Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020)

Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by extragood on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:02PM (#32404980)

The article seems to completely ignore one simple thing that guarantees that Apple Maps can never fully compete with Google Maps: Apple Maps is only available on Apple devices. Today, iOS represents 27.5% of all mobile users, meaning that the best they can hope for is 1/3 market share. That assumes that Apple doesn't make any radical changes to their closed ecosystem philosophies.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by impulser_ on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:28PM (#32405354)

Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide.

So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by gnicholas on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @08:46PM (#32406617)

I wonder what percent of app downloads are re-downloads onto new/wiped devices. I've had Google Maps since it first came out, back before Apple had its own maps. So every time I purchase a new iPhone or iPad, or restore one of my existing devices, Google Maps gets another download.

It's possible these re-downloads are utterly swamped by people picking apps out of the app store. But it can't hurt to have a huge base of legacy installs that reduplicate every time someone gets a new device.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by zarzavat on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @06:59AM (#32410062)

No, people use Google Maps.

Maps are social. When I search for a place in Google maps, I get reviews, pictures, it feels alive.

When I search for a place on Apple Maps, firstly it may not even exist because who cares about Apple maps, and secondly it's likely to have few reviews or photos.

I just tried with a local restaurant. Google maps has dozens of photos and 100 reviews. Apple maps has 1 review and no photos.

If you just need a satnav, then Apple maps is OK I guess, if it has the place you're going to. But why take the risk? I never open the thing.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by gnicholas on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @01:03PM (#32415225)

Apple Maps shows reviews from Yelp, at least for the POIs I’ve seen. Although I don’t trust Yelp reviews entirely, I trust them more than Google reviews.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by nequo on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:57PM (#32405676)

> Google Maps is in the top 5 most downloaded iOS apps worldwide.

It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up:

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/02/apple-most-downloaded-a...

> So even Apple users don't want to use Apple Maps.

I don't think that this follows from your claim. I have both Google Maps and Apple Maps but use Google Maps only for street view. I use Apple Maps for nearly everything including navigation.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by impulser_ on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @12:20AM (#32407825)

> It was listed in 7th place in this 2021 year-end round-up

That's United States only.

Plus, we aren't even talking about Waze which is also owned by Google and probably has more users than Apple Maps.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by leobg on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @02:10AM (#32408303)

Apple has a version of Street View that I find even better than Google’s. Just seems not available for as many places.

I wish there was a VR mode where you can turn your view by rotating the phone.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by LaSombra on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @04:15AM (#32409120)

And I think that's one of the main problems with Apple Maps. Once you leave main metropolitan areas, the features start to dwindle.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by labster on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:53PM (#32405636)

Or, like me, you download Google Maps as a backup map app. Not having a map available is higher risk than most apps breaking; it’s worth it to have a second option if Apple goes down.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by dkjaudyeqooe on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:20PM (#32405246)

A lot of the comments here also completely ignore that basic fact when talking about alternatives to Google.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by tomjakubowski on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:42PM (#32405511)

So what? Apple is well accustomed to succeeding and profiting wildly with minority market shares.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by rasz on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:29PM (#32405364)

1/3 market share, 2/3 of the profits.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by QuizzicalCarbon on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @07:11PM (#32405830)

Duck Duck Go uses Apple Maps.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by wink on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @09:21AM (#32411465)

TIL. Never noticed (I do half my searches with DDG).

But it's even more terrible than Google Maps. It still has the bike shop that closed over 3 1/2 years ago and not the new shop. I just found a "restaurant" that is the actual address of a local food truck it seems (German legal imprint), and the "book shop" I did not know about seems to be a warehouse because I can't find the address on their home page. But at least some of the shops are correct...

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by etchalon on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @06:53PM (#32405635)

Apple released extensive Maps APIs that mean third-parties could use Apple Maps on Android and on the Web.

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by PeopleB4Cars on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @07:12PM (#32405836)

Apple should still have a user facing "maps.apple.com" though

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Re:Google Maps' moat is evaporating (2020) by halJordan on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @11:18PM (#32407530)

Apple maps has a wide open api, duckduckgo for example uses apple maps.

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