TomTom Confirms Mapping Deal with Apple

Hopefully this will settle the tension people have with maps not being as good as google's. I think TomTom has a pretty good mapping database.

I used the maps this morning. It was pretty good...of course it had bugs, but its definitely good to say this is Apple's first go at Maps.

Its going to be even better on that larger iPhone screen.

As people move away from dedicated GPS units and towards smartphones, it's smart of TomTom to pair up with the most successful phone maker/app platform out there. Their services are still useful, but it's good of them not to tie their fate to dedicate GPS units.

Are maps being stored on the phone, or are they downloaded as they are needed? I see the latter as a big limitation as I often find myself in areas with limited cell coverage, and therefore unable to use the map program. I believe the new version of Google Maps will have a feature where it downloads a whole region to the phone so you can use it even when you have a poor connection. I hope Apple's app will have a similar feature.

I used the maps this morning. It was pretty good...of course it had bugs, but its definitely good to say this is Apple's first go at Maps.

Its going to be even better on that larger iPhone screen.

Probably less about expertise than about map data. Google also relies on external data providers (or at least used to).

I used the maps this morning. It was pretty good...of course it had bugs, but its definitely good to say this is Apple's first go at Maps.

Its going to be even better on that larger iPhone screen.

I’m still going to want Street View sometimes, and I’m definitely going to want the transit directions! Apple was forced to leave that to multiple third parties, but a) a given city may or may not ever get a transit app, which may or may not be any good and may or may not integrate with Address Book the way Maps does and b) when your trip involves two different neighboring transit systems, two apps won’t cut it even if they exist.

And that’s OK: by autumn, I expect Google will have its own new iOS maps app (or maybe rolled together with the Earth app). I’ll use it for transit and occasionally street view, and Apple’s app for everything else. Best of both worlds, for now.

Eventually, though, I hope Apple can get transit directions again that integrate with the main Maps app; much more user-friendly. You can switch from driving to transit and back, for one thing.

Are maps being stored on the phone, or are they downloaded as they are needed? I see the latter as a big limitation as I often find myself in areas with limited cell coverage, and therefore unable to use the map program. I believe the new version of Google Maps will have a feature where it downloads a whole region to the phone so you can use it even when you have a poor connection. I hope Apple's app will have a similar feature.

Or what I’d do: keep an automatic history of recent routes (just like Safari), and cache them all along with a certain amount of area around each route. The dumping of cached data would be automatic along with the dumping of your history. AND allow routes to be bookmarked; those would never get dumped.

So, if you’re heading out on a trip, as long as you pick your route before you leave cell coverage, you'd never even have to think about caching. I think I’d like a system like that.

What TomTom brings is excellent traffic data, which they charge an annual subscription for within their app; which is now included in iOS6. That's money right there.

charge?? I get TomTom map updates and have't pay for them at all. I just paid for the app and that's it.

I don't think anyone expected Apple to outdo Google Maps with their first release of their mapping service. So, of course there's going to be some missing features. But its nice to have a free alternative on our iPhones. In due time, Apple will add more features. We can't ever expect Apple to knock it out the park in one go...ex: Siri; finally they are giving us the ability to launch apps using it...they could have included that in iOS 5, but waited.

Speak for yourself, but I do expect Apple outdo or at least being equal to Google Maps. What benefit does it do to me if it's a step backward.Might as well keep Google Maps and work the kinks out on their new map until its ready for prime time. I don't want my phone to be a test subject or a science experiment for Apple. I am consumer first and an Apple fan second. Apple gets away with a lot of things because you guys let them.

The good thing about this setup is that Apple can add, improve or replace services as needed in the background as they wish.
I would expect seeing new functionality in the Mapping app every once in a while.

no turn-by-turn on the iPhone 4

???


and good to know there is another Map Backer behind this so people can be assured of the service.
but no turn-by-turn on iP4...

remember, siri is doing the talking and that requires 4S and above.