James Walker, over at the OnMSFT blog, has posted a good write-up of why he prefers Windows 10 Maps and his trusty (if a little smashed) Lumia 930. The unfussy map style, the good offline facility, the easy system of waypoints in routing, plus a consistency in not improvising all the time with 'faster routes', all play into his decision. 

From  James' article's conclusion:

I hope that Apple Maps gains capabilities like Windows Maps has. The historical mapping accuracy concerns have been addressed and the app is slick to use. There’s a solid foundation but the “Apple knows best” mentality around routing controls makes it impossible for me to use.

Were Apple to implement multiple stops, an improved turn-by-turn UI and the ability to turn off the infuriating “faster route” suggestions, Maps would be in an altogether better place as a fully fledged mapping and navigation solution. Right now, it feels like it’s only suitable for people commuting the same route each day, who really only use it to know what the traffic’s like ahead. By contrast, Windows Maps is a tool to assist in planning all manner of navigational activities, more like a real navigator in the passenger seat than a chirpy backseat driver that thinks they know the way – but don’t.

Of course, there’s another solution: Microsoft should bring Windows Maps to iOS and Android. As Apple and Google continue to focus on commuting, fastest routes and place discovery, their respective mapping apps drift away from their origins as digital road atlases. Windows Maps goes light on the personalised suggestions and social aspects in favour of a highly tuned core mapping experience. With Microsoft now looking more closely at mobile once more, isn’t it time for Maps to make the jump to third-party platforms?

In the meantime, I’m going to keep using my Lumia as my satnav. I’ve got maps of all of Europe saved offline, in case Microsoft one day removes them from the servers. At present, both the app and maps continue to receive regular updates, despite running on a long-since abandoned build of Windows 10 Mobile.

Go read the entire blog post here. It's a good read, though I'd point out that Google Maps has waypoints and might also be worth a look, even on the iPhone - it's what I use on iOS. Yes, Google Maps improvises even more in terms of re-routing once underway, but usually with good reason and with genuine time savings.

Anyway, thanks James, and long live the 930 - it was a cracking smartphone for its time! Anyone else got any navigation preferences in terms of app or platform?