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Apple introduces offline Maps—but how does it compare with Google Maps?
(arstechnica.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Visually, it’s fantastic imho, and absolutely my daily driver so to speak. Tons better than google maps, waze etc. Visually. I use it almost exclusively, for driving. It is decently up to date on traffic, handles high traffic with extra time well, offers re-routing etc., although not as aggressively as waze.
Google maps has more features still. I use it more to look up places, restaurants, see street views, biking paths which are not available in Apple Maps for my area yet, and I’ve so far used it for offline maps when traveling abroad.
I would also say Google Maps still offers more correct data if you’re in edge cases, but it’s seldom a problem for me. However, I have ended up driving hours on extremely narrow roads into the most remote places in the Scottish Highlands where there is absolutely nothing but nature in sight, and when finally arriving to my “destination” in Apple Maps - it wasn’t there. Nothing in sight. Am up the wrong valley? That would be a four hour detour.
Luckily, I had also downloaded offline maps from Google for the area (there was no cell coverage), and it showed the destination just some hundred meters further, around a bend and a twist and it became visible. I’m not saying I would have turned around without looking. But I would have been much more uncomfortable.