[Schadenfreud]

Well a bit dramatic, but a warning has been issued in Australia. I bet Jobs is spinning in his grave!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20663447

[Everything Goes]

They were using Apples Maps the wrong way

[The Lord Lucan]

People are stupid...

http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Too-m...l-you-20121019

[davethorp]

I used Apple Maps to navigate to somewhere unknown a couple of weeks ago. Fully expecting to end up somewhere in a field in Hampshire instead I was quite surprised when it effortlessly navigated me to my intended destination without so much as a hitch

[denyo1977]

Not quite sure why they make a big fuss out of it. I am pretty sure even TomTom navigation systems managed to get drivers into dangerous situations in the past.

[Schadenfreud]

Originally Posted by denyo1977

Not quite sure why they make a big fuss out of it. I am pretty sure even TomTom navigation systems managed to get drivers into dangerous situations in the past.

Inaccuracies in Apple Maps could be "life-threatening" to motorists in Australia's searing heat, police have warned.

Officers in Mildura, Victoria, say they have had to assist drivers stranded after following the software's directions.

Some of the drivers had been without food or water for 24 hours.


Not sure they ever issued a safety warning about Tom Tom tbh.

[flagpole]

Prepare for the fanbois explaining that it is stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav. just as it was stupid to use your iPhone as an alarm clock.

Originally Posted by denyo1977

Not quite sure why they make a big fuss out of it. I am pretty sure even TomTom navigation systems managed to get drivers into dangerous situations in the past.

Well they're making a 'big fuss' because motorists have been stranded for more than 24 hours in 46 degree heat without food or water. probably warrants a bit of fuss?

[davybhoy]

Originally Posted by flagpole

Prepare for the fanbois explaining that it is stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav. just as it was stupid to use your iPhone as an alarm clock.



Well they're making a 'big fuss' because motorists have been stranded for more than 24 hours in 46 degree heat without food or water. probably warrants a bit of fuss?

I don't think it's stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav but I think it's wrong blame a free app if you get lost. If you want guaranteed results then pay for a proper sat nav. You wouldn't expect a free tv to be as good or last as long as a £1000 tv...

[Big Poy]

Originally Posted by davybhoy

I don't think it's stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav but I think it's wrong blame a free app if you get lost. If you want guaranteed results then pay for a proper sat nav. You wouldn't expect a free tv to be as good or last as long as a £1000 tv...

But the old 'free' maps app worked perfectly fine so for most people who don't browse tech sites online they're not to know that Apple updated their app and made a complete balls up of it.

[alfster]

No-one should rely on any electric piece of equipment for getting you from A to B on the roads anywhere.

They are an aid - if you are driving in a potentially dangerous place like Australia or even Scotland in the winter then one should know the general route of the journey before you start.

As for simply believing a sat-nav with regards to crossroads etc - that is just bad, inattentive driving.

The computer stuck to the windscreen or embedded in the dashboard is not driving or in control of the car it is the person behind the wheel who should be ensuring that it is safe to proceed.

Another case of: 'it's not my fault' syndrome.

[flagpole]

Originally Posted by davybhoy

I don't think it's stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav but I think it's wrong blame a free app if you get lost. If you want guaranteed results then pay for a proper sat nav. You wouldn't expect a free tv to be as good or last as long as a £1000 tv...

worst analogy ever?

there is no such thing as a free tv for a start.

And iOS maps are not free. They are part of the core functionality of a £500-£700 phone. or are we saying that you are only paying for the hardware?

Originally Posted by alfster

No-one should rely on any electric piece of equipment for getting you from A to B on the roads anywhere.

They are an aid - if you are driving in a potentially dangerous place like Australia or even Scotland in the winter then one should know the general route of the journey before you start.

As for simply believing a sat-nav with regards to crossroads etc - that is just bad, inattentive driving.

The computer stuck to the windscreen or embedded in the dashboard is not driving or in control of the car it is the person behind the wheel who should be ensuring that it is safe to proceed.

Another case of: 'it's not my fault' syndrome.

Why should you assume a printed paper map is any better than an electronic one?

could they not be as inaccurate?

[denyo1977]

Originally Posted by Schadenfreud

Inaccuracies in Apple Maps could be "life-threatening" to motorists in Australia's searing heat, police have warned.

Officers in Mildura, Victoria, say they have had to assist drivers stranded after following the software's directions.

Some of the drivers had been without food or water for 24 hours.


Not sure they ever issued a safety warning about Tom Tom tbh.

I am pretty sure a couple of years ago there were people who (nearly) ended up in rivers because of TomToms. If you are driving at night, it could happen you don't see the water.

This is one link I found with a few incidents reported. So they probably should warn people about all navigation systems.

http://whatstheharm.net/gpsnavigation.html

[calico_pie]

Hopefully they'll clarify things in the Australian Gazetteer now.

[IvanIV]

Still, when you want to go to 'Mildura' why does it send you to 'Mildura Regional City'. The former is the exact match. Or is the latter more and you'd prefer that? Whoever gets the blame shifted on them, this is a bad PR for Apple.

[grumpyoldbat]

There has long been a danger for tourists driving off into the outback without sufficient water. This happened years before sat navs were invented. People are just as capable of getting lost in the middle of nowhere whether they rely on a mapping system or not.

A friend of mine hired a camper van in Oz a few years back and was given the same warning about ensuring they had enough water.

[flagpole]

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

There has long been a danger for tourists driving off into the outback without sufficient water. This happened years before sat navs were invented. People are just as capable of getting lost in the middle of nowhere whether they rely on a mapping system or not.

A friend of mine hired a camper van in Oz a few years back and was given the same warning about ensuring they had enough water.

there is a difference between getting lost and actually being directed to the wrong place.

[IvanIV]

Also it's not clear if they went on a scenic route with a lot of time to spend or just wanted to get from point A to point B. A lack of water would suggest the latter.

[calico_pie]

Originally Posted by IvanIV

Still, when you want to go to 'Mildura' why does it send you to 'Mildura Regional City'. The former is the exact match. Or is the latter more and you'd prefer that? Whoever gets the blame shifted on them, this is a bad PR for Apple.

True, but in answer to your question, if you didn't know any better, 'Mildura Regional City' sounds like the better bet of the two.

[IvanIV]

Originally Posted by calico_pie

True, but in answer to your question, if you didn't know any better, 'Mildura Regional City' sounds like the better bet of the two.

It looks like a local survival test for the tourists

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by IvanIV

Also it's not clear if they went on a scenic route with a lot of time to spend or just wanted to get from point A to point B. A lack of water would suggest the latter.

Well that's my point. There are plenty of tourists who set off without insufficient water regardless of whether they get lost or not. They're just completely unaware of how harsh the terrain can be out there and how hot it gets in central Australia. Some people just break down at the side of the road, and because it's so solitary there, they die because they didn't have enough water for the wait until another vehicle appears.

Sure, having a mapping app that takes you to the wrong place is rubbish, but the key factor is that people are setting out for the day into hostile terrain without the proper preparations. They wouldn't wander off to the north pole without full thermals!

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by davybhoy

I don't think it's stupid to use your iPhone as a sat nav but I think it's wrong blame a free app if you get lost. If you want guaranteed results then pay for a proper sat nav. You wouldn't expect a free tv to be as good or last as long as a £1000 tv...

Your argument makes no sense. all the other free apps seem to work fine.

[flagpole]

Originally Posted by c4rv

Your argument makes no sense. all the other free apps seem to work fine.

it is just not a free app. it's part of the phone. which is actually quite expensive.

[IvanIV]

It's mainly a PR problem now. Cook admitted Apple Maps are shite, now comes a problem. Of course Apple gets the blame for anything maps related. It just makes you feel warm inside when a product marketed as the bestest evah has problems. People are queuing to take them a peg or two down

[swordman]

apple maps clearly cannot be relied upon in a significant number of instances even apple advocate the use of alternatives.

some people on here will swear black is white in order to defend apple truly bewildering.

[Matt D]

None of the woefully inaccurate Cambridge POIs I reported months ago have been fixed yet.