Google Maps for iOS downloaded 10 million times in two days

Google has announced that its newly released Google Maps for iOS was downloaded over 10 million times in just 48 hours after release.

The number amounts to 2.5 percent of all iOS devices sold, which is sizeable in its own right, however the number is deceiving as the app is not available yet to all Apple owners.

"We're excited for the positive reception of Google Maps for iPhone around the world," writes Google's Jeff Huber via Google+. "Congratulations to the Maps Team on the recognition for the passion and hard work they poured into it, for this release and over the last 7+ years."

Google made its triumphant return to iOS after being removed as the default mapping/navigation application by Apple with the launch of iOS 6 and their own Apple Maps, which was riddled with bugs.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Dec 2012 23:18

harhumph

I don't own any Apple products, but I sure hope Google charges 0.99 to 4.99 for this app on iOS. I would charge and make it free for android (which it already is). Not fair?... so what!

18.12.2012 11:22 #1

dali

Originally posted by harhumph: I don't own any Apple products, but I sure hope Google charges 0.99 to 4.99 for this app on iOS. I would charge and make it free for android (which it already is). Not fair?... so what!
It would be fair, because developing any app for iOS does cost actual money, while you can develop for Android using a free OS and a free SDK. Still wondering why people are so dumb that help companies like Crapple to exist and grow that big, given an alternative which is far better.

"You know, it seems that quotes on the internet are becoming less and less reliable." -Abraham Lincoln.

18.12.2012 12:26 #2

Tazer247

Originally posted by dali: Originally posted by harhumph: I don't own any Apple products, but I sure hope Google charges 0.99 to 4.99 for this app on iOS. I would charge and make it free for android (which it already is). Not fair?... so what!
It would be fair, because developing any app for iOS does cost actual money, while you can develop for Android using a free OS and a free SDK. Still wondering why people are so dumb that help companies like Crapple to exist and grow that big, given an alternative which is far better. Generally everyone agrees that it is easier to develop for iOS. Now I can't say that is true from personal experience, but that is what I typically hear from the people I know.

18.12.2012 14:21 #3

KillerBug

Originally posted by Tazer247: Originally posted by dali: Originally posted by harhumph: I don't own any Apple products, but I sure hope Google charges 0.99 to 4.99 for this app on iOS. I would charge and make it free for android (which it already is). Not fair?... so what!
It would be fair, because developing any app for iOS does cost actual money, while you can develop for Android using a free OS and a free SDK. Still wondering why people are so dumb that help companies like Crapple to exist and grow that big, given an alternative which is far better. Generally everyone agrees that it is easier to develop for iOS. Now I can't say that is true from personal experience, but that is what I typically hear from the people I know. You can get away with lazy coding on Apple devices...only a few resolutions, only a few processors. This is why so many old iOS apps don't work right on the iPhone5...they never thought to include functions to adjust for screen size. Almost like a modern Y2K bug. Most of the apps that have been fixed just added the new resolution...so it will happen again when Apple changes the resolution again. You can't do that on Android...not even for a little while. An Android app needs to support dozens of resolutions right from the start.

I've heard more than a few devs complaining that Apple was brazen enough to put a slightly larger screen into the new iPhone and break their apps in the process...it is kinda sickening when I think of all the Android and PC software I have that all work with whatever resolution or aspect ratio I may choose.

18.12.2012 20:44 #4

PraisesToAllah

Why was the app delayed anyways? Apple should have known better...

19.12.2012 02:45 #5

KillerBug

Originally posted by PraisesToAllah: Why was the app delayed anyways? Apple should have known better... LoL...and Apple shouldn't have released their maps app without testing...and they shouldn't have released phones with antenna issues that they knew about before initial prototypes...and they shouldn't have removed Flash years before it lost usefulness...and they shouldn't have..............

19.12.2012 08:20 #6

dali

... Existed at all

"You know, it seems that quotes on the internet are becoming less and less reliable." -Abraham Lincoln.

19.12.2012 10:58 #7

juventini

Forza Juve!!

20.12.2012 13:19 #8

LeeC22

Originally posted by KillerBug: You can get away with lazy coding on Apple devices...only a few resolutions, only a few processors. This is why so many old iOS apps don't work right on the iPhone5...they never thought to include functions to adjust for screen size. Almost like a modern Y2K bug. Most of the apps that have been fixed just added the new resolution...so it will happen again when Apple changes the resolution again. You can't do that on Android...not even for a little while. An Android app needs to support dozens of resolutions right from the start.

I've heard more than a few devs complaining that Apple was brazen enough to put a slightly larger screen into the new iPhone and break their apps in the process...it is kinda sickening when I think of all the Android and PC software I have that all work with whatever resolution or aspect ratio I may choose. I'm guessing your self-developed application count is a nice round ZERO?!?

Never thought to include functions to adjust for screen size... seriously?

You don't need functions to cater for screen size. With vector art assets, you can have a fully scaleable project, with a single variable controlling it. I have a flash game that uses the same code to drive the game in whatever resolutions I choose... it's not even complex. At the most basic level, you could simply write to a fixed size rendertarget, and scale that during screen output. Most API's have image scaling functions, and that's all you need.

Do you think the PC has functions to cater for all the different screen sizes and resolutions?

The reason apps don't work on the iPhone5, is because of lazy programmers who can't write multi-platform apps properly. Hence all those whining devs and their alleged "broken" apps. Set a target resolution based on the current top end handset (i.e. iPhone 4s), get the current resolution (including from new handsets), divide the two, get a scaling factor, and apply that to everything that needs scaling... problem solved.

If you're writing for a mobile platform, then you adopt a multi-device attitude from the off... and that's regardless of iOS or Android. Always work on the basis that devices will improve, and write your code to cater for it. Some of these devs would have run a mile back in the days of J2ME... we used to target over 90 devices, each with firmware variations... for every game.

21.12.2012 19:30 #9

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