Q: Apple maps very disappointing

There are lots of alternatives... I myself have used Waze and, considering it's a free app, it's quite a good sat nav.

However this is not the point. Not so much for iPhone 5 buyers but for the rest of us we were sold a product with certain functionallity and that functionallity has been removed.

Ok, so we had warning that Apple Maps would be replacing Google Maps but we all expected something of similar (if not better) quality.

Anybody here who works in the IT industry will know that as soon as you have problems with a device the supplier will ask "is it running the latest OS with the latest patches", if you say no they will say "Come back when you've upgraded it" and we would probably expect the same of Apple and this is one of the reasons why we upgrade. As I've mentioned before, I'm still seething over the loss of Bluetooth functionallith with iOS 5. I'm still trying to get Apple to respond to my complaints but it's not enough to make me want to throw away an otherwise fantastic phone and if Google come up with a map product anywhere near as good as their Youtube replacement I'll be more than happy with that.

Well, I entered Weymouth (in the UK) - it's a seaside resort and port on the south coast in the county of Dorset. Not an obscure place - has things like ferries. Apple's maps gave me a field in Staffordshire, about 200 miles north, and maybe 50 miles from the coast.

Not an issue, though. It wasn't totally obscured by cloud, for one thing. I mean, I could see the field, hedges and everything. Nor was it hopelessly pixellated (unlike, say, Stafford itself) - as I said, I could see the field nice and sharp. Wonder about the ferries, but hey-ho, there you go.

@jomfromdaleville

irregardless, the facts are the same. Apple refused to relicense google maps, and Google has confirmed there is no ios6 google maps app submitted to itunes, and they have no intention to create one.

there will be no google maps for ios 6 anytime in the near future

It seems to work really fine as a voice navigation tool in Singapore. Only problem so fare is that I entered a street name and it found a street in another country. I had to specify the country next to the street name to get the correct street. I think its a great navigation tool, at least in SIngapore.

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

ios6 has more issues than just the horrible maps app. (i.e., constant crashes)

personally i have already downgraded my devices back to ios5

ios6 *****

I've had zero problems with iOS6 other than Maps on my iPhone 4. I did have an initial problem connecting to wifi, but that problem was solved when I rebooted my network settings on the phone.

My guess is that you have some incompatible apps on your device that are causing crashes.

This is good solution if you are simply using the map, but I often use the maps integrated with another app, like Around Me or Car2go.  Especially with car2go, the limitations show themselves loud and clear because of the lack of transit information in Apple's maps.  When you use car2go (which is an on street car rental service in a number of cities) you are often using that in conjunction with public transportation. 

What Apple needs to do is to allow google maps back in as an option, which includes allowing google maps as the map app used by other apps.  Perhaps this could be configured by app, so if you are ok with Apple maps for certain functions, then knock yourself out. 

What Apple has done is a real disservice and causes real aggravation for the traveler.

Apple should refocus on great products and making sure the customer experience is always top notch.  Apple has taken some risks taking away features that on hind sight were going obsolete anyway, like floppy drives, but this is a real step backwards this time.

What do you mean loss of bluetooth functionality?

My bluetooth functionality has been great with iOS5 and 6?

"What Apple needs to do is to allow google maps back in as an option, which includes allowing google maps as the map app used by other apps.  Perhaps this could be configured by app, so if you are ok with Apple maps for certain functions, then knock yourself out."

That's what I said. Allow people to select Google Maps as their default mappig application on the device.

But...

A) That requires Google doimng a new iOS 6 version of Google Maps, and...

B) Potentially cripples Apple Maps because the only way Apple Maps gets better is if people actually use it.

"Waiting on my 32GB S3 in the mail. A least nobody will take apps away or dictate what apps I need."

Hopefully, no one will remote retore your S III and screw up your phone.

You wont get flamed by me. Among the wailing and gnashing of teeth that is a very balanced analysis. If Apple are going to continue to deliver the best mobile platform they will have to make some hard decisions to ensure they control their own destiny.

Letting Google dominate the mapping space unchallenged would cost us all in the long term.

But the Apple Board will have to work hard to convince the doubters to stay on board while they get their offering up to par. Lets hope they invest their billions aggressively to catch up as quickly as possible.

You must have a different version of Maps to me. "Weymouth" takes me straight to Weymouth.  Are you sure of your spelling?

I work at Nokia's Map division. Have any of you tried the Web Map on http://m.maps.nokia.com?

I've seen how good it works on iPads.

@yaric, take a look at the Poznan airport here: http://nok.it/N3StT Looks pretty right.

@Fabin, What is the name of your business? Did you try to search here http://nok.it/NAxNg?

@tstoelz, I found the sat images over Dusseldorf to be pretty good here http://nok.it/GFfVg.

phillipfromest lansing - my problem is an "old" Nokia Hands Free car kit. Works perfectly with every other Bluetooth enabled phone I have (including a brand new Blackberry and brand new HTC) but since upgrading from iOS 4 won't display network, battery or call info from the iPhone.

The answer from the "genius" was to get Nokia to upgrade the firmware to make it compatible... despite it being a non-upgradable model and despite it working with everything else on the market. I just can't seem to persuade them otherwise.

The "feedback" link on the Apple website just gets a wall of silence.

I wouldn't mind but it's wired into the car audio and wasn't cheap and while I can still make and receive calls I just can't justify buying a new one.