.
Judge Apple by their actions and the end results. Not from the intermediate blather that you'll be reading at Bloomberg while all the maneuvering is going on.
As to Apple maps? I miss some landmarks, but the maps are, for the most part as accurate. It's not like GPS coordinates are messed up.. just the occasional map tile.
-Leo
Futurama is good.... Bloomburg, not so good (includes brainwash content sadly). Try FT sometime.
     
   
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