iOS 6 Adoption Rates Soar Following Google Maps Release 143
redletterdave writes "The Dec. 12 reinstatement of Google Maps on iOS has apparently been enough for some of those reluctant users to finally make the upgrade to iOS 6. According to MoPub, the San Francisco-based mobile ad exchange that monitors more than 1 billion ad impressions a day and supports more than a dozen ad networks and 12,000 apps, there has been a 29 percent increase in unique iOS 6 users in the past five days following Google Maps' release on iOS. In fact, MoPub reports a 13 percent increase in iOS 6 users from last Monday to Wednesday alone, which would mean that nearly half of the converts to iOS 6 in the past week switched the very moment Google Maps' standalone app hit the App Store."
China (Score:5, Insightful)
Does this take into account the fact that the iPhone was released in China last weekend and may have caused a spike?
Re:Such a great love for Google Maps (Score:5, Insightful)
I do tend to wonder, if Google Maps is so pivotal to the widespread adoption of iOS 6, would we begin to see a lot of people moving toward Android phones if Google removed their maps from the iOS App Store?
We might, but Google is under significant anti-trust scrutiny so I doubt they would actually try it. I also doubt that it would be in Google's interest. Google doesn't make much (if anything) off of Android. Its purpose is to funnel mobile users to Google services like Google Maps.
Re:Most impressed with reach of this news (Score:4, Insightful)
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You must be new here.,
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Now do the fuckwit editors here (Score:1, Insightful)
have the self-respect to pull this piece of bullshit from their front page, or will they just roll on to the next?
Why would Google care? (Score:5, Insightful)
Would we begin to see a lot of people moving toward Android phones if Google removed their maps from the iOS App Store?
The funny thing is that at the highest levels, Google and Apple really do not care about each other the way the fans at the lowest level seem to.
Google just wants to make great data driven apps that in turn drive a lot of data their way. If Android falters they will shrug and simply keep producing apps for the leading platforms. Obviously they would prefer Android to keep doing well because they collect more data that way.
Apple just wants to make and sell hardware as well made as they can, continuing down the road of integrating software and hardware to the greatest degree possible. They are happy to have well executed applications run on iOS; after all, it moves more hardware. It was pretty funny to watch people speculate on Slashdot that Google Maps would be blocked from the App Store when there were so many other mapping apps on the store already, and obviously Apple wants good applications because they help sell iOS devices.
So Google would not pull Google Maps from the App Store because it helps them, and Apple will not block it because it helps them.
But even if for some reason Google went nuts I don't think it would affect iOS much, there are too many other high quality mapping solutions already (including Apple's own maps).
Re:If you really care about transit IOS is far bet (Score:2, Insightful)
It's funny that so many people talk about how Apple should allow you to chose a browser or mail client (which would be useful) but then claim it's pointless or unnecessary to have a map where you can chose the best application to give you transit directions. Why should that area be immune from letting third parties do a better job, especially when it's just not possible to do the best job for every city across the globe?
Unlike Apple, Google doesn't block third party apps that compete with its own services and there *are* third party mapping programs on Android.
Not as life threatening as Google Maps (Score:2, Insightful)
From the same continent, an even worse story about the dangers of Google Maps - sending people the wrong way down a dangerously narrow one way road [inquisitr.com]. It comes with a similar warning from police not to rely on Google Maps.
Apple's error has affected a handful of people (one that we know of), while Google's error affects a great deal more people since it's a road along the sea-side where a huge amount of tourist traffic exists.
So can we infer from your post that Google Maps is a fiasco a decade in the making? I would say Google Maps works pretty well, as does Apple Maps - but that mapping is a hard thing to get quite right. When you start singling out errors it throws egg on the face of every map company, not just the one you are targeting (and in this case most the egg did not even land on Apple).
Re:China (Score:2, Insightful)
I upgraded eons ago and never regretted it. Apple Maps is actually not as bad as people made it to be, and Google Maps was always available through Safari anyways. This is all just FUD and people being afraid of something nonexistent.
Re:They exist but are lost (Score:4, Insightful)
They may be limiting the number of fart apps, a great loss to the market I'm sure.
When I can download another browser I'll agree with you. Until then this post screams of closing your eyes, sticking fingers in your ears and going "lalala"