Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Apple Maps Dominate In U.K.

According to a new report from EE, one of the largest mobile network operators in the U.K.:
Traffic on the new Apple Maps now represents 70% of mapping traffic on the 4G network, from 60% in the second half of 2013, taking market share from Google maps, which is down 7ppts. This difference is even more marked over 3G where Apple Maps is up 19ppts and Google Maps is down 15ppts.
The reality is Apple Maps don't suck anymore. Apple has worked hard behind the scenes to flush out their mapping service to be the finished product they should've shipped back in 2012. From my experience, Apple Maps and Google Maps are pretty much on par so, what it really comes down to for me is deeper iOS integration vs. transit directions, and in most cases (including this one) a deeper integration trumps any feature that a third party app wants to offer. Plus, we already know transit directions within Apple Maps are imminent so it's just a matter of time.
UA-42274431-1