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Since roping myself into the Apple “ecosystem” recently with an iPhone and a MacBook, I sat down and started contributing to Apple Maps.
I actually do like the app experience a little better than Google’s, but that’s of course nothing without accurate data.
My experience thus far.
So I started contributing in a bid to improve the situation, especially for India. Some shockers along the journey have been…
Where are all the Apple stores?!
Its own resellers are sometimes entirely missing. This is so embarrassing. As a company, I would want to make sure all my stores exist, have the latest info, and correct pins on my own Maps product.
Dense areas.
Dense areas are very difficult to map. Apparently, even submitting correct locations does not guarantee that the pin is ultimately placed where you requested for it. I have noticed this repeatedly and cannot explain why this is.
The review process.
The review process seems quite arbitrary. I have a bunch of edits sitting in “Submitted” while others are approved much sooner. If these are not going to be accepted, I’d like to hear why and have it rejected quickly, so I can re-submit a better report. The turn around time on average is… not pleasant.
Integration with my contact card.
Home and Work are super difficult to set up. Google wins hands down in this department.
“OMG, stop, Ru!”
Even if it is one evil corp against another (Google), I do believe having two good products (Google Maps, Apple Maps) is a valuable ask. I’ve contributed for decades to Google Maps, briefly to OSM, and now to Apple Maps. Of course, all unpaid.
As customers, I think the more credible options we have, the better. They can be big tech.
Where Apple stands, especially in India, I am not sure if I want to keep contributing. I simply don’t think the higher management cares.
Thoughts? Let me know over email, Mastodon, or Twitter.