iOS 6 ‘Mapsgate’ – Apple Preemptively Pushed Out Google
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Ever since Apple updated its mobile operating system, there has been a lot of grumblings about the newly remodeled native Maps app. Even though iOS 6 brought turn-by-turn navigation and fly-over features, the decision to do away with Google’s popular mapping service has been a hard sell on consumers.
You can almost hear the faint cry of curmudgeons as they fold their arms and say, “I want my Google Maps back.” Today, we are finding out that Apple decided to kick Google to the curb a year before their contract was up. This is really going to rile up the haters.
According to The Verge, Apple decided to revamp their native Maps app more than a year before their agreement with Google expired. Apple announced that it would be replacing Google Maps at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this past June. It has since been widely reported that the two couldn’t come to an agreement on how to move forward with the mapping service. Apple wanted turn-by-turn navigation, something that is already available with the Android version of the app, and Google wanted more prominent branding.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt was quoted by Reuters as saying, “What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind?” He believes that Apple had already made their decision and there was nothing the search engine giant could do to sway that.
Apple’s Maps app has started off slowly. Unfortunately, it may never make the kind of headway that users want. Siri is a perfect example of a service that was launched before it was ready. Now, everyone thinks it is a joke and no matter what Apple does to improve it, the virtual assistant is considered useless by many.
Supposedly, Google is working on an iOS compatible map app. The company’s Maps vice president, Brian McClendon, told Bloomberg that he is, “Committed to offering Google Maps on all platforms.” However, the company has not yet officially confirmed a future release. If you can’t stand Apple’s Maps app, you can always add Google Maps to your iPad’s home screen by visiting the website directly through Safari. When you bring up maps.google.com, you will see a popup message allowing you to add a direct link to your mobile device.
