OK so they didn’t really say it like that, but the hype for the iPhone 5 over the past couple years was definitely triumphed by the iOS 6’s maps being all sorts of terrible. In spite of these, um, “issues” with Apple’s wannabe version of Google Maps, Tim Cook has issued an apology, or rather, an excuse for the misfortune:
“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.[…] 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.”
While the app is overall aesthetically pleasing, it falls short in a few ways: the “approximate” location is faulty, and users also reported that their search results weren’t always correct—something I actually notice with the current version at times.
This is where Apple lacks features of Google’s well established map system on phones like Samsung’s Nexus and The Windows Phone. But the Apple and Google just couldn’t come to an agreement as far as functionality and design goes.
