iOS 6 Maps
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About
iOS 6 Maps is an application packaged with Apple's iOS 6 publicly released on September 19th, 2012. Due to the amount of errors in the app, many iPhone users began posting screenshots of the faulty application or creating parodies of it, criticizing the way locations are displayed.
Origin
Rumors of an in-house designed Maps application to replace Google Maps in Apple’s iPhone operating system first appeared on the Mac-related news site 9 to 5 Mac[3] on May 11th, 2012. The new Maps application was officially announced in June 2012 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, where it was also revealed that the app would be powered by the navigation data service TomTom.[4] Shortly after the conference, YouTuber MyJailbreakMovies provided an early look at the new application with a video titled "iOS 6: Maps."
iOS 6 was released to the public on September 19th, 2012, following the release of iPhone 5. That same day, Twitter users began complaining about the lack of public transportation integration and visible distortion of well-known landmarks in the application with the hashtag #ios6pocalypse.[5]
Really enjoying the Statue of Liberty in new iOS 6 maps. #ios6pocalypse twitter.com/davidgustav/st…
— David Gustav (@davidgustav) September 19, 2012
Spread
On the day of the release, Gizmodo[6], the Huffington Post[7] and Read Write Web[8] all posted about the dismal reception of the map. That evening, the parody account @iOS6maps[9] was created on Twitter to interact with people’s complaints and the single topic Tumblr blog The Amazing iOS 6 Maps[10] was launched to showcase screenshots of the contorted maps found across the web.
Over the next two days, coverage of the application’s poor reception appeared on many news media outlets and technology blogs including The Verge[11], Yahoo! News[12], Fox News[13], CNET[14], Forbes[15], PC Mag[16] and CNN.[17] A lengthy discussion on the comparison of iOS 6 Maps and Google Maps appeared on the /r/Android subreddit.[19] Additionally, a handful of small Facebook fan pages[20] were created to criticize the Maps application. Between September 19th and 20th, there were nearly 104,000 mentions of “iOS 6 maps” on Twitter.[21]
Apple's Response
On September 21st, Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller released a statement calling the app "a work in progress." She also noted that the company is working on integrating transit directions into the app, but did not address the complaints regarding the distorted 3D imageries of landmarks. The statement was picked up by PC Mag[1], the Huffington Post[2] and Techcrunch[18] later that same day. Apple then went on a hiring spree in order to begin work on fixing the incomplete app.[22] On September 28th, Apple's CEO Tim Cook issued a formal apology in a rare statement from the executive team, saying that he was "extremely sorry" for the frustration the iOS6 Maps application has caused and suggesting its users to resort to alternative apps for navigation
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.
Notable Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] PC Mag – Apple Defends iOS 6 Maps as Work in Progress
[2] Huffington Post – Apple On iOS 6 Maps Flubs: This Is Hard, Okay?
[3] 9 to 5 Mac – iOS 6: Apple drops Google Maps, debuts in-house ‘Maps’ with incredible 3D mode
[4] Engadget – Apple selects TomTom as primary iOS 6 maps provider (update: confirmed)
[5] Twitter – Search results for #ios6pocalypse
[6] Gizmodo – Apple’s New 3D Maps Are an Apocalyptic Horror Show
[7] Huffington Post – iOS 6 Maps Comes Without Transit Directions, A Wrong Turn For Apple And iPhone Users
[8] Read Write Web – Apple's iOS 6 Maps App Falls Short In Early Reviews
[10] Tumblr – The Amazing iOS 6 Maps
[11] The Verge – Wrong turn: Apple's buggy iOS 6 maps lead to widespread complaints
[12] Yahoo! News – Apple’s iOS 6 Maps app is awful, and now the world knows it
[13] Fox News –
[14] CNET – Apple Maps in iOS 6: What you need to know (FAQ)</a.
[15] Forbes – iOS 6 Maps Adds Another Hit to Apple's Reputation
[16] PC Mag – Twitterverse Irked by Apple iOS 6 Maps, More
[17] CNN – Users: Apple iOS 6 maps are a mess
[18] Techcrunch – Apple: iOS 6 Maps Is A First Attempt, We’re “Just Getting Started”
[19] Reddit – I don't think Google Maps got enough credit until now…iOS 6 Maps is horrible.
[20] Facebook – Search results for "ios 6 maps"
[21] Twitter – Mentions of "iOS 6 maps"
[22] Apple Insider – Apple allegedly luring ex-Google Maps engineers to work on iOS 6 Maps app
