Q: Apple maps very disappointing

While Apple mends its mistake, why don't we have what we had before ? I bought something that i don't have now.

It's supposed that a new software pretends to get better the previous one and not experimenting on users.

Sphilpot, I am pleased you're not having the same issues as most of us.

Sadly it's not ridiculous when a key functionality that we've been happily using in our business suddenly becomes unusable... The impact on us has been far from ridiculous.

One road on which we have three customers no longer joins up, meaning it routed the driver thirty miles out of his way.

One customer is now apparently situated on the gated access road to a reservoir.  Actually the road his farm is on isn't even marked and is almost a mile away from the reservoir road location. That location is also under cloud, so you can't see the ground in satellite view..

These are just two of many examples.

This is bearable, possibly even funny when you've delivered to a client before and you have a regular driver.

Unfortunately being a seasonal farming business, we rely on casual labour at peak times too, and roughly 30% of all orders are new locations to us.

Any issues with locations from our customer list with the last version of Google Maps?

NONE.

I saw a link to this video and for me what Steve Jobs said really shows how apple have lost sight of who their company really exists for - the end user.  What made them so successful is that they stayed with the principles which Steve Jobs was speaking about in this video, sat beside Bill Gates in 2007.  He recognised that what made apple great and what gained them such a loyal following over the years was that they put themselves in the place of those who they were creating their products for.  He clearly was prepared to recognise that his end users could benifit more by apple building software around the technologies which others could do better.  For that user experice and hardware built to the highest quality and design, tied seemlessly together people, were prepared to pay a premium price - that made them their fortune.  The new apples sense of direction is clearly illustrated by the new maps software.  They have typed in end user and it has come up with location unknown.  It reminds me of the scenario of a business created by a father and handed to his son who just wants the money.

"We're not trying to do a lot of this stuff cause it's not what we do.  We don't think one company can do everything.  So you've got to partner with people that are really good at stuff, like, were not I mean, maybe Microsoft is, is great at search we're not, we're not trying to be great at search so we partner with people that are great at search and eh we don't know how to do maps on the back end we know how to do a great, the best maps client in the world but we don't know how to do the back end so we partner with people that know how to do the back end and what we want to do is to be that eh that consumers device and that consumers experience wrapped around all this information and things we can deliver to them in a wonderful user interface, in a coherent product and so in some cases, you know we have to do more work than others you know in the case of itunes there wasn't a music delivery service that was any good we had to do one so we'll do one but in other cases there's companies doing a way better job because were not as good at this stuff as other people are and we love to partner with them and so you know we selectively do that and em I think it's it's really hard for one company to do everything, life's complex."

Steve Jobs 2007

Sphilpot,

Just two points: In my neighborhood in Tokyo - in fact throughout Tokyo from what I can tell - all the block numbers are missing. That's like leaving out the street names in the U.S. The app is completely unusable. Hardly a ridiculous complain.

The other point it, you need to consider the huge undertaking involved in fixing it. Google has had around 7,000 people working for nearly 10 years on it. This is not a several months, or even a couple of years fix. It will take years for Apple to get to the same level as Google's data... and by then Google will have gotten even further ahead.

Apple simply was not and is not thinking about us, the users.

doug

Well put, Steve Jobs.

Tim Cook - wake up and smell the coffee.

This issue ain't going away.

No apology is going to fix this. Only your decisive action can mitigate the issue.

You need to allow a return path to iOS 5.1.1 for those that want it, while your team get busy on sorting out the mess they have created for your company.

Be brave - take that leap, open the signing window to iOS 5.1.1 and we'll support you.

Otherwise, be prepared to watch your stock price plummet over the next 12 months as your previously loyal customer base goes and finds someone else to be loyal to...

I hope you make the sensible but tough decision that you know will save the day.

Doug,

Well said. Seems like some of the Fanbois have their heads in the sand here. I hope that doesn't include Tim Cook...

Here's one of many reasons why Apple Maps fails for us.

I have at least 50 examples, and am sure I'd find many more.

One of our small shop customers is the Spar Supermarket at Lostock Hall (near Penwortham), PR5 5RX in the UK.

Search for it using the Address and postcode and it helpfully gives you the location.

Here is the Apple Maps version we are supposed to use today in iOS6:

Great - let's go....

Except...

Here is the Map located using iOS 5:

The purple pin is where iOS 6 would send our driver.

It's 19.6 miles away..

Oh, and there is no Spar or supermarket at the purple pin location - just a row of houses.

Please note the address Apple Maps declares and the helpful icon.

It says there's fuel available there, except there is no fuel at either location.

Here is a picture of the real location using the previous iOS 5 Street View showing no petrol pumps..:

One word to describe Apple Maps? :

Cr*p.

Please note I have one precious iPad still on iOS5... that's how we got the screenshots.

All we need is to downgrade all the others to the prior version  - if Apple ever lets us...

Considering all this, I'm really undecided right now about what to do about upgrading to an iPhone 5 or not.

1. It's stupid not to upgrade to something, otherwise my current contract will end up getting renewed for another two years with my slowly dying iPhone 4. This is in Japan, by the way, and the contract renew automatically if you don't quit within a small window, even if you have paid off your handset. My two-year contract expires on October 11th.

2. It seem practical to get the iPhone 5 for a few reasons: upgrading apps, being compatible with iOS for helping my friends and my mother with support, etc.

3. On the other hand, I guess I really don't like the iPhone 5 that much. The way you can't take full screen photos, the purple-color lens problem, the whole maps issue and Apple's attitude towards its customers, the weird iPhone 5 form factor. Then there are the general quality issues I always run into with Apple products. I almost always need to return them for repairs.

4. Even though Android 4.1 is supposed to be really really nice I suspect it's probably not as smooth and organized as iOS.

5. On the other hand Android 4.1 has many more customization options, and the file system works better with apps. There are just more hooks for developers in Android.

6. I think tethering could be useful, and cost saving, but so far I think only free tethering is being offered to iPhone 5 users, by both Softbank and AU (two cell phone companies here in Japan).

7. My contract window for making a change without penalty is from 10/11 to 11/11. Not much time to decide what to do.

8. If I went to the Galaxy S3 I would have to change to yet a different cell company than my current one or AU - DoCoMo. For some reason AU offers the Galaxy S2 but not the S3.

9. If my current iPhone 4 were still ok hardware-wise and if I wasn't about to get locked into another 2 year contract with it I wouldn't mind just sticking with things the way they are now. But it seems dumb to not make some change. The camera is getting really slow on my iPhone 4 and I think that must be a hardware thing too. And there is the flaky home button issue I've had twice now on this phone.

I've considered the heretical thought of actually ending my iPhone 4 contract on October 11th and simply not having a cell phone for a while until something perfect comes along. It's hard to imagine life without a cell phone for the first time in over 20 years, but not impossible. I still would have connectivity on the phone via wifi and actually rarely speak on the phone. When outside it would be inconvenient (the times I really need it), but I've been thinking about it.

Of course in that case I would lose my phone number and also it would cost me more if I switched to AU because the special free-monthly-minimum discount being offered is for people switching over from Softbank.

So many decisions.

I believe that Apple's "update" had devalued my iPhone.

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Hey, at least we know someone at Apple is paying attention

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Sorry your maps didn't work. I have had a great experience with my maps. Turn by turn spoken directions is even compatable with my satellite radio skydock. Sounds just like my Garmin did except for RECALCULATING.

My previous google maps kept telling me to turn as soon as I passed the street. I had to stop just before the upcoming street and wait for the satellite and maps to sync.

now love it!!!

What Apple saying now is simply misleading. The Maps is not a work-in-progress, it is just simply an inferior map service than Google Maps. Period.

Lacking Street view alone is unforgivable. Right, accuracy can be corrected in time. But Apple has no plan whatsoever to reinstate Street View. So don't be fooled by Tim Cook's apology.

Apple should just bring back Google Map as their basic map services including Find my Iphone and Find my Friends.

Listen to your loyal customer Apple or you will loose them one by one!

iphone5 user here from Australia - and I have to agree - the new apple maps are innacurate  - I got lost for 30 minutes last night was my blue location dot drifted around the streets (I was stationary).  The search pin for the bar I was looking for was also incorrectly placed (hence the problem with just using street names).

Would it be possible to release the version of the native google maps that was on ios5 through the app store?

I logged in to app store and was gutted to see a new app collection named 'Find maps for your iphone' with some crazy $40 apps listed there.  This is not a solution, and is more of a kick to the teeth if anything.

Customers are hurting!

I am located in Jackson, Michigan area and notice the new maps are at least two years outdated. They show construction going on that has been completed for over two years now. This map app is totally useless. Guess I will have to try the Google map app. I liked the old maps app. Bring it back, please.