Apple released the latest version of iOS today (iOS 6), the operating system that powers its iconic iPhones and iPads, but some users were in for a rude shock when they found missing features in Apple’s new, home-grown Maps application.
Apple rolled out the latest release of its mobile operating system to existing users of the iPhone and iPad (some models), a day ahead of the launch of the iPhone 5 in markets worldwide. The new OS included many incremental—but in some cases significant—improvement, such as tighter integration with Facebook, improved Siri support—especially in using Siri to post straight to Twitter or Facebook—and improvements in the photos, mail and Safari browser apps.
A significant new feature was Passbook, which appears to be Apple’s answer to Google Wallet. Passbook allows you to store coupons, movie and flight tickets, etc on your phone, but requires installation of an associated app. In contrast to Google though, Apple does not support direct payment for any services through Passbook—currently, anyway.
But the biggest new feature—which according to many users was also a letdown—was the brand new Maps app.
Apple Maps Get Widely Panned
It has already spawned pages on Tumblr and Twitter that follow its every single guffaw and mock it. It has provoked outrage from a wide range of users, some of whom have been Apple fanboys for years. Some polite ones have called it unusable; some of the more aggressive ones are calling it “awful.”
What is it? It is Apple’s new, home-grown Maps program for iOS 6. Tech blog BGR had this to say about it: “Apple’s iOS 6 Maps app is awful, and now the world knows it.” Reuters had more colorful descriptions of what was wrong with it: “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 center of British city Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace.”
It was apparently so bad that the CEO of Apple partner Waze—which worked with Apple and TomTom on the Maps implementation—had this to say on BusinessInsider: “Apple went out and partnered with the weakest player... They’re now coming out with the lowest, weakest data set and they’re competing against Google, which has the highest data set... What’s going to happen with the Apple maps, is that you’re literally not going to find things. When you do find them, they might be in the wrong place or position geographically.”
For its part, Dutch company TomTom, whose map data was used in the Maps app, also shrugged off responsibility for the app, telling CNN it was “not responsible for the way the maps work.”
Apple issued a press statement to multiple media sources, stating that it was working on improving the service: “We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”
iPhone 5 Launch
But these seem to be minor hiccups for Apple a day before the iPhone 5 launch, which is reported to be Apple’s best iPhone launch already. With crowds thronging the streets ahead of the iPhone launch in Apple and carrier stores, it appears that despite the blemishes of the Maps app and an unrelated lawsuit in Switzerland over Apple’s copying of icons, the Apple juggernaut continues merrily for now.
As this article went to press, the iPhone 5 launched in Asia and Australia to long queues in Tokyo and Sydney waiting for the latest version of Apple’s flagship smartphone. It is expected that there will be long lines awaiting Apple Stores in North America when it launches tomorrow morning there.
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