On December 13, Google Maps made its much awaited debut for the new iPhone and instantly shot to the top of the iPhone app list. The global reaction to the release of the app was extremely positive all over the world as people switched over from Apple’s own maps service which has been riddled with issues ever since it was launched in place of Google for iOS 6.
Apple has grown accustomed to blowing away the competition in the past couple of years with every product and service they have launched becoming an instant hit. Apple’s map service may be one of the few recent examples of something from Apple that has not been well received by the market place. For a company that is used to winning, the maps debacle has been a sore spot. According to influential Apple blogger, John Gruber, Apple’s top executives are “seething” because of Google Maps success.
Gruber states that, “I think Apple — where by “Apple” I mean the company’s collective executive leadership — is seething regarding the way this has played out. Everything from Apple Maps being the butt of jokes to the accolades and joy that have accompanied the release of the new Google Maps iOS app. Seething.”
Apple has taken steps to correct the issues with Apple Maps and one of the first things they tried to do was make Scott Forstall, the executive who was in charge of the mapping service, apologize for the glitches in the product. Forstall refused to say sorry for Apple Maps even though it had gotten horrible reviews from both users and analysts. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, had to take further action and fired the executive.
The reason Apple is so touchy about its Maps service is that location services have become an integral part of many smartphone apps and usage. That may have been the thinking behind replacing Google Maps with an Apple owned product but with the public failure of the service Apple is now stuck with users accepting Google Maps. This gives the search giant a very big foothold in the Apple ecosystem.
Source: Business Insider
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