苹果地图现在还好吗

    布劳表示，虽然苹果地图目前在特性、功能和准确性方面仍落后于谷歌，但它的进步有目共睹。虽然苹果公司的声誉因为地图事件受损不小，但这是暂时的。“我认为用户会继续信任苹果，”布劳说道。“要重新赢回用户，苹果需要下大力气，因为市面上显然还有别的地图技术。”

    布劳多次提到谷歌地图，谷歌研发地图产品的时间要比苹果早很多年。本月早些时候的谷歌I/O大会上，谷歌对地图进行了重大升级，带来了更精细的室内地图、提供360视角的合作商户地图，同时还集成了谷歌的社交应用Google+，用户可以查看自己的社交网络联系人发布的点评信息。谷歌提供的一种新功能是：地图能分析用户最爱去哪类餐厅、最常走哪些路线，同时就此给出建议。

    虽然苹果因弃用谷歌损失不小，但布劳等分析师认为此举不可避免。布劳说：“地图服务是当下的热点，是连接我们所有用户的关键纽带。所以，各大巨头都想涉足也就不足为奇。”目前，地图服务能指引用户从一个地点到达另一个地点，但这种位置服务仍然有巨大的潜力，而且位置服务进一步融入人们生活的渠道非常多，尤其是因为智能手机还在继续普及。用户喜欢去哪儿吃饭、购物、看电影，以及他们喜欢怎么过去，这些都是价值连城的数据。Facebook和谷歌之所以可能会愿意出价10亿美元收购大受欢迎的新兴众包地图公司Waze，也许就是出于这个原因。

    苹果肯定也不愿意放过这样的大好机会。（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    While Blau says Apple Maps still lags behind Google Maps as far as features, functionality, and accuracy, he sees Apple's mapping service only getting significantly better. And while Apple's reputation for quality may have been hurt by the Maps controversy, the damage was temporary. "I think people will trust them," Blau says. "I think it's going to take a significant effort on their part to get to that point, and I say that because clearly there are other mapping technologies that are out there."

    Blau is largely referring to Google Maps, which had a multi-year head start on Apple. At Google I/O earlier this month, Google revealed a major product update, with features like more detailed maps with indoor photos and 360-degree views of cooperating businesses and Google+ integration so users can check out reviews from their social network connections. One scenario Google served up: Maps can now analyze the kinds of restaurants users like or routes they most often take and offer suggestions.

    But while Apple received grief for dropping Google, analysts like Blau say the move was inevitable. "Mapping is hot," he says. "It's the key to connecting all of us with the things that are in the world, so no wonder all these big consumer platforms want access to it." Today, mapping products may currently help users get from point A to point B, but the potential for such location services remains large, and the ways location can be further be integrated into people's lives, particularly as smartphone adoption continues, are also huge. Where a person likes to eat, shop, watch movies, and how they prefer to get there is valuable data. To wit, it's likely why Facebook (FB) and Google may be willing to pay $1 billion to buy the popular traffic navigation startup Waze.

    For Apple, capitalizing on such an opportunity was probably too good to miss.