Apple Maps fiasco: iOS6 Maps App Fails to deliver!

Apple Inc. launched it’s most awaited iOS6 amid rave reviews and people could update their current versions to the latest one by just navigating to “Settings: General: Software Update” menus. However, within hours people started complaining about the lousy maps application. At first, it seemed to be affecting only the users outside of the U.S, however, complaints from U.S users also started picking up.

After the Google Maps debacle, Apple has landed itself in a tough situation with a massive backlash from users around the globe who have reported various glitches such as inaccurate direction and location data in the replacement maps which fall short and just don’t measure up to Google Maps. According to the BBC in the UK, the most common complaints from Apple users include missing entries for entire towns, incorrectly placed locations, incorrect locations given for simple queries, satellite imagery obscured by clouds, etc. The iOS6 Apple Maps for Japan and China also have several issues such as low detail in Japan and duplicate Senkaku Islands, which is a disputed territory by the two nations, according to the TechInAsia Blog. Apple is relying on massive usage to make it maps service as good as possible. According to an Apple spokesperson, Trudy Muller who told CNET,

“Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover and Siri integration, and free turn by turn navigation, we launched this new map service knowing that it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it. We are continuously improving it, and as Maps is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get. We’re also working with developers to integrate some of the amazing transit apps in the App Store into iOS Maps. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better”.

The fiasco has put all the Apple fanboys and girls to shame as they hide from the Android users who are walking with a spring in their step these days and feeling superior. Call it Karma or whatever! It’s been a PR nightmare for Apple and a rare opportunity for android users who are gloating about having a superior product. However, the consensus on the issue is that Apple Maps has been heralded as a disaster, but the right way to approach the matter instead of unnecessarily getting worked up about it and blowing the matter out of proportion is that it’s simply a case of a feature gone (temporarily) wrong.