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Tim Cook Publishes Open Letter on Maps for iOS 6

rish said:
Oh Tim, open letters are great but naming the competition is a no no mate. Old Stevie would have erred on the side of caution.
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Old Stevie would never have publicly admitted a mistake. Not with his ego.

Yes, at one point he joked about MobileMe, a monumental f***up under his stewardship. He joked, but never apologized. His approach was exemplified by the line John Wayne spoke in "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon"... "Never apologize, Mister, it's a sign of weakness".

Well, Cook's apology demonstrates to me a strength, not a weakness. He has the stones to admit a cock-up and offers suggestions for a temporary solution while the issue is being addressed. Old Stevie wasn't strong enough to admit a mistake.

Maybe it shouldn't have happened, at least according to those who expect perfection. But at least Cook was willing to own the mess.
 
Brad L said:
Fact: The new iphone is inferior to the old iphone.
Solution: You forgot to mention that people can choose to use an android phone that now has superior mapping and street view.
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I know I shouldn't be answering a troll but how does an iOS6 feature make the iPhone 5 inferior to the iPhone 4S. As far as benchmarks goes the new iPhone is the top of the line even compared to other Android/Windows phones.

That being said: The few occasions I have used the new map app here in Germany the only thing I noticed were some old satellite pictures but other than that nothing serious. Thing is I have long switched to Navigon, because T-Mobile offers this for free when you purchase the iPhone. The build in app was only used when I'm on foot anyway.
 
Driving Directions - TomTom !!

Why would TomTom do a good job for Apple, when the company itself is in terrible shape? TomTom Gps’s themselves are not that great. Why would they put work into making the iphone 5 maps better?

Actually, I'm more concerned about the logic for Directions.
I can live with the maps being a little off.

I think most of us knew it would be terrible at driving directions the moment they announced involvement with TomTom.

The driving directions given by the iphone 5 have TomTom written all over it.
It’s just a terrible calculating engine that I don’t think can be fixed any time soon.

Those who have seen a TomTom in action, and then compare it to a Garmin will know what I mean.

For one of many examples, when leaving the airport via a major highway, the iPhone 5 takes us off the highway to avoid a toll and travel about 20 minutes thru the worst part of town with about 50 stop lights. It then joins the highway about 6 miles down. No other GPS device in the world would ever do this! I feel sorry for tourist who rely on the phone 5 for these kind of directions.

I’ve seen the phone recommend driving 3 extra miles past the destination and get on the highway, and then return via another route. Every other GPS device I own recommends driving an easy 0.2 miles to the destination.

Driving to my house, the phone recommends driving past by 1 mile, doing a uturn , and then coming back to the same spot. Just terrible.

No other GPS I’ve ever owned (about 6 over the years) have ever done this.

TomTom won’t be able fix the logic for driving directions for themselves, and won’t be able to fix it for Apple either.

Thank you Apple for acknowledging this problem !!
 
Galatian said:
I know I shouldn't be answering a troll but how does an iOS6 feature make the iPhone 5 inferior to the iPhone 4S. As far as benchmarks goes the new iPhone is the top of the line even compared to other Android/Windows phones.

That being said: The few occasions I have used the new map app here in Germany the only thing I noticed were some old satellite pictures but other than that nothing serious. Thing is I have long switched to Navigon, because T-Mobile offers this for free when you purchase the iPhone. The build in app was only used when I'm on foot anyway.
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Because one significant function to the phone has been downgraded. So on one level - and if you use that function for several apps calling upon map kit - the new iPhone (which comes preloaded with iOS6) can be considered inferior.

But it's good to know that you think that getting wrong directions in record time on a speedy phone is more important than getting accurate ones on a slower phone :rolleyes:

Why do you call the poster a troll. And why do you think your experience is more important than anyone else's. I'm sure you realize based on the thread you're posting in - that even the CEO of Apple recognizes that Apple Maps isn't superior to other options at the current time.

Is Tim Cook a troll too?
 
wkadamsjr said:
How long do you think it takes to make corrections? iOS6 has barely been out a week... :rolleyes:
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Well beta has been around for a while - and testers have said nothing they've submitted has shown up.

They still need a better, offline, method of submitting corrections.

For instance - a bridge has been torn down near my house on a fairly major thoroughfare. It will be a year+ before it gets rebuilt - would be nice to let Apple know so directions no longer use it....
 
Not impressed with Tim's letter. There was no point of action; it was just a lot of sorry, so sorry, please use a competitor product.

It should have been, "You know what? Our new Maps app wasn't ready to launch yet. And so today we are making an update to iOS 6 which puts back the old Maps using Google data until we can present you something we can be proud of, and you will enjoy and delight in. Thank you for keeping us honest."
 
I find it interesting that people find Google Maps in it's previous iOS versions all that useful.

Having to manual change from each screen was no better than just printing the directions.

I've been using Roadmate from Magellan for a few years, and though not perfect, its way more useful than any version of Maps I've used.

What bothers me about this whole to-do, is how people have developed this sense of entitlement. Apple has a product for sale, if you do not like said product do not buy it.

There are plenty of other phones for sale. Find one that has the features you need or want and purchase it. Problem solved.
 
It's shocking to me that the Maps App made it through testing without a red flag going up. This is typical of other companies, but not typical of Apple.

Steve left big shoes to fill at Apple, and it's clear right now that Tim Cook and his employees are enjoying the stock ride up, and forgetting what got Apple to the top to begin with.

Mistakes like these are minor in the overall scheme, but these little mistakes start to dull the finish in the long run. The stock ride down will not be a fun ride if Tim and his employees if they don't start watching the fine details.

I suggest Tim Cook have his employees work the week of Thanksgiving this year, in lieu of giving them the week off like last year!!
 
samcraig said:
Because one significant function to the phone has been downgraded. So on one level - and if you use that function for several apps calling upon map kit - the new iPhone (which comes preloaded with iOS6) can be considered inferior.

But it's good to know that you think that getting wrong directions in record time on a speedy phone is more important than getting accurate ones on a slower phone :rolleyes:

Why do you call the poster a troll. And why do you think your experience is more important than anyone else's. I'm sure you realize based on the thread you're posting in - that even the CEO of Apple recognizes that Apple Maps isn't superior to other options at the current time.

Is Tim Cook a troll too?
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Why is your experience more important than mine? Works both ways.

A single inferior app (subjective opinion) does not make an inferior device.
Many people simply don't use a map application at all on a phone (regardless of who's it is), is it still inferior then?

The original poster stated this as fact, which in fact, it is not.
It may be inferior for HIM, or you, but that does not make it inferior for EVERYONE, or me.
 
How about wifi

How about a statement over wifi issues that has already caused a 54 page thread on the apple forums ?
 
i agree with many who have said it before, open the signing window for 5.1.1 for those non-iphone 5 people who have upgraded to ios 6.

this here is a perfect example of why one *should* jailbreak to save their blobs, so that you can downgrade to the previous version just in case something like this happens. also another reason never to upgrade to a new os immediately. just let the bugs get worked out. 10.8 laptop battery issues anyone?
 
This would have never happened with Steve...

...it is truly unbelievable that in less than one year after Steve's passing, Apple already is not Apple anymore. I am a long time fan and user of Apple products (long before all this mainstream stuff) and it is sad to see what is happening.
I don't say the products are not good anymore but they are too mainstream.
Steve would have never wrote such an Email...remember Antenna Gate "You are holding it the wrong way..."
 
Now issue an open letter about the damage of the iPhone 5 out of the box.....

IMHO, that is the bigger issue.
 
Steve had balls. This is just a huge sign of weakness Cook's part, and it looks like the start of a downward spiral similar to when Jobs left the first time, which is too bad because I really enjoy Apple products. If there is anything good that will come of this it is that stakeholders will form an uprising and have Cook outed, and I am all for that.
 
What a lot of fuss over something that actually isn't that bad, and will no doubt be improved quickly anyway :rolleyes:
 
JOHNGAETANO said:
It's shocking to me that the Maps App made it through testing without a red flag going up. This is typical of other companies, but not typical of Apple.

Steve left big shoes to fill at Apple, and it's clear right now that Tim Cook and his employees are enjoying the stock ride up, and forgetting what got Apple to the top to begin with.
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It's not shocking when you keep in mind that Tim Cook is not a product guy. He doesn't have passion for products to not accept mediocrity. Heck, Steve said exactly that in his bio.

I think what needs to happen is Jony Ive needs to become Head of Products. Hardware, software, everything. He is the one guy at Apple who shares Steve Jobs' passion for product and his creative instincts. Oh, and fire Scott Forstall. Tim Cook can stay in as CEO, but Ive will drive the product line and answer to no one.
 
renegad3 said:
Why is your experience more important than mine? Works both ways.

A single inferior app (subjective opinion) does not make an inferior device.
Many people simply don't use a map application at all on a phone (regardless of who's it is), is it still inferior then?

The original poster stated this as fact, which in fact, it is not.
It may be inferior for HIM, or you, but that does not make it inferior for EVERYONE, or me.
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I never said my experience was more important. And I never said an inferior app MAKES an inferior device.

Do you have stats as to how many people do and don't use Maps?

And clearly those that don't aren't affected - so it's a silly question to ask whether or not they would consider the device inferior based on that criteria.

Whether or not it's an inferior app, device, experience, etc is completely up to the individual use case.

That being said - it's clear that there is a segment of iOS6 users that are unhappy. And that coupled with the bad press - Apple is acknowledging that their map solution isn't what they had hoped/wanted at this time.
 
My guess is that Apple will again release some sort of something ala SIRI or Maps that will provide fresh fodder.

Even something like a share price correction could set off lots of bad publicity. What if Sir Jony were to leave the company and set up shop on his own? What if Apple releases a TV that is overpriced and unpolished?

The future will tell us when the time is right.
 
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Tim Cook did what I believe Jobs failed to do, admit and take responsibility when Apple *****d up on something. iOS maps was a disaster and quite frankly a joke since beta. Their arrogance in trying to tell Google how to implement their own app resulted in Apple having to reinvent the wheel when Google had already established and worked on the same thing years in advance.

If Apple were really customer centric, they should suck up their pride, work something out with Google to bring their maps app and turn by turn navigation app to iOS.
 
MonkeySee.... said:
:D See ya
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:mad: hate you

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petsounds said:
Not impressed with Tim's letter. There was no point of action; it was just a lot of sorry, so sorry, please use a competitor product.

It should have been, "You know what? Our new Maps app wasn't ready to launch yet. And so today we are making an update to iOS 6 which puts back the old Maps using Google data until we can present you something we can be proud of, and you will enjoy and delight in. Thank you for keeping us honest."
Click to expand...

i want google back :cool:
 
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