1- Apple Maps is generally inferior vs. the previously available app, the users acknowledged it, Apple has more than acknowledged it and apologized.
2- Apple creating its maps is a business decision they have the full right to do, just as consumers have the full right not to buy their phones anymore.
3- It's impossible, for anyone, to roll-out a map app that "just works" without relying on massive user-base input: it's pretty boring to still hear people without a clue shouting at Apple as if they were a bunch of hopeless engineers that can't get a line of code right.
4- All those "if Jobs were alive...", Apple has screwed up many times before, and many more will come. Remember Mobile Me? Jobs was there, and that did not need massive user input to get sorted right.
5- Apple has made i believe two monumental mistakes: 1, it didn't call the map app a beta, instead it boasted it as if it was 100% ready. This would have stopped any user right to complain. 2, but this is tricky, it didn't keep the google map in: it's tricky as if you keep it in you exponentially reduce the amount of user input corrections you need to fix your beta, and thus you enter in a vicious circle. If you keep it out you will give your users an actually inferior experience vs. before because you are basically trying to make more money via your map app, which isn't nice. And eventually you will be probably forced to let other map apps in, including potentially a google one.
Bottom lines:
- If you plan on keeping your iphone, report errors on the map app, it's in your interest. Whining forever won't change a thing.
- If you're not satisfied with your device return it, or downgrade it to 5.1, or sell it, but for the sake of hell stop complaining.
- Anyone thinking the whole map thing was an obvious company decision that they got wrong is a fool: what would have you done, knowing that the map thing will be, in time, a major feature/business driver? Personally, but it's easy to talk later, i would have called it a beta, properly explained the advantages it has vs. Google and why we're developing it (i.e. ability to improve it vs. relying on a competitor, thus being able to ultimately deliver a better user experience once it exits the beta phase), and ask fans for their collaboration (thinking wild, even stuff like one song for free if you correct an error, but that maybe i wouldn't have keynoted it...). Anyway, this wasn't certainly an easy one.
