Google Maps is no longer part of Apple's mobile core as search giant Google and the iPad maker have been at war with competing products and services. iOS 6 users and pundits have complained of glitches, mislabeled locations, missing towns, bungled travel routes, and blurry images in Apple's own mapping software, and have dubbed the rare misstep from Apple as "Mapplegate". Amid widespread criticism that its mapping software is not as functional as Google Maps, Apple issued a statement that expressly said, "[W]e are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get."
What Else You Need To Know
- GPS device maker TomTom provided the maps but denied responsibility for the flaws. The Dutch company said its maps provided only a 'foundation' to the service, and requisite additional features are to be provided by Apple.
- Google Maps is no longer available for download at the App Store. Google is releasing a Google Maps app for iOS 6 before Christmas. In the meantime, iPad and iPhone users can check out Google Maps via the browser.
- Apple had boasted that its own Maps app would be superior to Google's. Apple Maps promises to offer crowd-sourced traffic, flyover mode, 3D rendering, integrated Yelp, 100 million business listings, Siri integration, and turn-by-turn directions.
Other sources
Putting it bluntly, the maps on iOS are now so second rate that they're a key advantage for Android, and one that I would expect Google to exploit as ruthlessly as possible.- Ian Betteridge, Tech Radar
While some may be surprised by the seeming lack of quality control over Maps from a detail-oriented company like Apple, this kind of situation is something of a tradition when Apple rolls out a new service.- Erica Ogg, GigaOM
- Other
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Maps missing info dismays some iOS 6 users
That map isn't so bad; the entire city of Escazú in San José, Costa Rica, is missing, and it's misspelled 'Escaza.
- Tech Radar
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Opinion: Why Apple has missed the mark with iOS 6 Maps
Maps. In short, it's the most half-cooked piece of software that Apple has released in my memory, which goes back far longer than I'd care to admit.
- ZDNet
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Not happy with iOS 6 Maps, get Telenav's Scout Plus for free for a year
To be fair, Apple's new maps are starting at a disadvantage with users: Google maps are the industry standard, and users are familiar with their quirks and limitations after years of use.
- Other
- Wrong turn: Apple's buggy iOS 6 maps lead to widespread complaints
- GottaBeMobile
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iOS 6 Maps App Bugs Frustrate iPhone and iPad Users
In fact, the bugs are so countless that according to Boing Boing, they have spawned their own Tumblr page called The Amazing iOS 6 Maps which documents many of the mishaps found within the iOS 6 Maps application.
- Other
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Apple's home-grown Maps leaves users lost
An entire city is in the ocean, a farm has been labeled as an airport, highways end in the middle of nowhere and a hospital now covers the entire center of British city Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home.
- Other
- Navigon updates iOS apps with links to Apple Maps
- Other
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Some Parties Complaining About Errors in iOS 6 Maps App
There are missing towns, missing locations, wrongly labeled areas, and locations that have been placed in the wrong spots
- TN
- iOS 6 Maps Gets Huge Criticism After Update; Here’s an Alternative!
- GigaOM
- When it comes to maps, Android co-founder thinks Apple lost its way
- More...