Eric Schmidt: Google Hasn’t Submitted A Native Google Maps App To Apple (Yet)

http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/25/eric-schmidt-google-hasnt-submitted-a-native-google-maps-app-to-apple/

by steve_colton • 14 years ago

29 59 14 years ago

ricksta• 14 years ago

iOS apps are sandboxed. Maps app used to be fairly integrated with the native OS when it comes to opening an address in a webpage or email. If Google is to submit a independent app, some of those features will probably be loss unless Apple makes an exception for Google.

objclxt• 14 years ago

This is a platform limitation: however, Apple also dropped the ball a little on this one and if Google had launched a native maps app on day one of iOS 6 they could have had quite a well integrated experience.

Previously, the standard way to open the maps app from within another app on iOS 6 was to call a 'https://maps.google.com URL. Rather than re-directing to Safari, iOS would pick this up and forward the user to the Maps app instead[1].

For obvious reasons, Apple changed this in iOS 6. Trying to open a maps.google.com URL now opens Safari. This means the overwhelming majority of apps that used to hot-link directly to the maps app now boot users off to the Google Maps website (since most apps have not been updated yet to support all iOS 6 features). It would be very straightforward for Google to adapt this to forward users back to their own app.

[1] http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30058/how-can-i-launch-th...

momma-joe• 14 years ago

couldn't you link to the AP article instead of TC's?

kumarm3• 14 years ago

You mean this Reuters article? http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/us-google-iphone-i...

epo4• 14 years ago

Why would Google help Apple out? Lack of decent iOS maps doesn't disadvantage Google or Android in any way.

yen223• 14 years ago

Because Google actually wants iOS users to use Google Maps.

epo4• 14 years ago

Really? I'd have thought Google wants iOS users to use Android.

taligent3• 14 years ago

Why do you think Google even has Maps ? Advertising.

iOS users greatly outnumber Android in mobile internet use hence it would be stupid of Google to leave money on the table and not build an app.

bornhuetter4• 14 years ago

> iOS users greatly outnumber Android in mobile internet

Source? I hate to be the one to ask for sources, but this sounds completely wrong.

epo4• 14 years ago

I'd guess embarrassing Apple counts for more than advertising revenue at the moment. Also a Google maps app with adverts is going to make the (inevitable) improved ad-free Apple maps app look better and better.

__alexs2• 14 years ago

In some locales, sure, but not in general.

Worldwide: Android beats iOS slightly. http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-ww-monthly-201108-20120...

Europe: iOS beats Android slightly. http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-eu-monthly-201108-20120...

North America: iOS beats Android by 10% http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-na-monthly-201108-20120...

South America: Android beats iOS by 28% http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-sa-monthly-201108-20120...

Asia: Android beats iOS by 10% http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-as-monthly-201108-20120...

nicholassmith2• 14 years ago

At least this puts to bed the conspiracy theories that Apple is blocking the GMaps app.

kumarm3• 14 years ago

"We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" Schmidt told a small group of reporters in Tokyo. "What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."

Eric Schmidt a real gentleman always. Also this puts to bed the arguments from Apple cheerleaders suggesting that Google might be the one that removed Maps from iPhone.

pilif2• 14 years ago

Not that it's really relevant for us end-users, but this still says nothing. It only means that Apple didn't want to continue using Google Maps. It says nothing about what terms Google was suggesting for continued use. If Google demanded something totally unreasonable (like a patent agreement legitimizing Android, or 10 times the money Google was asking before), then Apple didn't really have a choice to leave - no matter how Eric Schmidt is wording this now.

In the end the only thing that matters is that we end-users lose greatly functionality-wise because two large companies behave like children. And us end users don't know better than finger-pointing and playing along (not that we have any choice in the matter anyways)

kumarm3• 14 years ago

> two large companies behave like children

I only see one child (Apple) here.

Shooti• 14 years ago

"something totally unreasonable (like a patent agreement legitimizing Android)"

Doesn't strike me as that unreasonable.

davedx• 14 years ago

It's very easy to make assumptions that the reason Apple chose to roll their own was because Google hiked their prices, but where's the smoking gun?

esolyt2• 14 years ago

I think it's pretty clear from the quote that Google did not offer unreasonable terms.

jrmg• 14 years ago

this puts to bed the arguments from Apple cheerleaders suggesting that Google might be the one that removed Maps from iPhone

It really says nothing to imply that there were not terms attached to the use of Google's maps that a reasonable observer would not conclude were unreasonable for Apple to agree too. It says nothing to imply that there *weree either, but we still can't say either way.

taligent3• 14 years ago

> Eric Schmidt a real gentleman always.

Pretty sure a real gentleman wouldn't sit on the board of a company whilst at the same time building a competitor product.

BitMastro2• 14 years ago

I don't think a single statement is enough to define someone a gentleman or not, but anyway, he did resign from apple's board to avoid conflict of interest. Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/03/googles-eric-schmidt-resi...

esolyt2• 14 years ago

As far as I know, he refused to attend some meetings pertaining to iPhone and he eventually decided it would be best for him to resign.

epo4• 14 years ago

Nonsense. For one, that word "gentleman" doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. His PR people have briefed Schmidt on making Delphic pronouncements which mean all things to all people. Who knows what "keeping ours" involved, perhaps a long term contract, perhaps a vastly increased fee?

nicholassmith2• 14 years ago

We still don't know what concessions Google was trying to force from Apple over the negotiations. He's probably right, Apple did make the call, but we still don't know whether it was a case of Apple being a child or Google trying to extort them.

It's very possible that Google went in to the negotiations hostile.

jgeorge3• 14 years ago

Spoken like a true CEO. Everyone reading into this "it must be Apple's fault because Google said they're innocent", congratulations, you've been trolled by corporate politics.

Of course Google thinks it would have been better if Apple kept their maps, they lost license revenue and a bunch of all-important user metrics with the change.

The above statement is in no way absolution of Google's involvement in the decision. It's just a tactful response to a situation where fanboys on both sides of the fence are going to go apoplectic over anything more specific.

The second sentence after that quote could just have easily been "It's their call, all we were doing is asking for 10x licensing fees and a blanket agreement to stop suing Android handset makers for patent infringement, which I think is perfectly reasonable. They got all mad at us and said they'd do their own maps instead. They're totally at fault here."

flyinRyan3• 14 years ago

Is he still CEO?

sabret00the6• 14 years ago

Let's not be ridiculous here. Maps isn't run for Android, it's run for Google. In fact, in terms of hierarchy, they're pretty much on the same level. Google hasn't submitted a maps app because a/ it needs to build the demand for it and b/ it's not ready yet. People way overstate the importance of Android to Google.

bornhuetter4• 14 years ago

Google needs Android, to make sure Maps and other Google products are on phones and tablets. If Android didn't exist, and Apple stopped using Google products - and Microsoft use Bing - then Google would be in trouble.

sabret00the6• 14 years ago

What do you think if worth more to Google? Being on every platform or only having their own platform? Why do you think Android is so popular now? Or how Microsoft was able to ride the IBM clones to dominance? You guys think too small.

taligent3• 14 years ago

No. You clearly underestimate the importance of Android.

More and more people are exclusively using their mobile for the internet which will explode once smartphones take hold in India/Africa/China.

Given that Nokia/Microsoft doesn't use any Google products and it's questionable how long Google Search will exist on the iPhone they NEED Android. Desperately.

sabret00the6• 14 years ago

Do you think Google is close to eradicating the iPhone? Do you think Google is close to eradicating the iPad or even the iPod? Google Maps is one department and Google Android a total other. Whether Android is a success or dies tomorrow, Maps will still be around and driving ad sales. In case you forgot, Google is an advertising company, not an Operating System company.

fpgeek• 14 years ago

This Bloomberg report says that he actually didn't comment on whether or not a Maps app had been submitted:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-25/google-s-schmidt-sa...

The Verge also notes that Reuters has softened the tone of their original report:

http://theverge.com/2012/9/25/3386598/google-maps-app-store-...

Eric Schmidt: Google Hasn’t Submitted A Native Google Maps App To Apple (Yet)

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