Ever since Apple released its flawed mapping
tool, users have been secretly hoping that Google Maps will make a comeback in
iOS. However, sources have cited that they are unsure whether Apple Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) will ever give a green light to a proper Google Inc(NASDAQ:GOOG) Maps
iOS app, even though the app is in its development stage and might be
dispatched at the end of the year. There is an option for a user to bookmark a
page on the Safari browser linking to maps.google.com, but in spite of that
users wanted Google Maps back, even as a third-party app via the App Store.
Apple’s newest mobile operating system iOS 6 was
introduced in mid-September. It can power the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone
4S models, and it is already installed on the iPhone 5. Google Maps was ditched
in favor of Apple’s in-house mapping tool, but it had numerous glitches and was
criticized by both analysts and users. The complaints were of train stations vanishing
airports being located erroneously, and local points-of-interest, like cafes
and shops, not being included. The turn-by-turn navigation, public transport
information, and vector graphics, also came under the scanner due to
inaccuracies.
Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly apologized for the
company’s mistake even as 200 million devices were upgraded to iOS 6. Scott
Forstall, the chief architect of Apple's iOS was fired by Cook due to the
problems caused by Apple’s mapping tool, for which he was responsible. Presently,
there are ten free and paid-for apps in the section where users can select
alternate mapping solutions in place of Apple’s mapping app.
Sources inside Google have said that iOS users
will most likely have to do without Google Maps as their default mapping tool
even if a Google Maps app is ever approved. Apple has released a beta version
of iOS 6.1 to developers that contain upgrades of its MapKit API, the low-level
calls that let developers use Apple Maps from inside other apps. This
reinforces the point that Apple is focusing on improving the search
functionalities of its mapping tool, which more or less means goodbye forever
to Google Maps.
Apple yet again shows that vindictive practices or just hurting the competition (Google) is more important than providing its customers with top-quality products. They do the same when they think they can make a few more $ off of their devices. Customer be damned.
ReplyDeleteBut alas, they'll keep doing it, because fanboys will just keep buying Apple products no matter what. You guys need to vote with your wallets-that's the only way things will change, people!