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first published week of: 11/02/2015
We took the two mapping apps for a walk, drive, and bus ride to see which gave better directions.
Google Maps (Android, iOS) has been widely regarded as the go-to mapping software. But after a rocky start three years ago, Apple has worked steadily to bring Apple Maps up to speed. Earlier this year at its developer conference, Apple announced that Apple Maps usage on iOS is "3.5 times higher than the next leading mapping app," and iOS 9 has brought an improved version. It seemed like a good time to give Apple Maps another go-round to see how it compares with longtime favorite Google Maps.
Cliff relies on Google Maps on his Samsung G6, and Josh uses Apple Maps on his iPhone 6s. We decided to test the two apps on quintessential autumn errands: a day trip to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch; a walk across the streets of San Francisco in search of a spooky Halloween costume; and a bumpy bus ride back to work. We didn't want to do a tightly controlled mapping experiment: our goal was to take a few everyday trips and see how each mapping app behaved.
Our first destination was Hale's Apple Farm in sleepy Sebastopol, 65 miles north of our San Francisco base. continued…