Q
My question is, why does it matter so much? The functionality is there and it works well, and there's little doubt that if offers an improvement to all users regardless of whether they're Russian or not. Sometimes, that's a good enough reason, and if the end result is only positive, then there's little reason to go finding ulterior motives.
It could also be just as simple as this: the chipsets selected for this purpose had GLONASS support whether Apple wanted it or not. So, it just made sense to use it.
Does it matter so much(to me)? Not really, but the biggest issue phone companies will make in conjunction with GPS chip manufacturers is how they help battery life or the need for power to get signals(or more accurate/faster signals) to the receiver for whatever the mobile needs are.
So, to answer your question a little more, I wonder if the battery life will be tarnished as the new/future chips come out with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and China's Compass in one chip? The single-chip debuting by Broadcom & Qualcomm helped the game tremendously in battery consumption, and I wonder the pros/cons because battery consumption is a main priority for the iPhone or any smartphone to to have A-GPS and not solely GPS for its GNSS solution. It isn't just about the accuracy A-GPS provides - the chips utilized for mobile GPS need GPS chips that utilize better battery consumption. The initial fix on the GPS coordinate take a lot of battery(why A-GPS is mostly needed for mobiles) life, so...
I think some of the biggest breakthroughs in this entire smartphone business/market are simply happening now indirectly by Qualcomm & Broadcom when we all know - Apple gets all the hype for software updates & these new iPhones.
In the future, I am wondering if these chips become so sophisticated then there will be no need for cellular connectivity to achieve a fast/accurate GNSS position. The chips manufactured lately for A-GPS are becoming more prevalent in an array of markets now, and they are harnessing better/faster accuracy with less battery consumption & less need for assisted-GPS... this is where I am getting...
Will the iPod Touch eventually get GPS? ...seems it may become a feasible solution sooner than later because Qualcomm & Broadcom are making ways towards this happening, but I believe Apple will never allow it, because it would compete with the iPhone on such a big feature & create a product line issue.
The Apple Maps app is going to be what may win the war for Apple in a couple years over Google, and the chips coming from Qualcomm/Broadcom may have everything to do with it.
The other mess I see is - if Qualcomm/Broadcom starts pushing for portable GPS solutions without the need for A-GPS/cellular connectivity, Android/Google will release something to match the iPod in the MP3 market that Apple saturates.
This chips play a huge part in where the phone is going... and I see Apple potentially losing to Android in this Map War, but I also foresee Apple making leaps in transportation around the world that we never realized, and eventually Apple may win yet again because of 'user-experience/customer satisfaction'.
Google will give you the best specs it can in the market, and Apple will always try to give you the best experience, but in the same time, they are trying to 'change' markets. The Map market will change because of Apple... I give it 18months.