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| iOS5 |
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| iOS6 |
iOS5 using google maps (right) had sensible and usable "satellite" imagery.
iOS6 using apple maps is totally fucking useless.
GIVE ME BACK GOOGLE MAPS NOW.
This crap is not what I paid for when I got my iPhone.
Re-tweet/etc this so people know not to upgrade if they want usable maps!
I will book a genius appt to ask how I downgrade back to iOS5 tomorrow.
Oh! and no streetview either. WTF. This was described as an upgrade but it is plainly not. I may have to sue.
Update: looks like maps.google.co.uk can be saved as a link and does better "satellite" images. Also iFindView appears to be a free app with streetview in it.
Update: Someone had to! Hitler finds out about iOS6 maps...
You can't downgrade. All Apple staff have had any memories of previous iOS versions permanently erased from their minds. Standard practice.
ReplyDelete:)
Then I sit there until the either fix it or pay me for the phone they broke.
DeleteSee how loud I can be in a crowded apple store.
You can downgrade _if_ Apple are still signing the firmware for 5.1.1
DeleteI'm not sure how soon they stop signing the old version after a major OS update. If they are still signing then you can download the ipsw file for 5.1.1 and use iTunes to restore using that version of the firmware (on the Mac you hold down the option button while clicking "Restore").
This is why I swore never to buy another iOS device after Apple pulled that shit when releasing iOS 4.x for the iPhone 3G.
DeleteThe phone was a perfectly capable device when running iOS 3.1.3 but after upgrading to iOS 4.x, it was clear that Apple had shoe-horned it onto the device and that it was never intended to run on that class of hardware - the resulting mess also made it impossible to restore a backup made on iOS 4.x to iOS 3.x - and the phone was so unresponsive, I am sure it was done to 'persuade' an iPhone user whose device had slowed down to an unusable degree to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware so that they could migrate all their settings and data over with no bother.
I am convinced that this is 'planned obsolescence' on the part of Apple.
If you need to restore your device software, you have to restore to the latest available software whether you want to or not if Apple are no longer signing 'tickets' for the older software.
Admittedly, I did buy a MacBook Pro Retina recently but Apple don't restrict what operating systems I can install on this hardware so I am happy to give them money when the hardware they sell me will do exactly what I want plus the whole EFI boot debacle made it very clear to me that Apple certainly *won't* be a vendor who will lock their gear to only boot unmodified Microsoft operating systems.
Sadly the iPhone5 won't have better (or worse) maps and for a lot of things these are still nice device. But what they have pulled here is just stupid, even more so when you see that there are free apps with google maps and street view, so what the hell is the point.
DeleteMaybe we need devices to offer choice of mapping systems just as PCs have to offer choice of browsers.
That is what they look like - try it yourself. The satellite images are useful - they show roads and buildings. And no, the vector map data is crap too see http://i.imgur.com/W6ksp.jpg
ReplyDeleteAnd where is my street view - that was always useful,.
ReplyDeleteAnd not only can you not revert to iOS 5 once you've upgraded to 6. But even if they wanted to they couldn't put google maps back on because they don't have a licence to use Google's map images anymore, much like the youtube app which has disappeared from the standard apps. You'll just have to hope that google make a third party app for their mapping like they have done with the youtube app, although I wouldn't count on them doing so... So you know you could just wait patiently like a normal person until they have better satelite maps for your office and use the standard maps in the mean time, even little Genarp here in Sweden shows a pretty descent satelite images on iOS6 :)
ReplyDeleteOr they could have waiting until they had a usable product before offering an upgrade. They have seriously degraded the features of the product I bought and I am entitled to compensation for that - simple as that.
DeleteI show those images side by side to a judge and you don't think I will win suing them?
DeleteIf you do sue, will you write the experiences up as blog posts?
DeleteSome how I am not sure I can be arsed to sue, which is a shame. One of these days I'll retire and have all the time I need :-)
DeleteLooks like maps.google.co.uk can be set up like an app, but still means all the mapping aspects, like find my friends, have unusable mapping now. This is a pile of crap.
ReplyDeleteThe choice: switch to iOS 6 and lose Google maps app, or stick with iOS 5, an operating system with over 200 vulnerabilities (just counting CVEs, according to https://twitter.com/briankrebs/status/248498888959479809 ).
ReplyDeleteThis crap is not what I paid for when I got my iPhone.
ReplyDeleteNo:
This crap is what I paid for when I got my iPhone.
There, fixed that for you.
I think Mr Jobs will be turning in his grave. Somehow those 3 words "It just works" that used to describe Apple products don't seem to be true any more. Now its more like these 4 words "It used to work" or "It might work" or "It doesn't work"
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the Bracknell area only has very low resolution satellite imagery on ios6 maps. The Taunton area where I lives seems to have quite good satellite imagery, so it seems strange that they have random parts of the country only in low resolution.
ReplyDeleteDecent satellite imagery is something that we take for granted these days so why have Apple chosen a rather unreliable imagery supplier?
Odd
DeleteIt's problems like this that make me glad I am not an iPhone user. I am getting a new work phone soon (next month with any luck) and the choice fortunately includes three Android phones. There is an iPhone on the list but I have yet to decide whether to put it ahead of or behind a Windows phone in my choice.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it depends where you are in the country. Around here the iOS6 aerial imagery is more up to date than google imagery.
ReplyDeleteWhen google maps first launched I remember having crappy imagery around here while the south of England was in hi-resolution.
I have been using a different map app for some time anyway.
I will miss streetview however.
Indeed, streetview is very cool, and the mobile version of maps.google.co.uk does not even seem to have it, grrr.
DeleteThey must know where they don't have good imagery - so why the hell did they not licence some good imagery for those areas only as a stop gap until they have their own. How hard could it be FFS. Not amused.
It's appalling. Even Brighton - a city - is just a blur. Apple, what are you thinking? Luckily I've downloaded an app with google's satellite imagery AND Streetview - hurray, so I'll use that. But it's a damn shame Apple have messed this up. App is called iFindYou btw.
ReplyDeleteI'm utterly amazed that this is actually a problem. I hadn't even noticed any low resolution images or problems with the mapping at all and I've been using iOS6, in beta no less, since I got to Sweden a few months ago and it's worked pretty much perfectly to me the whole time in the standard vector graphics mode so I've not even needed to look at the satellite images, even in a strange new country.
ReplyDeleteThe turn by turn directions are actually really impressive and give really good detail about where to turn and really good visual cues with the vector graphics as well, I prefer using it compared to any sat nav I've used or encountered in the past.
Obviously they were never going to have street view as Google were unlikely to let them use their images and they obviously hadn't sent a swarm of prius' out getting their own pictures yet, but
I will admit that it's quite a let down that they haven't just got a descent amount of satellite imagery ready, for at least everywhere major, by the launch.
Don't be thick James. Streetview was in this when I bought it. I use it. Sandra uses it. The maps here in uk are useless, there is no view of buildings or roads. There is no point in the "satellite" mode at all here. It is not what I bought and that is an issue, full stop.
ReplyDeleteI'm reserving judgement on maps. My problem seems to be that I can't get safari on my iphone 4S running iOS 6 to login to the AAISP control panel. Doesn't work on wifi or 3G. Which is just weird.
ReplyDeleteWhich control panel? I can access Clueless from my Iphone 4S on iOS 6 without problem.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to want me to log in twice though, which is a little odd.
Well, it definitely wasn't working. I'd tried resetting network connections, turning off and on but nothing. It wasn't loading the secure connection. Having gone directly to https://clueless.aa.net.uk it now works and will reload from the main webpage. Weird.
DeleteLooks like you're not the only unhappy one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19659736
ReplyDeleteEven TFL recognise how crap the maps are, although it might not be official.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3947929809077&set=a.1641268303981.2085594.1005023694&type=1&ref=nf
Apparently it's not the app that's the problem. You're just in the wrong universe: http://youtu.be/ZDnFNUqf3hg
ReplyDelete