Google Moves Ahead in Fight to Dominate the Map Apps
Apple has been taking lots of justified heat for its decision to replace Google Maps on the iPhone with a fledgling, and flawed, maps app of its own. In my otherwise favorable review of the new iPhone 5, I called Apple's maps app …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s replacement of Google Maps on the iPhone has drawn visible criticism, while Google has been strengthening its Android maps product and emphasizing its Ground Truth mapping effort. Google also said in September that a dedicated iPhone Maps app was not waiting for the iPhone 5.
Against that backdrop, Google’s planned Street View addition to its iOS web app gives iPhone users a Google mapping feature without requiring Apple to reverse its platform decision.
First-order effects
- iPhone users gain browser-based access to Google Street View, reducing the immediate feature gap created by Apple’s switch to its own Maps app.
- Google preserves a direct mapping touchpoint on iOS while Apple’s Maps product absorbs criticism over its early flaws.
Second-order effects
- Apple faces greater pressure to improve Maps’ data and user experience because dissatisfied iPhone owners retain a prominent Google alternative in the browser.
- Google’s Android Maps update and iOS web presence let it compete for mapping usage across both mobile platforms rather than treating Apple’s break as a complete loss of distribution.
Third-order effects
- The contest is shifting from default placement alone toward control of mapping data, imagery, and the services reachable through any mobile platform.
- If browser-delivered mapping features prove sufficient for users, platform owners will find it harder to exclude major service providers simply by replacing preinstalled apps.
The trend: Mobile maps are becoming a cross-platform service battle in which proprietary apps, web access, and underlying geographic data each determine who retains user engagement.