Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Launches New App Store Feature Section for Alternative Maps

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,506
30,783



Following this morning's release of an open letter from Tim Cook apologizing for issues with the new Apple-driven Maps app in iOS 6 and mentioning some alternative map options available to users, Apple has also added a new featured section to the App Store highlighting some of those map alternatives.

iphone_alternative_maps.jpg



A host of alternative apps ranging from free to Magellan's $49.99 "RoadMate USA" are available from such brands as Waze, Mapquest, Garmin, Bing, and MotionX.

Apple's embrace of alternative map options seems to be a sign that the company is taking criticism of its own offering seriously, although directing users to downloads through the App Store is still of benefit to Apple. Cook's letter did, however, also promote web-based alternatives such as Google's and Nokia's maps.

Article Link: Apple Launches New App Store Feature Section for Alternative Maps
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/28/apple-launches-new-app-store-feature-section-for-alternative-maps/
S

srxtr

macrumors 6502a
Jul 1, 2010
611
0
This is a new low for Apple...

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I love the new Apple maps, and while I'm sure there are lots of people affected negatively by the bad data their software is perfect and I have yet to come across a problem with it. In fact, I'm going to sell my Garmin GPS Navigation system and use the money to buy myself car accessories for my iPhone 5.

I feel this whole situation is overblown and Apple shouldn't have had to take this unnecessary step. I mean, aside from Google, who has decent map data? Garmin? TomTom? I've had problems with all of them.
 
Last edited:
L

lzyprson

macrumors regular
Mar 2, 2012
156
13
I've seriously had no problems with Maps, and I have used Voice Navigation almost daily since the release... Apology unwarranted!!
 
azentropy

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,023
5,383
Surprise
Google really dropped the ball by not having a standalone Maps iOS App ready to go. I still find it hard to believe they were truly blindsided by the change with Apple's public record of acquiring mapping assets over the past few years.
 
B

BigZ243

macrumors regular
Aug 25, 2008
130
112
Pretty sad. All Apple needed to do is call it a beta and keep the existing maps on there until an update when it was ready.
 
rorschach

rorschach

macrumors 68020
Jul 27, 2003
2,272
1,856
I think this is a bad idea.

It's one thing to acknowledge issues and problems, and to be open about what you're doing to fix them. That's a good thing.

It's a whole other thing to say, "Hey, our competitors have a better product. Go check them out and come back to us later." Even if your competitors do have a better product at the moment, you don't actually SAY that.
 
B

BKF

macrumors regular
Apr 6, 2006
118
18
Brooklyn, NY
Extraordinary. You get the sense that they felt the reputation of the device and brand was being threatened. It's as if they decided to chuck Maps overboard to ensure the iPhone stays afloat.
 
likemyorbs

likemyorbs

macrumors 68000
Jul 20, 2008
1,956
5
NJ
I've had no problems with maps, but I'm glad Tim is so willing to admit when something was done wrong. Steve would have never done that.
 
T

tonkaxxtuph

macrumors newbie
Jun 27, 2007
28
0
Why not just put Google back with iOS 6 update?

It would be nice if Apple could put Google maps back with an update. This can't be that difficult?
 
KylePowers

KylePowers

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2011
1,688
197
Honestly, I've always used MapQuest. Seriously, give it a try. Turn-by-turn directions, voice guidance, and it's free!
 
D

Douglascraigen

macrumors newbie
Nov 14, 2011
3
0
No problems

I also have had no problems with iPhone 5 or iOS 6. I love em both. That being said, Im proud to be part of a company that is so good at what they do most of the time and yet admits when they mess up (abet not very often).

Ps. I have no problems with Apple Maps and Im happy with Apple getting ride of the crappy google maps that were built into iOS.
 
K

Keebler

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2005
2,960
207
Canada
rorschach said:
I think this is a bad idea.

It's one thing to acknowledge issues and problems, and to be open about what you're doing to fix them. That's a good thing.

It's a whole other thing to say, "Hey, our competitors have a better product. Go check them out and come back to us later." Even if your competitors do have a better product at the moment, you don't actually SAY that.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree. I think it's great they apologized. Most companies get arrogant when they get big and don't admit to any wrongdoing.

I really don't want to spin this into a FCX thread, but you can probably agree they screwed that up and took months to admit and release changes.

At least they manned this one up, admitted it and said they're working on it.

Kudos to that (and of course no kudos for doing it in the 1st place! :) lol

As someone else mentioned, I've used it locally for navigation and it's been perfect, but these have been short trips and nothing too in-depth.
 
kavika411

kavika411

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2006
617
3
Alabama
I don't think anyone would have cared about a beta version of Apple's new map app with iOS6 if only they'd simply left the old Google-based app on there as well. Apple's drive for clean lines, so to speak, caused them to make a terrible decision to have the new, un-ready app in iOS6 at the expense of the old tried-and-true map app. At least that's my opinion. Perhaps there was a legal issue involved to not keeping the old app. If it was simply about Apple trying to spite Google a little, that turned out to be a cutting off the nose to spite the face scenario.

In the end, I think Apple will develop the new map app in such a way that it will exceed anything out there. Just don't understand why they couldn't see the trainwreck approaching and cut out the old app so soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom