Apple CEO Tim Cook apologizes for iOS 6 Maps

In an open letter to his customers Apple CEO Tim Cook today apologized for iOS 6 Maps’ poor performance, saying the app falls short of the company’s commitment to deliver the best experience possible to its customers.

Cook recommends that, until the Maps app is improved, users try alternative map apps available on the Apple App Store like Microsoft’s Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by creating shortcuts to their websites on an iOS 6 device’s home screen.

As we’ve reported earlier this week, alternative transit apps like HopStop, Embark and Transporter have already seen a significant boost in downloads since iOS 6 was released, and it’s safe to assume Cook’s letter will have a similar affect on the navigation apps he recommended.

Apple’s newly released iOS 6 on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch doesn’t include transit directions in its new Maps app, a feature many city folks relied upon until now. In addition, the features that are in the app have served up misplaced businesses, city name misspellings and distorted 3D images to the users. A Tumblr was created to visually show some of the issues users have been experiencing from the Maps app. Apple told the BBC on Sept. 21 that the Maps app will “improve.”

Cook’s letter is included here 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. Read more…


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