James Killick: Why Did Apple get into Maps? (And how they got there) - MBM#51

Minds Behind Maps

James Killick worked at Apple from 2013 to 2022 on the Maps team and has worked in mapping for the past 40 years. I've been wondering why Apple has gotten so much into Maps; Google makes sense to me, they're just the same ad business as search, but on a map. So, why -and how- did Apple get into Map?

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About James

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Shownotes

Note: Links to books are Amazon Affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy any of these books.

• Map Happenings
• Tim Cook apologises for Apple Maps (2012)
• The Underlying Angst of Google Maps and Apple Maps
• Book & podcast recommendations:
  • Build by Tony Fadell (Affiliate Link)
  • Daring Fireball
  • Dithering
  • Lex Fridman

Timestamps

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:15) - Sponsor: Felt

(02:20) - James Describes Himself

(04:37) - Car navigation in 1985

(12:25) - Etak's customers

(14:33) - Analog Maps

(22:22) - From Analog to Digital

(29:07) - MapQuest's business model: Ads on a map

(32:36) - MapQuest after the Dot Com Bubble

(41:28) - The Origins of Apple Maps

(45:04) - Shortcomings with Google's data

(46:29) - Apple wanting full control of their own maps

(47:36) - Justifying the costs of owning everything

(51:11) - A Rocky Apple Maps launch

(54:24) - James's role joining Apple in 2013

(59:45) - Indoor mapping

(01:02:29) - Crafted vs automated approaches

(01:06:38) - The OpenStreetMap approach

(01:10:56) - Contribution vs Curation

(01:15:09) - So why does Apple have Apple Maps?

(01:19:25) - Would Apple move towards more advertising?

(01:27:41) - Anti-consumerism in Apple's products

(01:29:39) - Shortcomings of Google's model

(01:31:51) - Apple Maps reviews

(01:34:51) - Incentivizing contributions

(01:41:08) - Michelin Stars comparison

(01:46:36) - Apple's Spatial computing

(01:52:11) - Books/podcasts

(01:57:19) - James' blog: Map Happenings

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