We all know how much people claim to hate Apple’s new Maps app (say that five times fast). Even Apple feels bad about it as we know from Tim Cook’s apology. While it definitely needs work, it does seem to have a leg up on Google with its turn-by-turn navigation.
David Thomas from Cars.com put the iOS 6 app to the test alongside Google Maps Navigation app on a Samsung Galaxy Note running Android 4.0. Thomas says the first thing that stands out about the iPhone are the graphics and its clarity: “The Galaxy Note’s large 5.3-inch screen looked good too, but it was severely affected by glare from the noon sun whereas the iPhone screen wasn’t.”
For routing, the iPhone 5 offers three route choices for every destination. Google maps doesn’t unless you change the settings. The iPhone 5 reroutes just as quickly as the Samsung Galaxy Note should you miss a turn. But if you want voice prompts, the iPhone 5 is the winner. Thomas says that not only does it work over your car speaker system, but it will also automatically lower the volume of the stereo when giving a command. The Samsung phone wasn’t compatible with his car’s multimedia system.
Finally, when it comes to accuracy, both systems made small mistakes but the Android device had issues with properly locating his office while the iPhone issue was with finding a cow pasture.
(The Samsung) kept getting confused about the location of my office in downtown Chicago. It had me going farther on a one-way street than I needed to go, and when I was feet from the door, it thought we were still blocks away. I knew I put in the correct address because the screen showed me a picture of the building’s front door via Google MapView. The iPhone 5 nailed the location, but there was no snazzy image.
I’ve used Apple Maps’ turn-by-turn navigation a few times since it was released and I’m a fan. It’s great that you can set it up to be prompted by voice commands. It stops you from being distracted and having to keep checking your phone to make sure you haven’t missed a turn. I haven’t gotten lost or misdirected yet.
Source: Cars.com
Image Credit: Apple
