AOL’s MapQuest may be the market-leading map site by a long shot (with 50 million monthly visitors versus 30 million for Google Maps), but it is still playing catch-up when it comes to features, functionality, and mash-up capabilities. Today, it finally took a big step into the modern Web era with the launch of MapQuest Beta. This is not just a sandbox where MapQuest can safely play with the newest Web 2.0 toys. It’s the new face of MapQuest and by the end of the year will take over the main site, which still remains a very 1.0, page-based destination. MapQuest Beta, in contrast, is built on Ajax, and is thus more of a single-pane experience. I got a sneak peek.
Here’s a screen shot of the new MapQuest:
. . . versus what you see today:
Despite the improvement, the new MapQuest is still pretty bare bones at this point. You can see the map and driving directions in different panes on the same page, and can also create routes for multiple cities (same as on Google Maps). Or, you can collapse the directions pane so that the map covers the entire page. The search and navigation has been simplified to a one-box approach. You can save maps and routes, and share them with people. And you can print out the exact map image easily at the zoom level you want. There is nothing earth-shattering here, but it adds up to a much-needed upgrade for MapQuest. You can read more details here on the new MapQuest Beta blog.
Over the next few months, though, expect to see new features rolled out at a rapid clip, about every two weeks You will soon be able to drag the location pins around to read what’s underneath (they will remain connected to the spot they are marking by a thin line). The maps will become embeddable in other sites. Live traffic updates will be added. And people will be able to annotate the maps. Again, many of these features are already available on Google Maps or Yahoo Maps.
But MapQuest still has the biggest market share, and that share is not yet declining (see chart). Given all the innovation going on with online maps these days, that market share is extremely vulnerable. Now MapQuest will be based on a new technology architecture that hopefully will allow it to respond more nimbly to the incredible diversity of map features and applications that are out there. Still, don’t expect it to do anything too crazy. It’s got 50 million mainstream users that it does not want to alienate. My prediction is that it will remain very much focussed on driving directions and other routing applications, which is its strength. I don’t think we’ll be seeing too many geo-tagged videos on MapQuest. Instead, it will deploy Web 2.0 features to improve its core mapping functions and deepen the loyalty of its existing users. Imagine how grateful they will be when they realize they no longer need to be stuck with a user interface from 1999.
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Just wait until you see MS Cloud Map Finder Deluxe Online Edition!
Forget this crap, we do EVERYTHING 3D, LIVE, Realtime, Rotoscoping!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
I can’t believe people still use MapQuest over Google Maps. Even this beta version sucks compared to Google Maps. The interface design is crap, the maps themselves look like crap, it lacks the innovative features of GMaps (like showing both the satellite and the map at once), let alone GMaps newer features like traffic overlay, street view, draggable routes, custom maps, transit mapping, etc, etc., etc.
This just goes to show the name-brand recognition MapQuest has. Similar to “Googling” something, my wife constantly tells me she’s going to “mapquest” something and SHE USES GOOGLE MAPS!
MGZ
MGZ… where to begin…? Your ignorance is awe-inspiring!
Crap, crap, crap. There, I got the obligatory “craps” out of the way. Now on to your facts…
“[MapQuest] lacks the innovative features of GMaps (like showing the satellite and the map at once)…”
W R O N G:
http://www.mapquest.com/mq/1-LIHCfB_5o*3BupHq
[... let alone GMaps newer features like traffic overlay...]
W R O N G:
http://www.mapquest.com/mq/2-KhWiEw*gPDFjM*W2
“… street view…”
You’re right… MapQuest hasn’t incorporated streetside imaging. Yawn.
“… draggable routes…”
W R O N G:
Get directions on MapQuest then see what happens when you click and drag any point on the route.
“… custom mapping…”
E R R R…
MapQuest has a free API; MapQuest allowed alternate routing options before Google had maps (avoid highways, avoid tollways, shortest, fastest); you also might be shocked to see MapQuest’s MyPlaces (use your OpenId to sign up).
“… transit mapping…”
Another one you’re right about. But even a broken clock is right twice a day. Initially the local transit coverage was sparse and inconsistent, so MapQuest made a decision not to pursue it several years ago. Was it the right choice? Perhaps not, but there’s certainly nothing innovative about Google including this data. If you want to know about the real initial risk-taker in this niche, check out HopStop’s history.
“… etc., etc., etc….”
Well… you obviously spoke without any real knowledge initially, and by pure chance got two out of six right. Why should we believe you have any “etc.” left?
Good to See! I like the new look and feel for MapQuest. In my quick trials it is snappy and is easy to use. Like the ease of use for adding multiple stops along the trip. Love to see where this takes them.
MapQuest really dropped the ball on this one. What where their developers doing all that time while there was no competition?
David… one can assume you meant MapQuest fropped the ball by not doing this sooner…? As to why it took them awhile… remember that they were purchased in 1999 by AOL for more than $1B and have suffered under that yoke of mismanagement until very recently when the newest AOL execs have come to realize the strategic role MapQuest shold be playing. Now the funding is loosening up and you should see more faster from MapQuest.
Keep your eyes open and give us a try.
Yikes - its still pretty hokey.
How did you go back in time to 2007 and post a vague potshot at MapQuest’s 2009 iPhone app? Cool. Regardless… I bet your opinion would carry more weight if you had something specific to bring up. Unless you were TRYING to tie MapQuest to Virginia Tech…?
Weak - not even any TRAFFIC on it!
Hey, Crack Daddy…
It’s not perfect from day 1?? Geez… what the hell were they thinking? I know.. they should have pulled a google and slapped a perpetual “Beta” label on it, then it would have been okay, right?? Talk about lack of attention span!
But this does go to show you the difference in between what is considered to be true (Google Maps is #1) versus what the traffic numbers indicate.
Do you all think that GMail is #1 as well?
What does this have to do with Facebook?
What’s Mapquest? Seriously, I had never heard of it. Are it’s loyal users mostly US or something?
Jason… for godness sake, put down the Atari 2600 controller, retire your parachute pants, and definitely get out in the sun for a bit.
By the way, what exists outside of the U.S.?
when it comes to maps Google rocks, especially now by integrating youtube on maps…. that is freakin awesome….Google Maps rock
http://vidsonly.blogspot.com
If I recall correctly it’s even worse (sadder) than no changes since 1999. The first real estate site to feature MLS listings (CyberHomes) used it to map properties way back in 96-97. Wasn’t called MapQuest but was the same company, same technology. Back then, they were the only thing going. Any site that wanted/needed mapping of any kind (location, proximity, etc) had only one choice, them. They’ve been milking their contracts ever since. A lot of ecommerce sites contracted with them during the first bubble.
I agree, MGZ — it boggles the mind why anyone still uses the old Mapquest.
Then again, San Francisco’s Google Map still has the Central Expressway.
who are the idiots? the people using mapquest or valley types who can’t grasp that over in flyover country people treat websites the same way you treat a stapler. they pick it up, they use it, they put it down. there is nothing more frustrating for johnny startup than an audience that doesn’t even care if his site is better.
stay frustrated children. ten years from now, AIM, hotmail, yahoo and mapquest will still likely have millions of users, and more obnoxiously, they will retain most of them with minimal investments to copy innovative features four years late
Mapquest still sucks even the Beta version is.
I can’t believe it’s over Google Maps.
I thought they were playing catch up with Web 2.0 by adding “Beta” to their logo LOL.
New beta has been available for awhile. I don’t much care for it. UI is overcomplicated and feels heavy, and the maps visually are too noisy for me to look at.
For maps, I usually bounce between Yahoo and Google. I find Google’s interface easier to use, while Yahoo’s tends to provide more useful information(i.e., I can see neighborhoods in major cities). Also odd is that I find Yahoo maps to visually have less noise the more I zoom out (say, city or state level), whereas Google’s seems imminently more readable at the street level.
There are only 2 other things I like more about Yahoo, which is the zoom feature is much more useful then Google’s, and I occasionally benefit from the user reviews and local information Yahoo is able to provide, which seems more helpful than Google’s occasional aggregate reviews.
It is slow as molasses, which is a kiss of death for a mainstream consumer need like mapping. I also think that they got it wrong, if the goal is mainstream users: It is neither a leader in ease of use nor good at exposing the new functionality in a well-executed manner. Also, the tabs on the top suck as an idea.
I think they will do nothing to stop the Google Maps not-so-gradual erosion of their market share. Won’t take long, with Google Maps growing at 26% annually!
Well at least the old site dosn’t make you refresh the entire page when you want to pan up or down - at least that is AJAX.
I don’t really see much of a difference to having it all on 1 page. I just care for the AJAX panning and zooming
I like mapquest, I hope they don’t mess up here and try to get too fancy and slow everything down. I live in a rural area and mapquest works the best out here.
MapQuest has a very loyal user base and people go there without thinking about it — the same advantage that Google has in search over newcomers, MapQuest has in mapping.
The current beta shows very little that’s new and certainly nothing that’s innovative compared with the competition.
I did an in-depth comparison of MapQuest to Google and Yahoo’s offerings:
http://redesign.wordpress.com/.....-much-new/
Given that MapQuest is a bare bones mapping site and does the job (even if it’s not pretty) for most people, it’s biggest threat in the U.S. is really sat nav systems. The prices have been plummeting, with many portable nav systems available under $200. I bet by Christmas you’ll see a few units at $99.
When your car can provide the basics, that’s when the tools that Google and Yahoo offer will make a real difference.
I forgot to disclose that I used to work on AOL’s local products, though not directly on MapQuest.
A smiliar story is playing out in Austraila. http://www.whereis.com is the current market leading mapping website (though Google is gaining).
They’ve just launched a very soft beta which you can see at http://beta.whereis.com. This is also their first drop with plans to increase functionality over the coming months, before turning the old site off.
It really is amazing. Iif we’re all pretty much in agreement that even the new Beta SUCKS versus gMaps, how they hell does MQ have such a large margin in user base?
It must just be that the techies, the same ones that read TechCrunch, were blown away by the gMaps launch - whereas the average user never knew it even happened. Hence they stick with the name they know, MapQuest. But that is not a sustainable advantage…
Poor people, MQ has sucked for years - a perfect example of a company resting on it’s laurels: “Oh we DO maps! We’re the one! Our interface is PERFECT!” While it just takes another company to ask - “How can this be done better…”
Too little, too late.
Thanks for the info Claire, this so called “soft launch” is awesome! i can’t wait to see what is to come on this site, it’s much better than Mapquest’s effort - less advertising!
Let’s see.
(*) Mapquest offers me the ability to avoid any particular maneuver of my directions, just by clicking “Avoid” against a maneuver. This isn’t easy in Google Maps if not impossible. For example, see - http://snipurl.com/1sxdo
(*) “Avoid Toll” option, very important especially for people in toll happy states like NJ. Mapquest had this for ages; they removed it for a while and now it is back for almost a year. Google, Yahoo, MS doesn’t offer this feature. See - http://snipurl.com/1sxdf
(*) “Avoid Highways” was available in Mapquest for ages. (http://snipurl.com/1sxdd); took a while for Google to have that feature.
So, fanboys need to learn to give credit when and where it is due, instead of simply saying “MQ sucks”.
FYI, Map24.com has better features than Mapquest and Google Maps.
That’s all.