My impression is the opposite - Google Maps' data is so much better that it hardly matters, but this app seriously lacks polish. For instance, it's laggy - iOS 6 Maps doesn't always make 60fps, which is a shame, but this app doesn't even try. Simply panning around (on my 4S) is enough to produce serious stuttering; even the simple transition to the side menu is not smooth. Or consider Street View, which is missing the signature transition as you "move" from one place to another.

edit: Opening the side menu, for its matter, visually seems to depend on hitting a tiny tap target; there is hidden space to the left of the target but not above it, which is the natural place I tried tapping. The menu itself is weirdly designed (giant spacing) and prone to accidental dismissal by someone trying to scroll it.

No bookmarks either.

I've been playing with both of them, side by side for about 30 minutes. Google maps feels about 2x faster. Unlike IOS 6 maps (this is on my iPhone 5), I can't seem to scroll fast enough to get ahead of the map cacheing. I definitely feel like I'm getting a more FPS than IOS 6 Maps. This suggests this is a CPU/Graphics issue?

Re: Side Menu - Unlike those stupid tiny x marks in the notification tray which I can never hit on my first try, I can't seem to miss opening the side menu. Are you swipe-in opening it? It's not a push, but a swipe.

Bookmarks are there - you just have to click "save" when you open the item. Then clicking on an empty search bar will bring them up.

Not sure how you're getting the 2x fps sensation. On a 4S, using the OpenGL ES analyzer in Instruments while browsing similar neighborhoods at similar zoom levels, I average ~35fps in Google Maps and ~55 in Apple Maps.

Not terribly surprising though - Apple Maps would have access to all the private APIs that AppStore apps can't use.

I've been playing with it for about an hour - and I think one of the interesting tricks that the Google Maps plays is that, in addition to making aggressive use of cacheing (which the IOS 6 map application does as well) - The Google Maps displays low-resolution version of the map you are moving into, before display the high res. The IOS 6 Maps app tends to display a blank background, so you may be more aware that the entire map hasn't been displayed.

It will be interesting to see if there is any server impact, as millions of people start using this Map Application tomorrow. (In both directions - it may be the case that the Apple Map servers will see a drop in use, and increase in performance)

It seems that he is talking about how fast new map data/tiles download and display when you are scrolling/zooming the map.

It is a swipe in, but on the tutorial overlay its referred to as a tap.

Weird. Google Maps feels about 2x slower to me. Especially when turning the map.

I have a 3Gs running 5.1 and the new version is much slower than the original. I'd guess about about 5FPS, and 2-3x slower. This app needs some performance optimization.

I'm also on a 4S and it doesn't feel laggy to me. In particular I'm feeling much fewer "hiccups" as new data comes in than I do with Apple Maps.

Now, at the same time, it does seem to be locked at 30fps rather than 60 (as in Apple Maps). So it's not quite as silky smooth in that respect, I suppose, but it'll also drain battery more slowly.

> but it'll also drain battery more slowly.

Doesn't really work that way, especially in a triple-buffering system.

Can you elaborate? If you are drawing to the buffers at half the rate (and correspondingly swapping them out at half the rate), how would that not be easier on the graphics processor?

Triple-buffering allows for arbitrary relative speeds. The result is, you draw to the buffer as fast as you can in total disregard of the actual refresh rate. So they're both at "100%" CPU/GPU, but that simply isn't enough for Google Maps.

I think Google actually locked Google Maps at 30fps though. In other words, I don't think it is actually drawing as fast as the processor would allow, were Google to remove that lock.

Otherwise I'd expect to see more fluctuation in the framerate of the app, especially when there isn't much detail on the screen (similar to Apple Maps, which is obviously not locked to 30fps).

> No bookmarks either.

I think for bookmarks, you have to sign in (with your Google account, or a dummy one) and save them in your account. Not sure though, haven't tried yet (and probably won't, as I don't need it).

And I agree about polish. You have a 4S. I have a 4. It barely makes 20 fps.

Is Apple Maps even Apple for iPhone 4? Because if it's not, then it would've probably had the same issues. iPhone 4 had a really slow GPU - one of the slowest around at the time it launched, especially with the "retina display". It consistently scored at the bottom of GPU benchmarks. Remember the iPhone 4S GPU was 7x faster according to Apple.

You're certainly right about its CPU being very slow, but still, all other apps that use Apple's UIKit (standard visual elements, like menu bars, sliders, buttons, etc. - it doesn't matter if they're "stock", or are heavily modified/themed) are just as fast as they are on iPhone 5 or iPad 4.

GMaps uses something else for the UI (the "slide from side" thing) and that's the problem.

Still, I'm not really complaining. As a developer I know it's hard to write something that both pleases you aesthetically, and is performant on all devices!

"I have a 2 1/2 year old phone, and applications, especially animations, don't render as fast".

I'm not entirely surprised, admittedly - and depending on your use case (for me, anyway), it doesn't so much matter.

Animations in built-in apps are buttery smooth, and always have been, ever since the first iPhone. The problem is with newer iOS apps that are either unoptimized or heavily UIWebView based. The newest Gmail app is definitely mostly HTML5, and I suspect this one is as well.

I wouldn't go that far, my ex's 3GS struggled when upgraded to iOS 5, and complaints about that were widespread.

Wow, my jaw is on the floor because of a huge, but sorely lacking feature in this app: the ability to edit the name of a starred location. This isn't a problem if I want to star "Steve's Pizza" since that's how it shows up in their directory, but what about my grandmother's house? I can star her location, sure, but it'll appear in the search history list as a random address once it's one of many other such entries. Am I wrong to think this is a massive oversight over a common use-case? Let's put the Google praise parade on hold and reflect on this for a second.

TL;DR You can't edit the name of your starred locations from the iOS Google Maps app.

Doesn't seem like a 'massive oversight' to me. Definitely a 'should have' feature, but not something that needed to be in this release from an MVP perspective.

This was one of the first things I noticed as well. It seems like such basic functionality (the maps app in iOS had this since at least iOS3), I was amazed to find you can't edit them in the app (thankfully you can see @andrewaylett's comment for a way to do it).

There are several serious bugs in the saved locations functionality. I found that if you 'pin' a location (say a building) on the map (by pressing and holding) it will show the address. But when you 'save' it, the details of the address get 'lost' when looking at your search history. I ended up with multiple entries in my list titled 'Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan' (which is the equivalent of, say, 'Manhatten, New York, USA'. Clicking each one still takes you to the correct location on the map, but they are impossible to tell apart in the list. Also then when using the 'directions' widget on the map and picking the destination, these saved locations appeared as longitude/latitude! I wonder if these issues are specific to Japan? I submitted feedback about this.

That being said, overall the app is quite impressive, and I'm sure it will improve.

You can't do this from the Android version either, it's an annoying oversight. I've resorted to taking all important locations and putting them into a custom map; the location markers in custom maps /can/ be named.

I've found you can edit the names of starred locations through Google Bookmarks: https://www.google.com/bookmarks

Ironically, while you can edit them with IOS 6 Maps, you can't get directions to Siri to them - even if you name them as a Contact or Bookmark.

Seconded. Apple may have set the bar really low for data, but they set it really high for interface and usability.

Usability? In this app you can actually switch different modes of navigation (car, on foot, public transport) after the route is displayed to you. That, at least, is something this app has over Apple’s app.

That's a nice feature I guess but I agree that the UI is quite bad. Tapping on a spot does nothing. To get a pin you have to tap and hold. Tapping on your new pin again does nothing but make the stupid toolbar bounce. Tapping on the toolbar brings it up partially. You have to swipe it to get the full view.

And getting options took me 30 seconds to figure out. There is that stupid tab with 3 little dots.

Public transport data is available for Sydney on the web but curiously missing in the app.

And asking me to sign in on start up. Really? Get out of my face unless I explicitly ask to sign in through the standard iOS settings app.

Of course correct data and great search trumps all complaints.

I retract my complaint about dropping pins. iOS maps requires tap and hold too. What threw me off was that Maps gives you the pin first then loads data. Google maps starts loading data then gives you the pin.

That's what threw me off.

Lack of POI data? The mapping data appears equivalent to the web app. Maps has more POI data it seems, or at least shows it without have to zoom in too near.

Did you notice the lack of POIs in Sydney ? Really weird.

By usability I meant ease-of-use.

And I named an example where the Google maps app has excellent ease of use.

Zero lag on a 4S and a 5 - not sure what's wrong with your device...

Great release, you can swipe from the outside edge of the display to open the sidebar, not a big deal.

This release is fantastic and will only get better with time

Panning isn't as smooth as Apple Maps, but the map draws itself way faster.

It's fine on iPhone 4 too.

For the side menu, try swiping left near the icon, like it's a "handle" to pull out the menu. Works for me, and it seems to be how they're distinguishing "open the menu" vs. "pan the map left"

Oh... I didn't realize it was a handle. It looks too much like a vertical ellipsis.

I wonder if Apple has patented their "flip up the corner of the page" animation doohickey from their map apps.

For at least one version of the Android style guides, that's supposed to be the standard for indicating "more menu options are available"

Eh, but the Android version isn't a handle, is it?

On iOS it also shows up on a tabbar when you've got too many tabs.

A vertical ellipsis-like icon is what they use on Android to indicate menus nowadays... :/

Now, if there was an easy way to kill/hide driving directions when I don't need it anymore, and return to the plain map, that would be great.

> Opening the side menu, for its matter, visually seems to depend on hitting a tiny tap target

You can also get there with a two-finger horizontal swipe.

I'm running into a single-thumb problem.

Seems that Google can't program smooth animations even on an OS that was built with them in mind

Is the lag any better on an iPhone 5?

It's darn close but not perfect on my 5.

Although when I typed in a POI it actually found what I was looking for, so I say that makes up for being short maybe 1-2FPS (I used to say Apple Maps was reasonably decent until searching for "logan" in Boston and having to try about 15 different search terms before getting the Airport when I was two miles away; Google Maps got it right with "logan boston" while I'm sitting in Palo Alto)

boston logan airport was the second suggestion when finished typing boston logan. logan boston also gave an instant result although i suspect it the earlier search contributed to it.

It's very smooth on my iPhone 5, but it does have moments where you can notice a bit of frame drop (only if you've read this comment thread beforehand).

From a UI/UX perspective:

+ Fonts and text entry are great + Search speed and interface speed are fantastic

- The pull-out menu on the right (akin to a hamburger menu) feels a bit odd and it's not immediately clear as to what it does (they are layer toggles for traffic/transit routes/satellite) - I can't figure out how to bookmark my home or work addresses (whilst being logged in) - if there is a way it is not intuitive.

You're right - it's not intuitive. To set your work and home while logged in, click the person on the upper right and then the gear then edit home or work?

Bookmarks (while logged in) require you to find a location, and then slide-up to reveal the "save star". You use the slide-up option to "Share" and "Switch to street view" as well. If it's a business, the "Call" / Website / Zaggat(?) rating is available from slide up.

Tap the person icon to the right of the search bar, from there you can enter home and work.

I don't have a 4 or 4s to compare with, but I haven't noticed any significant lag on iPhone 5 over Verizon LTE. Even satellite and street view are pretty responsive.

Yes, I notice zero lag on my 5. I'm connected to fios/wifi, though I can't imagine that being the driver of lag.

It is positively beautiful for public transport. It shows the next service leaving and how far (time) it is.

I'm still looking to see how the option to save Home and Work addresses helps me - it makes home and work function as search terms but there must be more to it?

> It is positively beautiful for public transport. It shows the next service leaving and how far (time) it is.

It's quite amusing to see how excited people are about this when this has been available with Google Maps on Android since 2009 (IIRC). I remember I used my Galaxy Nexus to navigate NYC for a whole week with public transit without ever asking a person for directions.

It was available on iOS until iOS 6

Probably eventual Google Now support.

I upgraded my iPad to iOS 6, and left my iPhone 4S at iOS 5 and compared the navigation results in India. Apple maps were a letdown in this part of the world. I have used iOS 5 Maps application a lot in Northern India and had far better (if not perfect) results. Now finally I can upgrade to iOS6.

> This is leaps and bounds better than Apple Maps and even the original maps client on iOS that used Google Maps.

Thus Apple has achieved its goal of upgrading the map experience on iOS!

Features are great, but if I can't edit the name of one of my starred/bookmarked locations, I can't shelve Apple Maps just yet.

Can you export bookmarks from Apple's maps app? I haven't tried, but I don't think that's possible.

Nope. In order to rename starred places in Google Maps you apparently need to use the Google Bookmarks service on the web and manually edit the names that way -- not very intuitive considering how much they got right with the app.