Apple is taking a lot of heat over the release of the iPhone 5 and its corresponding operating system, iOS 6. The screen is too small. The sales, too few. It lacks NFC. The complaints go on and on.
Outcry is strongest over the new Apple Maps application, which replaces Google Maps. While it has its flaws, the outsized reaction to Apple Maps comes more from media hype and unrealistically high expectations than any severe problem. Like the uproar over “Antenna Gate” in 2010, we’ll soon forget all about it.
Why we’re reacting
I am not saying that a reaction wasn’t warranted. As a longtime iPhone user, maps always has been one of my most-used and most-enjoyed features. Whether looking for a coffee shop downtown or planning a trip cross country, ubiquitous mapping has fundamentally improved my life. It’s like having an extra sense, and I would be lost — literally — without it. I’m sure many iPhone users agree.
The redesign of an app so important to so many would have drawn attention even if it brought improvements to the experience. The widespread use of Maps is one reason there have been so many complaints about the application. We are never so vocal as when we are dissatisfied, and many, many people are dissatisfied right now.
We’re used to seeing high-quality experiences from Apple. There is dramatic tension in the idea that Apple may have made a miscue.
That dramatic tension is also the reason that news coverage of the Maps app has been so thorough. As Donald Murray wrote in Writing For Your Readers: Notes on the Writers Craft from The Boston Globe:
The experienced writer sees the world through the lens of language, and that lens captures the tension between forces in the world that will produce a story.
This tension may make for a good story, but it’s precisely the reason that we are all overreacting.
Why we’re overreacting
Described in these pages as “mediocre to bad” and by The Guardian as Apple’s “first significant failure in years,” Apple must be feeling the heat from this wrong turn. A spokesperson’s recent claim that Apple is “just getting started” and Tim Cook’s recent apology indicate that Apple is sensitive to these complaints.
With some of the most skilled design and engineering talent in the world, Apple has the capacity to fix Maps. Critically, Apple should also have the motivation to fix Maps — something it lacked with the Podcasts app, which remains garbage nearly two months after I first complained about it.
Reactions to Maps have been so severe that Apple must turn more of its attention to fixing Maps, and spokespeople claim it is. Reports that Apple is recruiting Google Maps contractors also support this view. If Apple is motivated to fix Maps, improvements should occur more rapidly than we’ve seen for Podcasts.
The core feature set for map applications is fairly consistent. All Apple must do is ape its competitors offerings and add in Apple’s traditional fit and finish – complaints will cease. This will require Apple to make large improvements in the geographic data that Maps is based on, but there are indications that this is already happening. It will be no small feat to develop a mapping database on par with Google’s, but Apple is one of the most valuable companies in history (at least when it comes to market cap). I wouldn’t put anything beyond its reach.
The long game
Reactions to Apple’s Maps remind me of responses to Microsoft’s Surface and Twitter’s tighter API restrictions earlier this year. There is an important similarity in all of these stories: They are all aggressive plays by companies in long-term markets.
We are only now in year three of tablet computer use, and it’s clear already that tablets will be a (or even the) dominant computing form factor of the next five to ten years. Microsoft saw the writing on the wall, and is now working to bring its own tablets to market. Microsoft makes enough money with Windows and Office to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into Surface and improve it iteratively over the next several years. These initial tablets are the first step on that path. With the first Surface tablets, it’s less important that they be good, and more important that they simply be, so that they can be better after further development.
Twitter is also in it for the long haul, and wants to be a dominant media company for years to come. Though they took a lot of flack from developers and pundits over tighter API rules announced in August, these changes ultimately give Twitter more control over the end user experience for their product. Further, as Molly McHugh wrote for Digital Trends:
There are lots of pundits saying that only the geekiest of Twitter users will be upset by these changes; the tech scene watchers for who Twitter has become a pulse. But I think those analysts are underestimating the social impact Twitter has started to have.
This is the fifth year of popular use of Twitter. Though this seems to be a bad short-term move, if Twitter is still popular in five or ten years, this will only have been a minor bump in the road.
Maps is also an important long-term play for Apple. Apple does not want to be dependent on any other technology company — least of all Google, with which Cupertino has an ever-warming cold war. Though Apple Maps is bad right now, it frees Apple from dependence on Google maps. This is painful for iPhone users, but it’s necessary pain. It could also be temporary pain. If Apple Maps is significantly improved six months from now, this glitchy release will only be a humorous memory.
Remember Antenna-Gate?
Pundits and tech media railed against Apple in similar style during the “Antenna Gate” fiasco following the launch of the iPhone 4. But how much does the famous “iPhone 4 Death Grip” matter today? Hardly. It doesn’t even matter to me, and I actually own an iPhone 4 that will drop calls if I hold it wrong without a case. You know what? I love my iPhone 4.
Maps seems to be the new Antenna Gate, all the way down to drawing a reaction from Apple’s CEO. The most recent development in this story, occurring just before my deadline, was Cook’s release of a statement that Apple is “extremely sorry for the frustration” that Maps has caused. This is the clearest indicator so far that Apple is aware of the Maps problem and moving to deal with it. Cook closed his note with the following:
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Now that Cook is on the case, I am even more confident Maps will be addressed quickly.
However, if Maps isn’t updated, and is instead neglected like Apple’s awful Podcasts app? Well, then I’ll really be worried.
The Usual, one dimensional ‘everything is ok with Apple’ idiots, ‘it just works’
It’s simple, get it right, and get it right first time. When you introduce a product, and one which is central to many different services you can get on a ‘smart-phone’ these days, you have to make sure it runs, and runs perfectly before you take away the application it was designed to replace. Logic? well, maybe, but Apple knows it’s minions will defend it to the hilt. Let’s face it, there is nothing more stupid than arguing against fact!
Apple, screwed up, fact, it didn’t test it’s product, fact – many people who rely on maps, will be disappointed in Apple, like me.
I went from a perfectly good iPhone 4 to a product that doesn’t even know my town exists, yes, the iPhone 5. Not good enough, it’s also not good enough to say we are ‘overreacting’ – did you mean the many people who have had to fork out a lot of money on this device, let alone sign into (most cases) 24 month contracts. Your article in that respect, or at least the title, is almost childlike.
Funnily, it reminds me of the cock up Nokia made, the N97 embarrassment, when they didn’t listen to their customers, and lost many. In the end, Apple better start listening and sorting this mess out, or many people wont return to their products, and in a world where tech and innovation now seem to be passing Apple by, it better looking at Nokia for a clue….
the Apple Maps app isn’t that bad- but there had to be something to complain about.
Most of the people railing against Apple’s map app have never actually used it. I have. I love it. Ask Siri how to get somewhere, and you get precise, turn-by-turn directions. My advice: Read fewer hater blogs; decide for yourself.
502 bad gateway.
why is everyone tryng to compare apple maps with google maps cast your mind back to when google first launched their TBT maps takes time to ingest probe data same as voice recognition The bbc should be ashamed at casting assertions of relative map quality but then again what Dya expect from a Socialist mouthpiece?
502 bad gateway.
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why is everyone tryng to compare apple maps with google maps cast your mind back to when google first launched their TBT maps takes time to ingest probe data same as voice recognition The bbc should be ashamed at casting assertions of relative map quality but then again what Dya expect from a Socialist mouthpiece?
If you also recall, Google maps was released as a Beta in their “Labs”. It was not put out there as a finished product. They had the good sense to announce it as “Hey, look at what we’re working on. Give it a try and give us feedback.” A far cry from Apple who dumped a perfectly good system and forced everyone to use a beta version. Then to add insult to injury, Apple bundled it into an “UPGRADE” operating system. No there is no true comparison to the birth of Google Maps. Google did it correctly, Apple did it for spite against Google and ended up screwing it’s loyal customers. Brilliant!
Yikes the latest gossip and I guess its just gossip, Google is removing all of its service from IOS and Windows for a 12 month period. YouTube, Google Maps and Google search etc…Will this hurt or help Google in the long run?
Think outside of the box. Advance travelling data can be built with US Postal Services.
US Postal Services can push and lower the costs of promotion for local small businesses, emergence services, and school board services instead of for those International Corporations which only have overseas cheap labor walking manual supports.
Users communities should help each other to take back these huge services’ capital back to their own local communities.
I don’t want turn-by-turn navigation. I’d have bought a navigation app if I’d have wanted that. I want maps. I want maps that look cartographically decent, have accurate data, and are rich in content. At the minute I don’t have any of those. And that’s where Apple Maps falls far, far short of expectations.
Google took a long time to create decent looking maps. It through its weight behind driving everywhere to capture StreetView images, and set them in the right place using terrestrial LiDAR. And most of all, it linked its own Search products (that it became initially famous for) to maps. Apple has done none of these, and I don’t see how it will.
Apple Maps, unfortunately, will never be as good as Google Maps at searching for points of interest, which is a shame. It might get ‘somewhere else’ if it refines the cartography into something that looks good. But at the minute it isn’t. And for a company that designs ‘beautiful things’, it’s way, way off the mark.
Have you tried Google Earth? It might be your cup of tea…
Yep. Many times, and for years. It’s not what I want though – I want a 2D rendition that’s quick. Not 3D mapping.
You have a web browser on your phone. Go to Google Maps. Problem solved.
I live in Australia and I’ve used Apples new maps a few times now. It’s worked fine here for me. I’m loving the new phone. It’s fast and smooth, as with all technology the software starts to catch up with the processor so faster processing is always a welcome update. I guess many “nobodies” get their 15mins of fame by jumping on the negative bandwagon. Good luck to them…
Hmmm, Australia, one road around the island one road out to the big rock in the middle… That shouldn’t be to hard for a mapping application. ( Sorry we don’t hear much about your ” island” other than you get England’s criminals and have a cool Opera House, oh yeah and the big rats that stand on their back legs and are use in boxing matches.) PS Holden (GM) hot rods are tight! ;) Hope you can take a joke mate! Gi day, off to make a veggimite sandwich.
Now for a real question, Are there any cellphones that have been designed and/or produced by Australian companies that might be available for sale in the West? We hear bits about OS other than Apple, Android and Windows but not very much and nothing from countries other than America.
1bmwdrvr1, you missed one road, it runs north to south!…hehe.. And no, no ground breaking smartphones from this part of the world. Besides the Hills hoist, our only other claim to fame is WiFi..
We do have a couple of insignificant “start ups” like the cochlear implants, In vitro fertilisation, the Tank, refrigerator… No real life changing ideas, like the iPhone or S3 as it would seem…
WELL, let’s see , so you make it so they can have kids without any “input” on our part, then a device so we can’t turn a deaf ear to them while we are getting another beer out of the fridge:.. Then to top it off you make email/text available everywhere so we can’t say we didn’t have any change for the payphone when we are late getting home on Saturday nights…Good thing you made a tank for us to hide out in! Obviously (I tried ) to jest but it is too bad we don’t hear more about your Country. We are quite self absorbed… Old guys like me have to rely on Maps/Earth and similar programs to learn about far off lands. Thank you for having a sense of humor…
I don’t consider myself old, however when I was 21 I would have said so!.. Old enough to roll with the punches as they say.. I see there’s no putting one over you, you have it all worked out!… Only one thing, “they” get the beer for us!.. I can say that here, “she” doesn’t read “this” forum…haha
I have traveled but not made it to the States, will get there one day. My wife’s a Newfie so Canada’s a regular family visit, we have a wedding next July in Leading Tickles, Newfoundland (no idea where they got a name like Leading tickles!) I would like to fly in via LA but we’ve heard it takes 2 days to get through customs these days..lol Seriously, who can blame them for that heh?. We have good friends in Washington who we’d love to visit for a year or two!.. As far as maps go, who ever thought we’d have the technology we have now 20 years ago, it astounds me daily!
I grew up , long ago, spending summers in Hollywood at my eccentric Great Aunts home in the Hills and can say with only a slight exaggeration that if you visit “LA” don’t venture out after dark unless you are quite sure where you are headed… If you don’t mind spending a big of dough, it can still be fun but heaven help you if SIRI guides you into Compton after dark. I don’t care what “color” you are… I quit flying into LAX because of the issue you mentioned, TSA agents are , it seems, gleaned from the bottom of the barrel and taught to be surly! I am sure there are areas in the ” land down under” that are dangerous but South Central LA is known for it’s drive-by rate , robbery rate and that’s just by the Police! Best to enjoy Canada, everyone is nice there! If SIRI steers you wrong in Canada you might just get invited in for dinner…
Good Lord!. Maybe we’ll stick to Sydney-Vancouver direct!… Here in Australia we get alot of U.S kids shows / Sitcoms / movies etc. most Aussies know more about U.S history that their own!,, It’s a fact..haha
Australia has it’s share of “no goes after dark” but I like to think the world is mostly a good place. We live just north of Newcastle which is about 2 hours north of Sydney. It’s a nice part of the world and considered country area. We’re shielded by the big city happenings to an extent. The media would have you believe the world is rotten, but that’s their job I guess..
I haven’t played around with SIRI alot as yet. This thing called work keeps getting in the way of having fun!
I appreciate having shared a few words with a soul on the other side of the planet. I hope you get to enjoy your new “toy/tool” and that it is really fun, as well as functional . Although I don’t know you at all, I think that we might have more in common than not. I am quite the “noob” and constantly amazed by technology. ( If not a bit freaked out at times…) Best wishes from the “Left Coast” CHEERS!
I too live in Australia in Melbourne and Apple Maps is complete garbage. 3 times in just a week ive been taken to wrong location regarding street numbers, each time at least 500 meters off target. And once been taken down dead end road, this is all in the most developed part of central Melbourne. And then for many of my contacts, it simply can not locate them. Having used google maps for a few years as probably what many would refer to as a “power user”, i dont ever recall google maps taking me to wrong destination. Apple maps to me is a complete turd.
For all the whiners out there, simply wait a month and Google maps will be available for your iPhone again. Problem solved.
No clue as to whether it will have voice turn by turn directions, because the previous map software didn’t, but you will have your precious app and all will be good in the world again. You get a new iPhone and Google maps. Back to happiness :)
The Google maps app won’t integrate with other applications that request a map view. Problem not solved.
This article reeks of Yellow Journalism. Why would a hack make excuses for a company that knowingly foisted a bad product on consumers? They could have called it a beta issue, but that would have been the truth. Shame on you, Apple and DT…
Yellow journalism isn’t limited to articles…
So Apple knowingly foisted a bad product? You must not know Apple too well. This company controls what the media gets for review, and has been known to scrap software and features literally the day before launch if they feel like it would not meet consumer expectations. I truly believe they simply made a mistake here.
And have you tried the new Maps app? It really isn’t that bad. It’s not like Google maps for the iPhone had turn-by-turn directions in the first place. I would say that’s a major error on Google’s fault.
I think we simply traded one set of problems for another with the map apps. And yes, you are probably overreacting a little to this. Just like the article states :)
BTW, what model BMW do you drive? I love BMW’s. Have owned a couple myself.
Sorry I took so long to reply. Pretty much as pictured in the “avatar” I once chose and that seems to show up on its own. With a few + tweaks you can’t see, “tower brace”, “intake box” and “cat-back exhaust”… I don’t drive much anymore, I hate traffic and the way we seemed to have lost our sense of courtesy. I have lost my faith in my fellow driver and now drive, mostly, out of necessity, my spirited romps are generally in the wee hours or just as dawn breaks. This Isn’t optimal for me as my eyes are older and it seems many of the drivers I do encounter at that hour, are intoxicated.. . You say Apple has acted differently in the past, I believe you, but Steve is dead. The new Apple seems to be focused on pushing product before quality control. I find it difficult to believe Steve would have allowed this but he was one man and I also hate to think that he knew about conditions in the factories. Apple is fat with dough on the backs of third world workers… I would like to see Google pull all its services including YouTube and Google search from IOS until an agreement could be reached to quit bickering and provide, at least American consumers, the fruit of American technology, without restraint.
This is not trading one set of problems for another. Google maps worked, period. Perhaps there are other bells and whistles you prefer to simple navigation, but many users of google maps used it for the primary purpose of accurately locating a destination. Apple maps is completely and utterly unreliable for this purpose. To downplay the importance of this function is trying to pull a carl rove on us.
Iphone WAS a perfect product that worked amazingly well and integrated all function perfectly. Now, in one simple upgrade for my iphone 4s, it has lost a lot of its shine and probably tarnished irrevocably my relationship with apple. If they are forcing this turd on me now what in the future?
For more than 10 years, the majority of my electronic purchases have been apple products, which i love and the products always seem to have been made with the consumers interest at heart. That sounds like a marketing slogan in its worst form, but really, that was MY personal experience. This so called upgrade is nothing of the kind. Ive never looked at jailbreaking, as the iphone always seemed complete to me. Hoping that the jailbreak community can solve this problem for me, and im nearly certain they will. Would even be sweet if google produced an app solely for the jailbreak store.
Anyone thinking of upgrading your ios5, dont if you even sometimes use google maps. Apple maps is not worthy of your time and apple doesnt deserve your crowd-sourcing information as a result of how badly they have treated their loyal fanbase on this issue.
Funny thing is I’ve been in Hawaii for the past week on vacation. I’ve had to rely on Maps every single day to navigate the island to very remote places. So far it has been 100% flawless for me. I’m really not sure what all the complaints are about. In fact, I think the interface is superior to Google’s.
Why you people are overreacting? It’s because you guys ran out to buy a phone that you didn’t need, and you’re just starting to realize it. Your Iphone 4 or even 3 works just fine and you spent all that money for (lets be honest here) not much of an upgrade. You’re quietly fuming at your own susceptibility to marketing and this map app thing came along at just the right time. Down with whatever the heck made you buy this phone! (Because you can’t possibly be responsible for your own actions right? Right?)
the iphone 5 is a huge upgrade from the 4s. To me it’s an even bigger upgrade than the 4 was from the 3.
iphone 4 and 3 works just fine. don’t see the need to upgrade YOUR possessions based on the company’s product schedule. if you really want a product on the company’s schedule then don’t complain when that schedule is meant to bolster the falling bottom line instead of making your world better. if it did make your world better, then don’t complain about it.
im not complaining. Like I said, I consider it a huge upgrade and its one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
Agreed, Bojin is not making any sense.
Maybe learn to read?
Ummm don’t tell me what phone to buy. Obviously you do not own an iPhone or you would see that the iPhone 5 is a big upgrade over the previous phones. You can now have turn by turn navigation, Siri voice control, panoramic picture taking etc. You CANNOT get those with the iPhone 4 or 4G because they are not powerful enough for those apps.
As always, the ones who whine the loudest are the ones who don’t own the product!… Now who was it who’s “quietly fuming?”…. I’ve said it for years, the ones that whine about the iPhone the most, don’t own one!.. Maybe, just maybe, deep down inside they are struggle to justify why they didn’t buy an iPhone!
Wow Scotty, hey how’s that lack of reading skill working for you in life? I’m laughing at you retards for buying a phone and expecting the world. If you’re not satisfied with a product because you couldn’t wait a few months to make sure it works like the way you want it, it’s YOUR fault, not Apples.
If you’re happy with your product then don’t complain. Jumping on the band wagon to buy something and then jumping on the band wagon to complain about the product shows an absolute lack in common sense and self control. I pity anyone who has to have any interaction with you in real life.
Bojin, you seem to like that “learn to read” comment yes?.. I’m not complaining, I’m as happy (as you have alluded too) a PIG in mud!.. For myself, the last 2 upgrades have been based on 1. My two year mobile contract had expired 2. I “personally” like to keep up with new technology. Weird huh… Given the size of the worlds population, that puts in the a minority group of over 5 Million souls… Unbelievable but true! What I am starting to realise is I’ve upgraded to a great product..
Nailed it.
Bojin nailed it.
Maps is part of iOS 6 and is available to all phones that can utilize it, not just the iPhone 5. I would suggest you take your own advice.
ENOUGH WITH THE STUPID MAPS ALREADY!!!!!!!!
Wow – this certainly seems to be an article engineered to draw readership by presenting an opposing view, as opposed to acknowledging the facts that hundreds of thousands of iOS map users have been making. You have succeeded. Too bad as this will potentially cast a shadow on the credibility of every other thought you put forth.
How is that? You make no sense.
I think if Apple hadn’t been so arrogant about their products, making them out to be such “mind blowing” technological marvels that maybe people might not have been so critical. The way I see it, Apple did this to itself. Especially the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. They are just product tweaks and still lagging behind Android. As a company, Apple should know better than to push out a product before it is ready and they were clearly not ready. So don’t go and give Apple a pass on this fiasco because they created it and if you pay that much for the phone from a company that calls itself a technological innovator, the damn phone had better work. And as for the scratches on the case, Really? We should just say it’s okay because the material it is made of is prone to it? Really? Supposed your BMW had a bunch of scratches when they delivered it to you brand new to drive home. Would you be so happy to just let it go because it’s a BMW? I doubt it.
The best comment on this Applegate
It actually was/is a jewel. And it didn’t have a scratch when new. However, now I wear my stone chips and scratches with pride as they remind me of many a nearly super sonic romp! I bought it for the motor and suspension but expected flawless paint. I bought my phone for the dual core processor and memory and operating system but expected a flawless screen. A screen protector its a must so I can use a minimal case, scratches on the body are irrelevant… A funky nav. system in my car would have brought a trip to the dealer!
Something that commands a premium price should be made from premium materials, have a premium finish, and premium performance. If the case Apple used is “prone to scratches” maybe it’s not the right material to use for a phone that is supposed to look pretty. Also, if you were interested in the guts, you wouldn’t have bought an iPhone.
In my particular case, the new Apple Maps has left all the block numbers off the maps here in Tokyo. This is the same as leaving the street names off the maps in the U.S. And Tokyo is not exactly some backwater rural area.
This simply makes Apple Maps 100% useless for finding places. I don’t think it’s reasonable to ask the users to report every missing block number in some crowd-sourcing effort. That doesn’t make any sense. Apple took a working product of theirs, which used Google’s data, and turned it into a non-working product.
The satellite views are also undeniably worse and blurrier than the Googe data version. I own a house in St. Louis and with the old apps could see it clearly, but now I can’t even make out my block with Apple Maps. Again, this is not something that crowd-sourcing can help with.
I don’t see how Apple can ever catch up to be honest. Google has spent nearly 10 years using a staff reaching 7,000 people to create their database. Even if Apple spends years to get to Google’s current level Google will have moved on to an even more complete database. Apple has to admit it can’t do everything and try to cooperate with Google. Their spat is not in the best interest of their users. None of us care one whit which company gets the traffic and pulls in usage data. No ordinary user cares if Apple “wins” this battle or not. Why should we? We just want working Maps.
And I don’t even care if there is voice control or turn-by instructions or some of these other esoteric things. I just want to be able to follow the blue ball and find the shop, or where I’m meeting my friend. And slipping into street view so I can actually see where I am and get my bearings.
But all I see now are huge empty outlines, which are useless. The complaints are all justified.
In Naha, I don’t have the same problem. The block numbers are not written anywhere in the streets, so naturally they don’t appear on the iOS6 Maps.app. They did on the Google version, but, as I say in Okinawa it’s meaningless. The biggest problem here is Japan, I think. It’s about time they ditched their X Chome Y Banchi system that no one understands, gave the streets names and numbers, in line with the rest of the planet.
But there is an added bonus with the new Maps. For some reason, I can use it on my WiFi only iPad. Works as car navigation – brilliant, and free!
They’ve implemented true offline maps? Interesting. Not really unique (Nokia Maps has had it since the Symbian days, and most third-party GPS software rely on it), but interesting nevertheless.
Also, Apple Maps rely on TomTom data. It’s quite accurate in and of itself (I have a TomTom GPS that’s dead accurate, though it can have odd routing issues once in every while), which means Apple definitely screwed up somewhere.
That being said, it’s kinda useless if it’s not accurate and continuously getting you lost.
Doesn’t get me lost at all.
In fact, I prefer it because the display is much simpler. Doug bemoaned the fact that they’ve taken off the block markers, but they made it confusing for me.
I’m very happy with it as it is.
weird that was in response to doug lerner
wow replying on this website is bizarre lol
Apple implemented true offline maps? Interesting. Not exactly unique (Nokia Maps has had it since the Symbian days, and third-party GPS software rely on this to work), but nevertheless, interesting.
Also, Apple maps rely on TomTom data, which in and of itself is quite accurate (I have a TomTom GPS that works quite well), which means that Apple definitely screwed up somewhere.
1) You could have waited until you knew you would like the phone before purchasing it. 2) You can use a GPS for the time being. 3) You can buy another phone. 4) Move to Kyoto where they are using street names. 5) You look old enough to realize that you’re actually spoiled by how well the previous iPhone works. Unfortunately a lot of that has to do with the innovator at the helm at the time.
I had to register to this site so that I could comment on this article. Let me get this straight. Apple, the most successful and richest company in the history of the world, with a reputation of producing products of the highest quality releases one of the worst maps ever, and this writer blames the media and consumers for over-reacting? SMFH.
Louie Herr: you are a flipping moron. Peace.
It’s funny watching you Apple fanbois cry. Been telling you guys for months to wait before getting the iPhone 5 since its board members (read fiduciary responsibility (read bottom line)) in charge now instead of an innovator. You’re really actually pissed at yourself for having ‘faith’ in a company. Hey wake up call pal! Companies are there to make money off you. You keep buying crap; they’ll keep selling it. Take responsibility for yourself.
Well stated, but the chances of tossers with nothing to show for their miserable lives, except a shiney new iphone, will give mum back her credit card, move out of their parent’s basement bedroom, get a real job and a real life any time soon.
So, according to this author, it’s completely okay for a consumer tech company to knowlingly overpromise on a core feature for months (since they announced the beautiful Maps at WWDC in June), wait for the first week of sales to go by, then apologize and change the wording on the website to lower expectations. Meanwhile, we should pat Tim Cook & Scott Forstall on the back for being so honest all of a sudden. Sure.
Tell me about it. This writer is a fanboi.
from my point of view, you’re the fanboi. a chimp could have saw this coming with the way the company turned after Jobs died.
Yeah it’s not a big deal at all, and it’s not like Apple was claiming it was the best most powerful mapping service in the history of ever. Oh, wait………
I can’t imagine Jobs would have permitted this fiasco, even if you consider it small. He obsessed over the tiniest of details. There is the story that he called the CEO of some company about how the color of that company’s logo looked on the iPhone.
Even if this problem really is small, it is something that impacts the user in a public and noticeable way. He was all about a smooth user experience. And this problem is not that.
Yes, blame the consumer for a new product being rushed to market when it clearly was not ready.
You know what *is* a big deal? That a freaking SLAVE REVOLT took place at the Foxconn plant in China where they’re making these, and all of us pusillanimous yuppie Americans are just rehashing our little masturbatory debates about Apple fanboys and stock prices and how pretty the UI is/isn’t. We’re all saving our paychecks to line up and buy these things so that like 10 people in California can be rich as kings and a communist oligarchy can stay in power in Beijing. Meanwhile wages in America haven’t gone up in a generation and the richest company in the world is barely hiring in its own supposed country. Nauseating.
Be careful, your dose of reality may be a bit much for the pathetic little pre-pubescent fangirls to deal with.
According to paid carriers, it is obvious that it is your faults if Apple failed. When you are at fault, you, not Apple, must pay because if you want Apple pay, they’re businessmen, their businesses will bankrupt. If Apple wants you to pay, their business profit. Your loss is insignificant because you’re insignificant.
OK. They are challenging your intelligence to see if you’re really insignificant. What can you do that they’re now just some greedy businessmen?
I very much like my iPhone 4S and do not plan to upgrade anytime soon. This article is a ridiculous Apple apologist babble. Apple should not have released the new phone nor operating system if it was not ready. Apple deserves every complaint it gets. MAPS are vitally important.
Then upgrade to iOS6 and get down with all of the improvements, Google Maps gone, iOS 6 draining the battery of 4′s and 4s’s. It sounds wonderful.
I’ll second that!.. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t listen to the negativity, they’re jealous…. Hehe
Everyone thinks Apple users are douche bags because of articles like this. You really think the phone not working if you’re holding it wrong isn’t a big deal? I use Maps + Navigation on my S3 constantly. I use those apps alone more than I use the telephone features. So, yeah, it’s a big deal when Apple makes a phone with a half-baked map app that doesn’t even work.
Agree completely.
Don’t buy everything that comes out on the day that it comes out. How about that?
Nick, it does work and will only improve. Take your own advise, don’t listen to the crap!
Question, does it “just work”?
Pedestals ain’t they a b%tch?
Apple users gain woop ass maps! It’s all quite simple really. Apple sponsors an event called “walk for an apple” (or bike or drive). Apple donates a certain amount of money to charity, say up to $10 a person, for people to go out on a nice sunny day and take pictures of roads, walkways, landmarks in general – with their iphone. The data the iphone sends back to apple from this will quickly outdo anything google has put together. Plus you can get actual local input and color. If the app had feedback so users could see which areas are well covered and which areas are virgin it becomes sort of a geocaching game.
If it was another phone, everyone that owns an iPhone would be writing about its defects, but because it’s Apple, oh, its no big deal, it will get better, next year it will be the best map, etc. One of the richest companies and all you get is an apology. Nokia had a small network issue and they gave $100 credit to their customers. And that’s from a “struggling” company. I’m an iPhone 4 user and I think 5 is a waste of money. This year it’s going to be the Nokia 920 or the Galaxy S3 for me.
Apple Appologist [sic] at his finest. Probably on the payroll as well. We don’t need this garbage. “Most valuable company on the world” — that means something: people THINK you have the most value. It is a gamble. If you don’t deliver, that challenges the assumptions. So suck up and take it. It is a disaster.
if you live in a big city like Hong Kong – correct maps are crucial to navigating the cities MTR labyrinth. Apple Maps does not identify the multitude of exits from the MTR stations which are critical in pointing one in the right direction. I’ve been waiting more than a year to get my first smart phone and was so excited about the iphone 5 release. I’ve decided to get an Android as accurate maps are crucial to getting around in this city.
Wo even replaces their phone battery anymore? Lol. Is that a feature?
Wo even replaces their phone battery anymore? Lol. Is that a feature?
LOL, with the iPhones, who can replace a battery? Before I switched to iPhone I always carried an extra battery, now I carry a charger where ever I go.
The new map app is almost rubbish, here in London I can’t find shops and companies as I could with the google app. The map is not precise and when you live in a big city it is a real problem. I do not mind about 3D, but they should need a lot of time to fix all and populate the database, it is not something that can happen in a couple of months. IOS 6 is for premium products as Iphone and Ipad where the user’s experience is great and this kind of fault is not acceptable for so pricey products.
Why is it when Apple make colossal errors, its okay!
When Apple admited tracking and logging data, its okay!
When Apple customer data is breached, its okay!
When microsoft, Google or any other company have a slight bump in the road then all hell breaks loose!
If the iphone 5 and maps program was brought out by any other company then it would be slammed, but because its Apple and apple followers must not say anything against their idols, its okay!
Gone I think are the days when people bought Apple products beccause they were “GREAT”, now they’re barely mediocre to okay!
The iphone and maps data IS a big deal to all, but the devoties. Others phones are superior at the moment and hence more attractive to the non Apple cult like members.
the Apple Maps app isn’t that bad- but there had to be something to complain about.
I’ve given this a lot of thought. The immediacy of the Twittersphere, blogosphere, the punditry ivory tower today is such that without a thorough review, companies and ideas are immediately tried and found guilty. The loser is often the truth and facts.
Take for example the recent Twitter Bacon Hysteria of 2012. In case you missed it, the end of times is apparently upon us, as a report that a shortage of grain might lead to a decline in the number of pigs in Europe, which people quickly and incorrectly concluded would lead to bacon shortages. Wrong. But the Twittershere went berserk in seconds.
Antennagate. Flawed research by Consumer Reports was immediately amplified by bloggers, in turn picked up by PR forces hostile to Apple and spoon fed to the financial and mainstream media. Drowned out amid the hysteria was information that repudiated Consumer Reports’ incorrect assertions.
We have become a world focused on immediate satisfaction. Perfection is assumed. So when a false rumor about the iPhone 5 having NFC makes the rounds, expectations are set. Then, when the real iPhone 5 doesn’t have NFC, bloggers and pundits over-react and sentiment turns negative. But the entire affair was based on rumor and not fact, never mind that NFC is neither standardized by payment processors nor in wide use. The pundits are never wrong, nor are they accountable.
Not long ago, a Swedish research firm planted a false rumor deliberately about the iPhone specifically to track how rumors spread like a wildfire, get picked up by the general news media and quickly become adopted as facts. When the firm then disclosed its findings, the result was embarrassment by the media and the story of course was immediately buried. There’s no sense for the truth standing in the way of a good, juicy rumor.
Behind the media rages a PR war. Each day, thousands of PR flacks battle for the hearts, minds and eyeballs of people like you and me. Lies and rumors are sown, spoon fed to influential bloggers, short sellers, hedge funds, analysts for hire, columnists willing to make extra money, surreptitiously planted on Twitter and left to go viral. It’s a toxic brew of chemical warfare all meant to influence your thinking. Sadly, it’s working.
In this case, Apple Maps is not perfect. Heads will surely roll. But like any version 1.0 application, it’s not perfect. That said, I have tried it out and found much to like. The map drawing is often much faster than Google Maps. Its 3D rendering of mountains and fly around is breath taking. In my tests, I actually was impressed with the address pinpointing, route mapping and other functions. I for one will keep using it, because the more I do, the more accurate the data behind the app is becoming. Google Maps does the very same thing.
If anything, the lesson learned is that the world is becoming more impatient. We want perfection and we want it now, never mind the fact that we humans are imperfect. Apple may be guilty of moving too quickly in launching Maps, and is paying a heavy price. But we as humans have come to act on rumors and assumptions, not facts. We overreact when we take what we read at face value without testing it for validity. By doing so, we let ourselves become more easily manipulated instead of holding the manipulator a accountable. Think about that next time. Exercise judgment and patience. Question what you see and hear. Don’t be a lemming.
Oh and enjoy your bacon. If there’s any to be found.
Well said, exactly my thoughts.
Media bury something? Shocking.
Thank you. it’s still takes me places. I don’t even use maps that much.
Samyang batteries can be had for less than $40
Wether or not it’s a big deal depends solely on wether or not one is a victim of its faults.
You don’t use it? You live where everything is okay? Not a big deal.
You follow its directions and all of a sudden you are on rails and the train is coming: Very big deal.
Bj Wallace – We have a whole section dedicated to Android. You just need to check it out. Most people in our office use Android phones too.
By the way, a Samsung replacement battery costs 40 bucks and an iPhone battery costs $79. So let’s not go nuts about iPhones being “disposable.”
Apple overhypes its products, when it fails the Apple fanboys are all in a tizzy
And yes, the Navigon app was better than the TomTom app (because I had both)
I’m thinking now that the iPhone 5 is using TomTom under its hood..maybe..just maybe..they will unlock the feature to use CUSTOM VOICES just like in the standalone GPS units….
Haters Gonna Hate.
As an ex-iphone user (now totally Android loyalist), I remember having the Navigon GPS app and it was excellent. It wasn’t cheap, but here’s an opportunity for Navigon to cash in, lower the price and sell more downloads.
Oh, and by the way, Siri saved me from the godawful job of navigator. Thanks, computer-babe.
Most of the people railing against Apple’s map app have never actually used it. I have. I love it. Ask Siri how to get somewhere, and you get precise, turn-by-turn directions. My advice: Read fewer hater blogs; decide for yourself.
Apple *HAD* to release it’s iPhone 5 with crappy Maps and all that for one very good reason: Apple’s iPhones are designed to be DISPOSABLE. The Lithium-ion batteries have a design life of about 3 years and are generally NOT user replaceable. The iPhone 4 was designed to be THROWN OUT and Apple desperately needed to market a (yet another) replacement THROWAWAY product for consumer to slobber all over. At the same time, with Google as their major, if only, serious competition, Apple wanted to ditch their reliance on Google Maps as a strategic move away from their “competition”. Given enough time Apple will surely fix the Maps problems – hey it’s probably taken Google a decade to get to the highly refined quality it is today.
That “disposable” thing is interesting, Anthony. I didn’t realize that. Strangely, neither does my five year old iPod touch. Despite daily use, it still provides over three hours of battery life. I’ll be sure to let it know what you said.
I call BS. The iPhone 4 is NOT “disposable”. Although batteries are not considered a user-replacable part, they can be installed by Apple and qualified third parties. DIYers have also done it. It doesn’t look that hard:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iPhone-4-Battery/3141/1
Yes, with a little technical know how, iPhone batteries are easy to replace. I guess the “parandroids” will come back with, “but ours is easier to replace and it just works!..” Where have we heard that before…
Yeah, I think I might be done with Digital Trend. I’m sensing a strong Apple bias these days
Perhaps you’re sensing a strong reality bias, BJ. I understand your reaction though; I hate when reality doesn’t bend to my delusions.
Thats the price you pay as a company when you build up such an intense fanbase. When things are good (or even ok) the fans are raving online and you are a revolutionary brings perfect devices from the tops of mount Olympus. When things are bad you just ruined their life and now they will be forced to live a meagre existence as an individual with bad directions and poor reception.
Apple *HAD* to release it’s iPhone 5 with crappy Maps and all that for one very good reason: Apple’s iPhones are designed to be DISPOSABLE. The Lithium-ion batteries have a design life of about 3 years and are generally NOT user replaceable. The iPhone 4 was designed to be THROWN OUT and Apple desperately needed to market a (yet another) replacement THROWAWAY product for consumer to slobber all over. At the same time, with Google as their major, if only, serious competition, Apple wanted to ditch their reliance on Google Maps as a strategic move away from their “competition”. Given enough time Apple will surely fix the Maps problems – hey it’s probably taken Google a decade to get to the highly refined quality it is today.
Funny, my video iPod & Gen I iPhone work great. My coworkers with Galaxies both have battery issues and keep having to pull them out and reset.
People who froth at the mouth about how terrible Apple is are like little boys pretending little girls are “yucky.”
more apologist reporting from the Apple fanboys. you guys are the Fox News of Apple products. ucch.
I wonder who they will vote for, Rmoney like all Faux watchers will?
more apologist reporting from the Apple fanboys. you guys are the Fox News of Apple products. ucch.
I think everyone is blowing the maps debacle out of proportion as well. Yes, the new maps is different, and it’s missing a couple features, BUT it actually has turn by turn directions; and they work great. That was missing before, and to me THAT was a huge deal. Turn-by-turn directions should be in any mapping or GPS based software, no excuses.
With that being said, I don’t like how the new mapping software shows either congestion or none. There is no in-between like with the previous mapping software. That is something I hope they fix.
But is the iPhone a failure because of Apple Maps? Absolutely not. Google maps will be available soon, and there are GPS maps you can actually buy that work well. After all, you did pay a hefty sum for you phone, what’s another $10 for a mapping app you will like?
Apple maps is not reliable for navigation purposes. Google maps works. What dont you understand? Its possible that you go to work every day at the same location, and go to familiar places regularly in your city. But for people who rely on maps on multiple occasions daily, google maps in the iphone was a brilliant application that worked in many people favorite mobile phone they had ever owned. I personally, loved my iphone 4s until this upgrade.
Paying for another app or having it free is not the issue. Its the integration!!!!
To spell it out, google maps was perfect. This upgrade has rendered the iphone a pain in the ass if you rely on navigation applications on multiple occasions daily.
Thank you for a lone intelligent analysis. I’ve stopped reading the countless reviews rambling on about Apple “failures” for at least the next few weeks until the aimless bloggers have something interesting to read about.
Agreed. It has been a slow news month for media outlets apparently. And if someone at Apple sneezes, we have to make a huge deal out of it right? It’s been ridiculous.
If someone at apple takes away a great application that is central to the user experience and replaces it with a pre-beta product, one is obliged to state the emperor is naked.
I would tend to agree. I just don’t think Apple considered their replacement a Beta version. Looks like they were wrong though, and hopefully will fix it soon.