

Apple Buys Another Map App, Embark - _pius
http://jessicalessin.com/2013/08/22/exclusive-apple-buys-another-map-app-embark/

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ajju
Embark makes some of the best transit apps out there [1]. Given their
attention to detail on UX, Apple seems like a great fit for them.

Congratulations to David Hodge and team!

([1] Disclaimer: David is a friend, but I am pretty sure his non-friend users
will tell you the same :))

~~~
andreasklinger
If you like transit apps and detailed UX take a look at iPhone/android apps of
www.citymapper.com

So far they only launched for NYC and London but they are truly amazing.

They are pretty much the only thing that makes London public transit bearable.

Their mission is: "to save Londoners from London!"

Disclaimer: I know the founders from London quite well.

~~~
dmix
Looks good. The only app I miss from my iPhone, after moving to Android, is
the Transit app: [http://thetransitapp.com/](http://thetransitapp.com/)

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Scaevolus
They have an Android app.

~~~
dmix
Oh nice, looks like they just launched in July!

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swang
Everyone saying Apple is finally taking Maps seriously: shit does that mean
they brought their C game against Google?

Their serious "A" game against Google was what you saw with the first version.
And it stunk. Just terrible. It wasn't that they weren't "serious" about Maps.
Apple just completely dropped the ball. Terrible data, no bus/transit routes
without third party apps (if this wasn't a huge red flag for, "we are not
ready to release Maps" I don't know what is), and an icon that subconsciously
told their users to drive off a bridge.

They assumed users would give them a pass on their lack of data because they
would be too busy being wowed by the Flyover views. Well they were wrong.

~~~
glhaynes
_Their serious "A" game against Google was what you saw with the first
version._

Not sure why you'd say this then list its obvious and avoidable failings.
Failings which contributed to an SVP being ousted and a huge amount of
investment being made to catch up. Seems more like they came out with their
"C" game and are now trying to ramp it up to their "A" game.

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untog
I use the Android version of Embark. Oh dear. Time to find a new app (that
doesn't repeatedly crash, hopefully)

An interesting purchase- Embark doesn't have any valuable data, or user
details, etc. I can only assume Apple bought them because they have great
UI/design instincts, and might be able to help rescue Apple Maps.

Kudos to them for achieving their goal - giving away an ad-free transit
planning app could only have one aim, really.

~~~
prawn
Can you try Transit Times? Office friend of mine makes that and works very
hard on it.

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bradleyjg
I use both the LIRR and NYC Subway versions all the time. I hope they aren't
shut down.

~~~
crazygringo
NJ Transit too. Likewise, really hope they don't shut down until Apple
integrates their functionality.

I mean, they don't need constant connections to servers or anything, but they
do need to update their schedules every so often. I don't know if they
download from Embark servers, or if it's directly from transportation sites,
but I would suspect the former.

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clauretano
Sounds like they're getting serious about transit, between Embark today,
HopStop on 20 July[0], and Locationary on 19 July[1]. All too soon for iOS 7.
Hopefully soon we won't have to hop back and forth between apple maps and
random mediocre third party transit solutions --or just use google maps, which
most probably do now.

[0][http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/apple-said-to-
buy-h...](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/apple-said-to-buy-hopstop-
pushing-deeper-into-maps.html)

[1][http://allthingsd.com/20130719/apple-acquires-local-data-
out...](http://allthingsd.com/20130719/apple-acquires-local-data-outfit-
locationary/)

~~~
r00fus
Luckily, they can update Maps app without waiting for an OS release. Sure,
it'd make a great preso, but I'd prefer they take their time and get it right.

Google maps also has better UX than Apple Maps unless you use Siri. I hope
Apple tackles UX as well - perhaps converting Apple Maps to the new flat look
and adding more swipe support.

~~~
smackfu
>Luckily, they can update Maps app without waiting for an OS release.

Can they? It's not actually a separate app from the app store like Find My
Phone or iBooks. So it would require at least an OS point release, and Apple
doesn't seem too keen on doing those for features.

~~~
untog
Well, at this point parts of iOS7 are still an unknown. Maybe they could add
that possibility.

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swang
Is this why Embark SF shutdown about a week ago?

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JofArnold
I love Embark. Even though they've stopped supporting it in London - and it
comes up with that blasted "we've stopped supporting it" message every time -
it's still one of the best travel apps around. Well done guys.

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aroman
I for one am really happy to see Apple getting really serious about all this
mapping and transit data. Competing with Google on this front is going to be a
win for the consumer, I believe.

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bumbledraven
Article says Embark is a YC company. Congrats on the exit!

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harrytuttle
Tell me when they get even close to Nokia Here on WP...

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mmanfrin
Shortcut to a huge buyout: develop a map app that generates local,
personalized content for users, then start a bidding war between Apple and
Yahoo.

~~~
ajju
They have been working (very hard) on this for 4 years. If that's a shortcut,
what is a long cut?

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SandersAK
David Hodge and co are legends. Congrats.

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droopyEyelids
'Grats guys. I absolutely love my Embark Metra app. The absolute least
friction to getting what I want to know-- thanks to a lot of insight into,
thought about, and work on how I'd use it no doubt.

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samstave
I use iBart and Caltrain app every single day!

The apps are fantastic!

The only complaint I have about them is that iBart makes train connections too
short for some stations. To transfer at 12th street you have to change levels,
and iBart gives you one minute to make the connection, but I've only made that
connection once. All other times I missed it.

~~~
willimholte
Perhaps I'm missing something, but I am interested in what behavior you expect
from the app vs the behavior you are observing.

(I've used iBart a few times, but not in a few months and not to route trips
in Oakland.)

Are you saying that your train arrives at 12th Street at noon and iBart tells
you to board a train leaving 12th Street at 12:01? Would you prefer iBart tell
you to board the next train? (Not sure about schedules, is that about 15
minutes later?)

~~~
prawn
In Switzerland, train connections are optimised for minimising time and allow
for distance between the platforms in question. It's stunningly efficient.

~~~
r00fus
I'm curious - what are examples you've seen that differ from what exists in
less efficient platform layouts?

~~~
prawn
(Hope I'm understanding your question correctly. I'm not from Switzerland, but
used their train system for a week a month ago.)

They have an excellent web site and app, first up. It allows you to set
departure and destination, earliest departure time (if you don't want to leave
before 10am, say) or latest arrival time (i.e., so you can make a flight),
tweak routing and see every detail to the minute. You can get print-outs (if
required) telling you what to do and when. The platforms for arrivals and
departures are set rather than vague as in many other countries so you know
exactly what's happening in advance.

I'm confident that they've worked nation-wide to coordinate arrivals and
departures to ease passage for the absolute majority of people. Each train
change is aware of the distance between platforms so that it might allow two
minutes to cross platform to another train, or seven minutes if you need to
move a bit further. You don't get stuck waiting for 30 minutes or have two
minutes to cross six platforms. (We were travelling with an infant and a lot
of luggage that meant changing trains was traumatic - in Switzerland, it was a
dream.)

In one very handy sequence, we caught a series of two gondolas down a
mountain, switched to a bus, then a train, then another train. Waiting time
was barely there - it was brilliant. Trains seemed to leave shortly after you
got to them, like the world was designed around you. People were joining or
leaving on other routes too and seemed to have a similar experience.

I got the impression that popular routes were optimised to minimise walking
distance between platforms, but could've been imagining that.

Another handy thing was that every platform access had stairs in one direction
and a ramp in the other. The underground systems in London, Paris, etc were no
where near as handy for people with luggage or prams, often not even having
lifts for disabled access.

~~~
smackfu
From what I've heard of Switzerland, the real key is the trains being exactly
on time. Once you can guarantee that, it's easy to set a connection at exactly
4 minutes or something. OTOH, if your train arrival time is +/\- 3 minutes,
your connections are going to be too tight or excessive most of the time.

~~~
prawn
Yes, they are hilariously on time. It really is a model for others to follow.

