Anyone who has followed Apple news over the last few weeks has undoubtedly heard of mapgate, the company’s often embarrassing foray into mapping technology in iOS 6. Last week, acknowledging the in-house built Maps app fell short of the Google Maps technology it replaced, the company suggested that the more people used maps and reported the mistakes, the quicker Apple would be able to put out an improved product.
Apple’s suggestion last week didn’t stifle the outcry from Apple users over Maps, and today CEO Tim Cook has posted an apology letter to iOS 6 users on the company’s website. In the letter, Cook acknowledged that Apple fell short on its commitment to deliver a world class experienced on the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, and that the company is doing everything in its power to make Maps better going forward. Cook even went as far as to recommend alternatives to use in the interim, with Waze, Bing, MapQuest, Google Maps, and Nokia Maps all getting the nod.
Below is Cook’s letter in full:
“To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.
While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
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.
Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO”
[via Apple]