Remember north American guppies, the days of AAA trip tips and road atlases before you started driving from Los Angles to Phoenix? Then came google maps, a true wow factor. You could print door to door directions from your home printer, no more flipping through the pages of Rand Mcnally. Then we had Tom Toms and Garmins and then came smart phones with GPS. All that happened with in last 15 years, so many of us remember, so its not that we are a born and raised smart phone gps generation.
SO what is with Apple Maps and all the complaining? Compared to your gas station bought 3’X4’ fold out road maps, this is heaven. So what if it shows the Brooklyn Bridge in 3D as its a ditch, or cant tell you the traffic condition in the country of Lithuania. Its a software and its database thingie guys, and apple will issue a fix in few weeks.
Dont be ungrateful, dont keep expecting miracles, and have some patience.
Apple maps are mocked. Why defend them? Google maps are superior. Sticking with Apple in this case is just being irrational.
Apple is worshiped by some, and claim to "innovate" everything, i.e. Tim Cook claiming that the new headphones were designed to deliver sound directly to the ears. Yeah, because all other headphones deliver sound to our butts. Combined with their recent law suits, some people area bit tired of Apple. Instead of innovating, they're just filing suits.
As for people taking tech for granted, agreed. But that's just how we are. Once a new standard is established, there's no going back.
I am not defending Apple maps. I dont even have an Iphone. What my thing is that when company spits out a new model aver year, and every model comes out with new features, blunders bound to happen. Now if I remember Iphone history correctly, out of 6 Iphones and that many iOS, I can think of only 3 major things. The easily scratchable back of Iphone 2g, antenna of iphone 4 and then Maps. And the last one is not even a big deal as it can fixed through new software release.
It's not about being ungrateful at all. It's about expectations.
Talking about the specific example you gave, Apple has set some high standards so when a basic feature such as "maps" that even the not-as-savvy-as-Apple companies have perfected, is released, the customer has some expectations that were not met. That can be disappointing.
And then the psychological aspect of it all...it's like telling the new generation of university students who each carry laptops and tablets around that you and I had to go to our university computer labs and do our assignments and pay 20 c per page for a laser printout, so be grateful for what you have...doesn't really make sense because it isn't their fault they were born now and not then. Or like when we take our kids on guilt trips that we didn't have the privileges they have now. Again, not their fault. It's a good thing to remember where we come from, but to dwell in it stops us from moving on.
So to answer your question, I don't think technology makes us ungrateful. It's a tool to enhance our lives and those tools and their functions change with time.
I am not defending Apple maps. I dont even have an Iphone. What my thing is that when company spits out a new model aver year, and every model comes out with new features, blunders bound to happen. Now if I remember Iphone history correctly, out of 6 Iphones and that many iOS, I can think of only 3 major things. The easily scratchable back of Iphone 2g, antenna of iphone 4 and then Maps. And the last one is not even a big deal as it can fixed through new software release.
I agree, but Apple's MO has always been flawless integration. It's quite the defining feature in the computer market (although much easier to do when you create both hardware and software), and they've carried that over to their other devices. When it falls short, there is bound to be some criticism.
And as I said before, part of it is simply getting used to Google maps and the like. It's the reason BlackBerry is mocked. People became accustomed to Apple's browsers and apps, and totally ignore BlackBerry's superior phone, battery life, and email integration. It's perfectly suited for the business world but it's mocked nonetheless. In fact, many consulting and banking firms give employees BlackBerrys with only email enabled.
By the way, I am quite the Apple hater but they do make amazing products. Their draconian control over the user experience annoys me, but it's perfect for someone who just prefers to have a certain experience, or for people who are not very tech savvy. The latter is key because if Apple's products do not work, that group is very annoyed.
, but it's perfect for someone who just prefers to have a certain experience, or for people who are not very tech savvy.
Wait a minute. Apple crowd is not ready to take this slap. Apple crowd is very smart and tech savy. Just because apple does not offer an open platform, does not mean its only good for dumb people. In fact, I believe that the tech marvels that Apple's black market has created (groups like Dev team to unlock software like Redsnow to an alternate app store like Cydia to hardware interposer like Gevey Sims and such) is somewhat unprecedented. Because andorid is an open platform, it failed to stir the mind of hackers at the level that Apple motivated them to do.
Wait a minute. Apple crowd is not ready to take this slap. Apple crowd is very smart and tech savy. Just because apple does not offer an open platform, does not mean its only good for dumb people. In fact, I believe that the tech marvels that Apple's black market has created (groups like Dev team to unlock software like Redsnow to an alternate app store like Cydia to hardware interposer like Gevey Sims and such) is somewhat unprecedented. Because andorid is an open platform, it failed to stir the mind of hackers at the level that Apple motivated them to do.
Those hacks were necessary when it was only BlackBerry vs Apple. Android has only recently been accepted as a viable competitor in the last 2 years. I'm only going by personal experience and from what I've read online, but I think that people who like to tinker with their phones, people who are more tech savvy, are migrating over to android. Why bother jail breaking and voiding your warranty when someone else will give you equal or better hardware and software?
I disagree with android not motivating people. You can find incredible custom ROMs for Android. Not simply apps, but entire modifications to the operating system. That's an unprecedented level of control, certainly something RIM and Apple are not willing to allow. That said, Apple certainly has tech savvy users. I just think the majority of Apple's users are casual users, hence their enormous success. The reason Apple sells so well is that they appeal to the common user, and they appeal to the common user by making their platform secure and solid. No bugs or hiccups, the same (or similar) experience year after year, but also no freedom to modify and multitask.
Those hacks were necessary when it was only BlackBerry vs Apple. Android has only recently been accepted as a viable competitor in the last 2 years. I'm only going by personal experience and from what I've read online, but I think that people who like to tinker with their phones, people who are more tech savvy, are migrating over to android. Why bother jail breaking and voiding your warranty when someone else will give you equal or better hardware and software?
I disagree with android not motivating people. You can find incredible custom ROMs for Android. Not simply apps, but entire modifications to the operating system. That's an unprecedented level of control, certainly something RIM and Apple are not willing to allow. That said, Apple certainly has tech savvy users. I just think the majority of Apple's users are casual users, hence their enormous success. The reason Apple sells so well is that they appeal to the common user, and they appeal to the common user by making their platform secure and solid. No bugs or hiccups, the same (or similar) experience year after year, but also no freedom to modify and multitask.
THat bold statement is very, very, very generic. android people still root their phones so they can customize. last time i check root and jailbreak is almost the same thing, and no its does not void your warranty. reset your phone thru itunes it back to stock. appealing to common user is marketing. they want to sell their phones. phone is there to be sold and used. same thing you can do with root and i can do with jailbreak. voiding the warranty stuff is getting quite old. Ghost tell me one thing that i can't do on my iphone that you can do on your android?
THat bold statement is very, very, very generic. android people still root their phones so they can customize. last time i check root and jailbreak is almost the same thing, and no its does not void your warranty. reset your phone thru itunes it back to stock. appealing to common user is marketing. they want to sell their phones. phone is there to be sold and used. same thing you can do with root and i can do with jailbreak. voiding the warranty stuff is getting quite old. Ghost tell me one thing that i can't do on my iphone that you can do on your android?
True multitasking. Google maps. NFC support. Save apps to SD cards. I can install SD cards. Removable battery. Swype. You can jail break and I can root, but I can customize my phone far more than you can yours without rooting or jail breaking. Different types of keyboards. Email attachments for all file types.
Some of these are minor, some are bigger benefits.
Moving on to other benefits: I pay far less for my phone, and it has better hardware. I don't have to shell out another $30 for an adapter now. My phones will have tech that is adopted across the industry, as opposed to tech that Apple tries to push on its users so that they're "trapped" in Apple's ecosystem.
I'm not saying that Apple makes bad products. They were far ahead of the curve when the iPhone came out. Now the competition has caught up and Apple is handing out lawsuits left and right, and it's not easy to get out from their ecosystem. A few years ago I agreed that the iPhone was superior, but I preferred Android's open system. Nowadays, Android can match and surpass the iPhone so I think that clinging to the "iPhone is superior" mantra is old.
Many people still believe it's iPhone or bust, and don't even realize the features that Android had before the iPhone, or features that the iPhone lacks. That's called being uninformed. That's called catering to the average person. That's called brilliant marketing. That's why Apple is the most valuable company in the world. Nevertheless the iPhone is no longer top dog.
Remember north American guppies, the days of AAA trip tips and road atlases before you started driving from Los Angles to Phoenix? Then came google maps, a true wow factor. You could print door to door directions from your home printer, no more flipping through the pages of Rand Mcnally. Then we had Tom Toms and Garmins and then came smart phones with GPS. All that happened with in last 15 years, so many of us remember, so its not that we are a born and raised smart phone gps generation.
SO what is with Apple Maps and all the complaining? Compared to your gas station bought 3'X4' fold out road maps, this is heaven. So what if it shows the Brooklyn Bridge in 3D as its a ditch, or cant tell you the traffic condition in the country of Lithuania. Its a software and its database thingie guys, and apple will issue a fix in few weeks.
Dont be ungrateful, dont keep expecting miracles, and have some patience.
I read the first part and was like hey TLK is making some good sense. Yes, technology does things for us that we had to do manually not too long ago. Some people don't realize how much easier technology has made our lives. BUT then you said people should be patient with apple while they find a fix for the maps. Sure, they should be but I don't think that's being ungrateful. IMO the two are very different topics. I agree with Ghost and Niki about expectations and the promise a company makes and when its not delivered people will complain.
The problem with iOS 6 maps app, or anything apple is that they market it as the best thing in the world (they called the new mapps app the best maps/navigation app ever), so people expected more than that half arsed beta app. When my bro updated his 4S to iOS 6, he lost directions (Navigation isnt available here) and bus/train transit details, so its a downgrade for him. When you call your app the best in the market and cant even deliver what was their on the previous versions, people will get frustrated and complain. I know, mapping is not easy and it takes years to get it, and eventually apple will get it, but that will take a minimum 2-3 years (it took 10 years for Google to reach at this level). Apple could have released a separate navigation app and kept the Google powered maps app intact for directions and local searches (as the rumor says that google refused to license navigation data to apple). Then they can update their maps data and completely move away from googles data (but it will be hard to recreate something like street-view). Read this The Atlantic article and this techcruch article if you are interested in knowing how the maps are created and how hard it is.
I don't think "ungrateful" is the right term to apply here. Its about what we get used to. Even when we had paper maps were we ungrateful when those maps didn't "get us there" and did someone ask that we shouldn't be ungrateful cuz a few years ago people just had to depend on directions... 12 steps west and then 20 steps north...
Also the fact that when one is promised something by an entity we have come to believe, it feels like a let down. But I do agree, maybe we're "holding it wrong"!
