OK. This is probably going to get me flamed on this thread (but click my user ID to see how critical I've been of Apple on this subject in thsi very thread), but....
A) It's obvious to me that Apple really had no practical choice but to develop their own Maps application. They obviously botched the execution of it (and I explain elsewhere here what I'd have done differently) but it is what it is at this point. (Google was not allowing Apple to get full funcionality out of Google maps, and may now be in a position to extort from Apple an ungodly licensing fee, etc).
B) Apple may be arrogant; may have miscalculated badly, and may have not understood how their Map app was failing, but I don't think they are stupid. My guess is (and based upon anecdotal reports) that Apple has made fixing the Maps app situation their top priorioty and are working furiously on it. The problem is that unlike the antenae problem with the iPhoine 4 -- there is no easy quick fix that can be done. It's not a simple ios6 update patch. This will literally take years to fix. There are a few things Apple can do to cut the time down from 5 years to, maybe, 2 (such as buying out Foursquare and Garmin, for example), but that's not going to assuage the millions of Maps users today.
C) I think some of the complaining about the App is (as Steve Wozniak said) really overblown. The stupid complaints about melting buildings, etc. is a 3D rendering issue that has no bearing on the functionality of the app itself, and can be fixed in short order. Better mapping data can be acquired from reliable third party sources in countries where accuracy has been a problem, such as China, India, japan, Europe and Australia. The really hard part is getting all those POI's that Google obtained over the years accurate. One thing Apple could do is make it easy for users to send POI updates in real time via a tweak in the app itself. That will vastly improve the data set and may actually surpass Google. Imagine walking into a new restaurant and sending a quick GPS coded data set to Apple with the name and contact info for the new business. Or, set up an easy system for new businesses to REGISTER with Apple before they even open. Make it a FREE service so that it becomes a standard marketing tool for businesses, etc.
D) In other words, the only way to truly make the Maps application better is for all of us Apple folks to use it, and report problems. In the interim, although it may be inconvenient, we can use alternative maping apps or even a safari google maps link to verify addresses, etc.
At this point, Tim Cook needs to do what Steve Jobs did with the iPhone 4 antenae problems -- hold a press conference and explain the situation. I think if he explains why they went with a native app, and explains what they are doing to address it, and admit that its really in Beta and that the only way it will get better is if people use it, it will help.
Many, many people never thought Microsoft's brand new internet browser, Explorer, woud ever supplant the leader -- Netscape back in the 1990's. But, they eventually did. Apple's maps application will, I predict, in about 2 years be on par with Google's maps for accuracy and points of interest -- except for it won't have the equivalent of street view. That's good enough for me. Street view is cool, but its not a deal breaker. Plus, third party apps will give you that feature. And, they'll eventually Apple will acheive parity with Google. They have enormous resources. In the meantime, we have to make do with what we have and make it better.
Because, frankly, the iPhone 5 is a BETTER device than the Galaxy S III. It's faster, sturdier, and more attractive. iOS 6, other than Maps, seems to be a really nice operating system for it. I'm looking forward to getting my device in a couple of weeks (when the supply problem is fixed).
Message was edited by: philipfromeast lansing
