Think back to May this year. Rumours started to surface that Apple was preparing to drop Google Maps from the next version of iOS and implement their own native mapping app. Two days before the launch of the iPhone 5, iOS 6 went public and brought with it what could be the biggest headache Apple has suffered since, well ever!
Imagine the commute!
The mapping functionality has been much maligned. When the announcement was made that Google Maps was being dropped there was an outcry from users citing what Apple would provide wouldn’t equal Google’s polished and already established app. How right those users turned out to be. You only need to Google the term “Apple Maps feedback” to see words like debacle, disappointing, problems, bad, and suck to know it has not been received well at all.
Burger King or Church?
Incorrect directions, graphical glitches, inaccurate maps and a lack of Street View-like feature aren’t too be taken lightly by Apple. Apple has stated:
We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.
What does working harder mean? Recruiting new developers it would seem. Check out the recruitment section on Apple’s corporate webpage and you’ll see multiple job postings in the hunt for software engineers specifically for improving the overall mapping functionality (do a search for maps and sort by date). These aren't new postings either, being posted on September 11th. You just have to wonder how long Apple have been aware that the additional developers were needed.
Paper maps worked for pirates, why not iOS Maps users!
While the application does work, the issues (some of which have already been listed) aren’t going to go away anytime soon. Apple should be praised for taking the risk in releasing a native mapping application. What they should be, and are being, criticised for is the launch of an application with just so many clear mistakes.
Source: Toms Hardware | Images: The Huffington Post, Policymic & News Hour 24
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