App critique: Apple Maps compared with Google Maps across data, navigation and privacy

Compare Apple Maps and Google Maps. What does each do well, and where does each fall short? ```hint Pick the lens first The verdict changes with the user and the job, so decide whose trip you are judging (an iPhone commuter, a traveler abroad, someone choosing a restaurant) before listing differences. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the comparison stay from a user's point of view, or end with what a Google Maps PM should do about it? - Which users and markets matter: iPhone owners in the United States, where both apps compete on the same phone, or users worldwide? - Which jobs should carry the most weight: driving navigation, public transit and walking, or finding and choosing places? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A stated user and set of jobs that frame the comparison. - Strengths and weaknesses of each product across concrete dimensions such as map data, place information, navigation, platform reach, design and privacy. - The structural reasons behind the differences, such as default-app distribution, business model and user-contributed place data. - A recommendation on what Google Maps should defend, improve or ignore, and how to measure it. ### Follow-up Questions - Apple Maps is the default on every iPhone. What would you do to win more iPhone users to Google Maps? - Which Apple Maps strength would be hardest for Google Maps to match, and why? - How would you check with data whether a perceived weakness, such as a cluttered interface, actually costs Google Maps users?