It is a very well known fact that Apple maps on iOS 6 is the worst navigation solution on offer on any smartphone platform. Entire cities went missing or were marked incorrectly when Apple decided to chuck Google Maps and go for its own in-house mapping solution. Till now over 100 million iOS users have upgraded to iOS 6 and millions of them have already complained about the new Apple maps. Initially Apple dismissed its incompetency and claimed that its maps would get better overtime as more people used them. However, Apple probably did not realize that its maps were no only unreliable but also completely unusable. Also Read - macOS Monterey releases today: Check compatible Apple devices, top features, more
Today Apple CEO, Tim Cook, officially acknowledged Apple’s failure and apologized to users for letting them down. In an unprecedented move, Cook even suggested users to use online versions of Google and Nokia maps highlighting the extent of problems in Apple’s maps. This suggests that Apple maps would not improve dramatically in the coming weeks and months and it would rather take them much longer to achieve what they had embarked on with their maps. Also Read - Apple's November launch event delayed to 2022: Report
This provides an interesting opportunity for both Google and Nokia, both of whom already have world class maps and navigation services. So far it is understood that Google has not submitted a maps app for iOS and have left the ball in Apple’s court to decide weather they want to continue with the arrangement the two companies had prior to iOS 6. Nokia, on the other hand, is already touting its maps and location services as a key differentiator in its upcoming Lumia smartphones. Also Read - iPhone SE 3 likely to bring some interesting specs at a budget, release timeline out
Apple finds itself in unfamiliar territory as usually it is the one that dictates terms to its partners. What remains to be seen is weather Apple bows down and agrees to Google’s terms amidst consumer backlash.
Here is the open letter from Tim Cook apologizing to Apple users.
To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.
We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.
While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO
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