Apple Issues Statement Over Day 1 'Maps' Glitches, Maps Team Reportedly Under Lockdown to Fix Issues

[deanbar]

Siri was a "bonus" feature, though, and it is much improved. Maps is a core app.

Siri much improved? You've got to be kidding me!!!!! I'm in the UK and It's as bad if not worse in iOS6 as before. It gets virtually nothing right. What a waste of time, utterly useless. Very disappointed in Apple with the Maps and Siri fiasco. Too many occasions of poorly developed material in last few years. Don't want this to continue or Apple will lose it's way before too long, trying to compete on too many markets, good ideas but poorly implemented.

Cook, Schiller and Forstall seem all too happy with mediocre experience. Get back on track Apple!!

 

[Texran]

Looking in my neighborhood with apple maps I can't see the local McDonald's. Google maps, that's not a problem.

 

[kevinfulton.ca]

You would think that they would have tested it to make sure it worked before they released it.

I don't think that's being fair. The app works fine, it's just their data that needs updating and that will take a while with lots of crowd sourcing to fix those mistakes and add more features (I'm looking at you public transit). Map apps are a HUGE undertaking and for a 1.0 release I think they did a pretty good job. For my day to day needs it works great, but the bells and whistles will take time.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

I'm a long time Apple customer. I root for them to be successful in everything they do. However, I'm getting the nagging feeling that Tim Cook is simply not hands-on when it comes to product development and testing. If someone asked me whether I thought Steve Jobs personally banged away on hardware and software to make sure it was perfect, I would say yes. That is the impression I had when Jobs was at the helm, given his reputation for being obsessed over the tiniest of details. If someone asks me the same question about Tim Cook, my answer would be no. There have been too many missteps since Cook took over. I get the impression that he is a delegator, not obsessive about details as Jobs, and is not a product visionary.

Cook obviously never launched the maps app and never used it for anything remotely taxing. This is a perfect example where the CEO - or anyone, actually - would have quickly seen many of these problems. Just type in the Eiffel Tower or Brooklyn Bridge and see how terribly they are rendered in the 3D environment. Jobs took pride in showing off the Eiffel Tower, street view in Paris, etc. with the old maps app. Did Cook show any of the software? Nope. He left it up to others. Just like he's leaving this company's direction up to others.

 

[Oletros]

Is it bad data from other companies or Apple's implementation of the data which is causing the problems?

This post compares results from Apple Maps and the TomTom app and the results suggest it's down to Apple.

Then, if the problem is the implementation, the solution can be more quick and only depends on Apple's side

 

[movieator]

Baloney. Utter nonsense.

I've been running iOS 6 betas and closely following the Maps feature since it was introduced in beta. The buzz was that while it looked promising, there was a long way to go before it would be ready for prime time. Everyone was convinced it would be a stellar performer by launch day.

Were the Maps Team sleeping this whole time? The very same issues experienced in the betas have now carried over into the final release of iOS 6.

They weren't sleeping, they were just using the maps app to get to work, but it kept guiding them to a destination a mile away from where Apple HQ actually was.

 

[Medium Rare]

I use a stand alone GPS. I don't need no stinkin' Apple Map.

 

[mugwump]

Meh, I think it's great. I just had to travel around town, used turn-by-turn, and it was perfect, far better than the built in Nav that's in the car.

The maps look like real cartography. I had a real problem checking traffic in Google maps, which looks like a barf of lines that is very difficult to discern. The apple solution is better -- just show the problem areas.

Apple has rasied the bar, and since I'm in an area that is well populated I think Google will have to catch up.

Going back to google maps at maps.google.com looks like DOS compared to Mac.

Gotta add the big issue: It sucks down phone battery life! Ugh. They need to optimize it, so keep the maps team locked down until it's improved.

 

[IconicM]

Fact is, is that Google has been perfecting their maps for the last 7 years. They outcompete any other map company. Apple will continue to improve their maps but Google will always stay ahead.

No doubt it's a tough challenge, but I don't think you're saying it can't be done, right? First of all, past performance is no indication of future. Second, Apple is really adamant about not having to depend on Google. And lastly, every dog has it's day...and that day comes and goes. Look at Nokia & Yahoo. Why should Google be any different? Even Apple. I believe that all companies, even great companies, have a window of opportunity, and that window will come and go. For some companies, the window stays open longer, but not for ever.

 

[weing]

Do you really think it was the dev team's call on whether it was ready for prime time or not? Developers can't stop the clock.

The developers used to be able to stop the clock at apple. But now that intro's of new hardware are tied to intros of new software that's tied to new hardware etc. and this process happens many times a year ,we have the "lets kick it out the door and then we have do the clean up later" as being the "new normal". It's pretty much been this way since Leopard was rolled out . We just notice it more now that the cock ups happen 3 or more times a year.

 

[dotme]

Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get.

How exactly would that work? A user faced with a building where a street is supposed to be will just pop open the map app and "report a problem"?

I'm a huge Apple fan. This isn't good. It also doesn't bode well for Google to have an App approved, since Apple seems to reply on people not ditching their app in order to make it better.

It's probably not going to get fixed quickly, unfortunately.

 

[iGrip]

It's going to take time no one can just create an entire database of the world in one day.

IOS has been around for YEARS. It is in its sixth generation.

Apple has had much more than one day to work on this. The suggestion made is fatuous.

The same suggestion could be made about any and every new feature of every product. One day? Whut?

This is not the way Apple should do things. First they released SIRI before it was ready, and called it a Beta. Now they release a crappy maps app, and don't even do that.

 

[jtrenda33]

will still be garbage compared to google

I'm not saying Apple's first attempt at Maps was good. It obviously wasn't, but I don't understand why people like Google Maps so much? On iPhone, it is/was crap. Google Maps used to take me to the wrong place all the time. I'm reminded of the episode of The Office where Michael Scott drives his car into a lake because the GPS told him to:

Dwight Schrute: This is the lake!
Michael Scott: The machine knows!
Dwight Schrute: This is the lake! This is the lake! There's no road here!
Michael Scott: Stop yelling at me! Stop yelling at me! [drives into lake]

Plus, Google Maps for iPhone doesn't/didn't even have turn-by-turn directions. You have to keep manually tapping Next to get where you're going. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I also don't believe it had 3D (crappy or not) maps (Although, I think they're new app for iOS 6 will). Street View is cool ( was that on iOS 5? I haven't used it in so long I can't even remember what little features it had ), but it wasn't always accurate either, and how much of a head start have they had?. So I found myself having to resort to Mapquest4Mobile which is a free app with voice turn-by-turn. Then I eventually bought the Garmin app, which I'll probably continue to use until they get some of these bugs fixed.

 

[shortcrust]

Apple would never have released a half-baked POS like this when Steve was in charge. I see Apple going downhill FAST.

I fear you're right. I can see this being viewed as a pivotal turning point in years to come.

Btw, The posts from apple map apologists are becoming increasingly bizarre.

 

[faroZ06]

This is getting intense. Apple wants to bask in the glory of Apple Maps before allowing Google to have their own app on the App Store, but Apple has to rush to fix their Apple Maps. I'm guessing that they do not need to roll out an iOS update to do this.

It seems fine in my area, but I've heard of a lot of glitches with it.

 

[d21mike]

Is everybody drinking the same cool-aid? Maps is great ( not perfect but a great leap forward in day to day usability!)

Visually google maps on an iphone was mostly miserable and almost impossible to read street names on. What an improvement!
But the kicker is the turn by turn navigation ... Its the easiest to us yet for anybody and it can be invoked by SIRI to boot.

I tried it and found it a joy. 20 times easier to us ethan my previous GPS application and IMMENSLY better than the previous Maps

So what is the beef no street view? How do you look up street view while you are driving ??? DUUUUH This is a real world application with things that will improve but its Awesome.

And the three D renderings are pretty cool as well.

I strongly disagree with the tenor of the reviews and think apple has put to steps forward and sacrificed nothing from the previously mostly useless Maps

THIS IS AN APP TO LOVE!

I couldn't agree more with what you said. Was going to write something similar myself instead will just agree with you. I have been using the App since the first beta. In my area the GPS Navigation works great. Maybe this is like the Verizon vs. AT&T wars where it really depends on where you live. Also, it really depends on how you use the App. I pretty much never used the Google App because I needed Voice Turn by Turn Navigation. If that is your requirement then you really should give the Apple Maps App a try.

 

[papoopeepoo]

And Google is an Engineering company. Apple is a design company with some Engineers.

Google is an advertising company.

 

[Born Again]

Steve would have never allowed this! (for real)

He'd have fired the group like he did to MobileMe

This backlash is far worse than MobileMe - don't u guys agree?

 

[natural1]

POLY9
PLACEBASE

The execution is iffy, but the brains are there.

Even brains need time.

Apple can buy companies, but it takes time to integrate their technologies into a marketable product.

They should have called it a beta, then the bugs would be less glaring.

 

[SeeHole]

The iCartographer Team hard at work

"Oh, I say george, where did you say the Brooklyn Bridge was supposed to go?

 

[dotme]

Looking in my neighborhood with apple maps I can't see the local McDonald's. Google maps, that's not a problem.

This, to me, is more important than turn by turn. I have a Garmin for that. But if I'm walking in unfamiliar city and want to find food, I expect to be able to see all nearby eating establishments. If Apple's map can't even do that for you, it's really a bit pointless.

 

[Saladinos]

How exactly would that work? A user faced with a building where a street is supposed to be will just pop open the map app and "report a problem"?

I'm a huge Apple fan. This isn't good. It also doesn't bode well for Google to have an App approved, since Apple seems to reply on people not ditching their app in order to make it better.

It's probably not going to get fixed quickly, unfortunately.

A smart way to do this is to monitor where people dont follow the calculated route, and if lots of people get stuck with a particular road, flag it for review.

 

[sebimeyer]

Rome wasn't mapped in one day.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I don't think that's being fair. The app works fine, it's just their data that needs updating and that will take a while with lots of crowd sourcing to fix those mistakes and add more features (I'm looking at you public transit). Map apps are a HUGE undertaking and for a 1.0 release I think they did a pretty good job. For my day to day needs it works great, but the bells and whistles will take time.

Oh, it works fine? My mistake, never mind.

 

[movieator]

Steve would have never allowed this! (for real)

He'd have fired the group like he did to MobileMe

This backlash is far worse than MobileMe - don't u guys agree?

I get so sick of this. Steve is gone. Dead. No mas.
People need to wrap their heads around this concept.