Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a letter to the Apple community apologizing for the first release of Apple's Maps application on iOS 6, saying that the company fell short on the app.
Courtesy of Apple
In a somewhat unusual move, Mr. Cook went on to recommend alternative mapping apps that are available from the App Store or on the web, such as Google Maps.
Overall, the open letter was an acknowledgement that Apple blundered in releasing Maps, delivering an app that not only lacks some features, but has numerous errors in its database of locations.
Although not mentioned in the letter, many in the Apple community believe that Apple created its own Maps app because of the lack of new functionality in the Google Maps app that Apple is licensed to use. Specifically, Apple had asked Google to include turn-by-turn navigation in the iOS version, and Google failed to deliver.
Tim Cook's complete letter:
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 an even better version of Maps, including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, flyover views, 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