Tim Cook today posted an open letter to customers on Apple’s website regarding Apple’s new Maps app:
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.
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
MacDailyNews Take: Over and above – and bordering on unnecessary.
One thing we would like to know is: Who’s responsible for opening Apple up to this overblown shitstorm and why are they still working for Apple Inc., if they still are?
(Yes, we know we’ll likely never get those two answers.)
No matter what Apple does, no matter how much better they make Apple Maps, it will now always “suck” in the minds of a large segment of the population. This open letter from Cook only helps cement the idea that Maps is a “failure.” The fool(s) responsible for preparing Maps for release and then releasing it with obvious issues (overblown as they are) and therefore tainting Maps forever should face severe consequences. As in: Pink slip(s). If you don’t get fired over this debacle, what exactly does get you fired at Tim Cook’s Apple?
Apple seems to have learned nothing from the Newton: First impressions mean everything. Apple’s Maps have been Newtonized. All that’s missing is the Doonesbury strip.
We have our suspicions that Tim Cook cannot recognize good marketing from bad. Or the import of the customer’s Apple Retail experience to Apple Inc.’s bottom line. Now, after this Maps face-plant, we’re wondering if he has another blind spot for software. The multi-talented Steve Jobs was supposed to have been replaced, as best as possible, by a team of people. Some of these team members are obviously not performing up to anything near a Jobsian level.
It’s nice to say you strive to make “world-class products” for customers, Tim, it’s better to actually deliver them.
Here’s a little hint for the future: Everything that requires widespread customer use to develop a rich database before the product becomes fully usable should be clearly labelled “beta” upon release. Apple did it with Siri, but they forgot to do it with Maps. Had Apple been smart enough to simply place a “beta” tag on Maps, all of this rigamarole would never have occurred.
Steve’s attention to detail may very well be irreplaceable.
All that said, you can help Apple improve iOS 6 Maps:
1. Launch Maps from the Home screen
2. Tap the page curl at the bottom right
3. Tap Report a Problem (above the Print button)
4. Tap the type of problem you want to report:
– Search results are incorrect
– Street or other label is incorrect
– Location is missing
– Problem with directions
– Problem with satellite image
– My problem isn’t listed
5. Choose the search result, street label, etc. that’s giving you the problem
6. Add any comments, if desired, and tap send
Classy.
Telling customers to use a competitor’s app: Ballsy
And realistic. Omitting mention of any major alternative would stand out like a sore thumb.
He did fail to mention any of the paid alternatives; TomTom etc. But I think that was a good move.
‘Hey, Maps aren’t where we want them to be – but you can pay $50 in the App Store until we get it fixed.’
The Maps app turn-by-turn is powered by Tom Tom, I thought.
Also, telling consumers “buy this app” if you don’t like apps is is not in line with what Cook is saying. He offered free alternatives to a free app.
This whole “mapgate” is more perceived than real. But for many people perception equals reality, so Tim Cook apologized even though it was unnecessary.
Consumer Reports recently put Apple’s new Maps against Google’s Android Maps in a “showdown” to see which provides better navigation features. In the report they state: “both the free Apple and Google navigation apps provide clear routing directions, Google provides a better overall package, but we feel that both provide a good solution for standard software.”; “having more thoroughly tested Apple Maps alongside a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with Google Maps, we have a more favorable opinion – certainly more favorable than comments and articles that we’ve been reading online.”; “both Apple Maps and Google Maps route effectively, providing clear guidance and great points-of-interest integration.”
Read the report.
You say that as if it would have stopped most CEOs from being unrealistic in a note to consumers.
Tim Cook joins a host of other CEO’s…
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/famous-ceo-apologies-and-the-fiascos-that-prompted-them/
What about all the other issues? Chips, Scratches right out of the box, WiFi issues, connectors. light leakage etc…
Chips or scratches right out of the box are taken care right away.
Wifi issue is your own… stop making it a general issue.
Connector is not an issue… it is an evolution.
Light leakage is better than sh** leakage. Stop leaking sh**!
Go eat your Big Macs large fries and diet Coke ass wipe! That is like saying sorry your car is chipped and scratched please bring it back and we will buff it out.
Ur an ass to suggest that this is OK for Apple.
Scratches were evidently the worst on the first 1m iPhones coming off the assembly line, because I never hear about it anymore, my iPhone had none and I’ve talked with both FedX and UPS guys and they say that they haven’t seen iPhones being sent back to Apple.
Your concerns are valid Gary, if they’re factual. Otherwise, not. Offer a few facts next time.
And for goodness sake, wash out your mouth with soap!
Funny you say that.
My friend just received delivery of her custom ordered 2013, $32,000 Mustang. Guess what? Some small chips and scratches on front fender.
Somebody at the factory must have dropped their iPhone 5 on it in excitement.
All products can have similar damage including as you say very expensive cars. Light leakage has been explained as in nearly all cases temporary while the screen itself is considered the best on any mobile device so why not enjoy it. Haven’t heard anything about wifi issues so can’t be significant but again I have wi fi issues with practically everything I buy except for my iPad which was perfect out of the box despite my net gear hub reusing to connect to anything else. As for the connector it’s the first change in 7 years most other manufacturers make your device incompatible in some way on a regular basis and dont warn you, for heaven sake people were not even told that their lumia phones were going to be obsolete bricks after 12 months. Why is it that only Apple is supposed to be perfect or get pilloried with FUD.
Um, no. It’s more like, “Fender scratched? OK, here’s a replacement new car with perfect paint.”
More classy than the Apple fandriods that couldn’t admit that Apple dropped the ball big time.
An “Apple Fandroid” is a contradiction with a null sum of 0. From Day One I think most Apple FANS saw this as a misstep (though completely overblown) and that by just labeling it a Beta would have been understandable and avoided this whole shitstorm. It does give one pause as an investor (as I am and others here) that Tim with the recent Mac Genius ads and now blowing the introduction of the new Maps may not have as much sensitivity to these things as he should and Steve Jobs probably would have. I would say if Mr. Cook does not want anymore of these kinds of “Cook is killing Apple” Steve Jobs comparisons he open his ears and eyes more and get the true opinion of his troops before doing real damage to the brand. I think anyone with the Apple sensitivity & taste most of us have would not have made this mistake so when it’s Jobs appointed choice to make those kind of simple calls and he doesn’t it may be time for worry. Apple needs to continue executing flawlessly and not tax users patience and give the press and Fandroiders fodder for perceived weakness.
Blah, blah, blah.
Your lack of observational skills and knowledge of history is appalling. Read the posts from earlier dates. Apple fandroids were never hesitant to bash those that reported Apple Maps failures or commented on their disappointment that expected accuracy and reliability in Apple Maps was sorely lacking.
Now that Apple has admitted that Maps was a failure all those mindless Apple fandroids can kiss my ass. That includes you, Zeke.
Doubling down on “stupid” is never a good idea.
And just so you know, “fandroid” comes from combining the words “fan” and “Android”. Keep applying it to supporters of Apple products if you enjoy looking silly and juvenile.
Hi, zeke. I would have thought that Apple apologizing would have inspired you to do the same. I mean, you spared no time demeaning people who expressed their criticisms of Apple or shared their less than ideal experiences with Maps. Apple has kilotons of cash and could have spent a fraction of that cash for improving and debugging Maps. Now that Apple has conceded that it’s customers wanted some better not just something else, I thinks it’s high time you did the same.
Waiting……
Apologize for what? Stupid is stupid. I have no control over how or whether you exhibit it to the general public.
1
Zeke, try not to debate a moron. That just makes it think it’s intelligent.
I think you pretty much attained the level of “Felony Stupid.”
Congratulations.
I’m not going to appologize for apple not agree with your retarded face that maps is a failure. It’s not perfect, nor was googles maps which was better but incomplete.
I will agree to gladly pound your face into an unrecognizable pulp for being such an insufferable twit.
Now shove off.
Hey, MacIdiot,
If you’re going to insult someone, at least use the right slang.
It’s Apple “fanboys” (or “girls”), NOT “fandroids”. The latter would refer to the idiot Android users/zealots like you, not Apple fans/users.
Got it?
MacFreek, your Trollism would be better hidden if you weren’t ignorant enough to use the term “Apple fandroids”
Let me explain it to you very carefully. I’ll type slowly so that you can follow along. (<–MacFreek, this little joke is for grown-up, smart people, not for you, as your limited intellect would not recognise the humour.)
Now, get your mommy or your daddy to sit beside you and help you follow along here;
A "Fandroid" is a "Fan" of "Android", a person who likes and is enthusiastic about the Android operating system. You know, the one that Google stole from Apple? Have your little sister explain this to you. It's been in all the papers.
Okay, so just remember, "Fandroid" = Fan of Android.
Now to the contradiction, or "oxymoron" (I know you've been hearing the term "moron" all your life. But have an adult explain what an "oxymoron" is.
An Apple fan is someone who appreciates and is enthusiastic about Apple products.
Again, a Fandroid is a fan of Android products. (To see how a Fandroid appears, look in a mirror)
Now, here comes the tricky part. Please try to pay attention;
An "Apple Fandroid" is a contradiction. It's an oxymoron.
It would be highly unlikely that an Apple fan would also be an Android fan (Fandroid).
An "Apple fandroid" is unlikely to exist.
See?
No?
Okay, I'm afraid I'm going to have leave this to your parents and/or siblings now.
Best of luck.
i enjoyed that one!
@MacFreek
Are you on drugs? Nobody on MDN got “bashed” for being dissapointed with Maps or finding an error in it.
Trolls would get bashed for pretending Maps was worst thing to happen in history ever(and pretending that Google Maps is flawless when it’s not), but I think trolls are hardly real people.
If anybody wants proof for what I’m saying, just go read the comments for past articles about Maps.
Dare to show your arrogant ass, MacFreek. I won’t kiss it, but I’ll be glad to kick it. You are insufferable.
Cook/Apple did not “admit that Maps was a failure.” That is your skew on his apology for not providing the “…best experience possible.” In other words, Apple did not provide perfection in the first iteration of Maps. However, most people are reporting great experiences with Apple Maps from the very beginning. Those who encounter some issues can help to fix them. As I have said it before, give it six months.
MDN – you neuroses appear to be worsening. Despite how Google and Samsung and various media outlets are doing the best to disparage Apple, it won’t “Newtonize” Apple Maps. Apple will get maps fixed and, as the embedded maps app, it will become the accepted standard and its less than stellar start will be forgotten. People can put up with a lot – witness all of the people still using Windows and MS Office after two decades of abuse. Even many Mac users still use Microsoft products, and that is after being treated as scum. MDN has some type of split personality disorder. SteveJack generally writes with great insight and vision. Most of the MDN Takes are snarky bits of mild humor with a few great ones sprinkled in. And then there are the occasional rants posted by the MDN staffer with anger issues and a keyboard at hand.
Actually I believe MDN’s spot on. Besides, I can only imagine you’re ranting if Mister Softy,Samsung or Google had pulled such a dumb ass move. You’d be all over it. Yes. Yes you would. Why try to make excuses for Apple? It’s not like it’s some relative of yours that you need to defend. It’s not your girlfriend. Or maybe it is. It’s a fucking company. And they don’t care what you think. They fucked up and we can all see it so quit trying to hold their hand. Users are supposed to help Apple fix this? Give it six months? Apple should be held to the same standards as everyone else. As I said, if this was Google you’d be calling them names and making fun of them. You are embarrassing. You even make fanboys blush! Apple fucked up. Geez, they’re human. Move along.
Maps takes time to build, cannot be done solely by Apple. It requires some user input to fix problems. Google required the same input to bulld theirs, and Google is not perfect either.
It’s not coddling or holding Apples hand nor is it making excuses for Apple. It’s just a simple true fact. There is absolutely no way to release worldwide perfect maps in a version 1 maps program. Apple could have got more world wide maps done before they released it and it would have been nice if they did but there’s a lot to like about their maps.
I’d be upset and disappointed if I lived in a country like Thailand or India where they have very little data. But I live in California and the data here is really good and I have used maps quite a bit including turn by turn and it works great.
Call me a fanboy I could care less. I’m hardly afraid to criticise Apple. I’m certain that Apple maps will be the greatest mapping product in the world in time. We will all benefit from this even if the start isn’t as smooth as some could have wished.
I am not certainly not pleased about Apple’s problems with Maps. All I say is give Apple six months and this will pretty much be history. The media outrage is way overblown. By the way, you might want to check out MDN’s comments from September 20 and September 29 on this exact same subject – night and day difference from this MDN Take. It sounds like they more or less agree with me.
In addition, I never said that I would not have taken Samsung or Microsoft to task if they did the same thing. Don’t put words in my mouth to make your point. I certainly would have dissed them, and happily so. I have taken Apple to task more than a few times. In this case, however, I was defending Apple against MDN’s own sensationalist statements which contradicted their previous and subsequent statements:
“No matter what Apple does, no matter how much better they make Apple Maps, it will now always “suck” in the minds of a large segment of the population.”
“…then releasing it with obvious issues (overblown as they are) and therefore tainting Maps forever…
“Apple’s Maps have been Newtonized.”
I make even fanboys blush? It’s not your girlfriend. Or maybe it is? Quit trying to hold their hand? Where the heck did you get that from? You can kiss my ass with your condescending bullshit.
Troll
GM, if you are attempting to name me a troll, then you are wasting your time. I am a long term, participating member of this forum and have done nothing to deserve that appellation. There are few people on this forum who would side with you on this matter.
You speak with a forked tongue and I do not hear your words.
Apple fandroids, fanbois, whatever. You people are so predictably reactionary and easy to incite with your self congratulatory pep talks and puerile mimicry. Gawd, what a helpless, haplesss, and hopeless bunch. You keep me in stitches, bitchez.
Rabid Fandroiders as yourself are kings of denial, inept cliche driven insult morons, fantasy driven facts meisters, and genuinely horrid people. Shove a few sheep up your ass. As someone pointed out if they are more Android phones sold than others then following them makes you King of all Sheep. Mom and Dad must be so proud (that you FINALLY moved away to that van down by the river.)
Freek is a juvenile who likes to stir the pot around here. He probably likes to bully people, too. I have encountered enough people like him to recognize the foul stench.
Sorry I’ve only kept up with Apple history since 1984, whats your miserable lack of knowledge excuse?
Do us all a favor and give it a rest.
Jobs wasn’t infallible, and he had his share of snafus, rollout problems and failures..
-Antennae gate?
-Ping?
-Late on Disc Burning
-Late on MP3’s (made up for it, fast, but late to the party)
-Hockey Puck mouse
-Apple boombox thing
-ipod socks
-remember the titanium powerbook and the wifi issues caused by the design?
-hell how about os x 10.0, that was a real peach, talk about beta, wasn’t very useful until 10.3 in reality.
-The flower power iMac.
-The motherboard issues with the B&W G3 tower? (IDE controllers, remember?)
Shit happens, media distorts and fools nash teeth. Get over it.
I am not what you would call a fandroid but I thought I would make a few corrections in your list. OS X 10.0 was put out as a beta with clear warnings that it was unpolished. Anyone who had more than 1 brain cell at the time knew that you worked with it at your own peril.
As for the iPod socks, I always thought that it was a ‘joke’ product. That they were never really serious about it and merely put it out there for those wild and crazy people who like that sort of crap (I don’t). Antennagate was also not a failure (blackout regions were a part of all smartphones) and Jobs handled it brilliantly. All your other suggestions are bang on.
I can remember the early “beta” comments now that you mention it, but 10.1 and 10.2 stunk pretty bad too and they were free of the beta tag. Spinning beach balls endlessly, kernel panics. ( At the time I was supporting about 800 clients and 42 servers across 21 buildings in my org and it was a nightmare)
10.3 finally brought stability and was the first real ease truly ready for the masses.
I will agree that antennae gate was OVERBLOWN, but it was a real issue, a real black eye, and IMO a bigger issue than the maps issue being debated today.
The maps issues are so easy to work around, the AG issue required a bumper case (free or paid) The fact that other handsets experience similar issues is straw, means nothing to the conversation. We get that, the vast majority of consumers, did not.
The point is that this in’t the first Apple snafu, nor the last. I’m not looking to pile on, just point out that it isn’t always perfect and smooth sailing.
Cook did the right thing (the sort of thing Jobs did more than once) At some point people need to move on, The jobs era is OVER. The small Apple niche era is OVER. The company is evolving, changing, growing, grow with it or use something else, enough with the Cook bashing, and hand wringing anticipation of his “ruining” Apple. (not you, the constant bashers on MDN)
Jobs handled it brilliantly?
Telling people that they’re holding their phones wrong, then releasing videos showing a bloke bursting a blood vessel to get the same effect from the competition’s phones?
That’s your idea of handling it brilliantly?
Oh, come on! You didn’t like the Flower Power iMac?! It was the epitome of classic! 😉
I’ll bet tons of people (that’s a weighty measurement) still have one on full display and in use today!
Or not.
That thing was HIDEOUS, so was the blue damnation ERRR… dalmatian thing he released along side it.
Lipstick on a pig, the CRT iMac was getting long in the tooth and that was the gimmick to sell a few more? That may have been close to an all time low for Steve.
It did usher in the “white” era, with the Snow iMacs right after it followed by the lampshade model and eMacs and the fist iBooks to not look like a purse or toilet seat.
Those “toilet seat” (clamshell) iBooks were indeed really ugly.
Forgot about the dalmatian. But you have to remember that that early style, if not always the colors, went a long way to help Apple® turn around.
My 6 yr. old daughter LOVED the Flower Power iMac we bought her! Seriously!
Well said. Jobs is dead and wasn’t perfect or anywhere near it when he was alive. I like MDN’s take. I like it a lot. And you can throw in Browett too because I think that is really a bad omen. You start messing with customer interface and Apple is fucked! And maps can’t be fixed quickly if even at all. So for all the fanboys who think it can : you’re wrong. Apple maps will never be what Google maps are because Google has put in billions of dollars and many years building their map system. You just can’t try to catch up with that. Apple needs to buy Waze map system. They are a different approach to maps compared to Google. But those are the only two that count. Google constantly updates it’s maps as does Waze (via users). The others just can’t afford it. Apple needs to buy Waze now because Apple’s maps will always be a second class system. And yes, heads should roll over this completely foolish move by Apple. It was absofuckinglutely avoidable.
gnash, not nash.
MDN you are correct : Beta! Damn! Doesn’t take a
genius to see that. But NDN, they didn’t fire Browett
so this is just ANOTHER mistake. A PR mistake! I’m
not happy.
Holey Moley!!!
The ghost of Steve Jobs is about to pull that cheesy midwestern style checked Shirt over Cook’s head and deliver a few choice shots to his mid section!
I am incredulous.
Not so much that he would deliver a somewhat flawed first attempt (remember that “Beta” tag anyone?!) but more that he would put out this sad syrupy apology? Ouch… scary…
Next CEO please… Mr. Forstall you’re up real soon…
p.s. I have to say that the 3D Manhattan map is incredible!…
LOL
;):);) Have fun with apple’s crap maps till iphone 6 ;):);)
HAHAHA
The ignoramus returns!
Love new maps!!! Give it time, it is great but in as little as a few months time it could be AWESOME!!!
Well, I might not go to AWESOME but I would go to ITS A GOOD START.
MDN went crazy on this and I disagree. From all the reports, Apple was forced to move at this time with what they had. Its pretty correct and works pretty well. Yes it needs work. But now that Apple is getting updates and is able to make changes, it can grow.
I say, LIke it or don’t like it, that is cool. But what is with this super HATE of it???? How about a chill pill and move on with your day. PS you trolls,, we don’t listen to what you say anyway as its all just cockroach crap anyway. LOL
Have a great weekend.
I approve this message!
I agree the MDN response is overblown along with the rest of the media hype. Undoubtedly bad directions suck and if I get some I’ll be frustrated but… let’s not loose sight of the great improvements:
– the vectors are fast and responsive
– the voice directions are great and have usability improvements that are way better than anything I’ve used before.
– the 3D view is a great addition to the satellite view
As someone who has not run into problems, it’s a great app.
I don’t like Apple maps and that make me a super hater? I envision you with your index fingers firmly planted in your ears while you dance in a circle and loudly repeating ‘La, la, la…..” whenever someone voices any criticism of Apple.
Your’s is the typical asinine Apple fandroid response when reality come crashing down in your imaginary fairy unicorn world.
No, your negative and purposely distorted 12 posts a day here make you a “super hater”.
My negativity? Firstly, Apple conceded it made a mistake. Secondly, read the posts where Apple fandroids like yourself heaped caustic criticisms on loyal Apple customers who disagreed with your imaginary fairy unicorn sensibilities.
If you don’t like it use something else then.
It’s not like apple won’t allow you to buy and install other map apps.
If it isn’t your favourite then use something else.
Personally I see the amazing future potential for maps, and its gonna be amazing so I’m sticking with it.
+1
Apparently the folks at MDN have never worked in the software development industry. There are times when as a development team you find yourself between a rock and a hard place. You can go forward with a weak product which requires real world exposure in order to improve, or you can dither and diddle with it for another 2 years until it becomes irrelevant.
In this case, Apple was faced with bringing out their own product with some weaknesses, or continuing to rely on the good will of a hostile competitor. With Google denying Apple features they provide Apple’s competitors in Android, there was no choice but to act now. This was one of those “rock/hardplace” decisions.
As far as Cook being like Steve, yes, Steve would have also acted to reclaim control of the user experience for Apple. Steve published apologies and gave refunds and gave away products along with them. Steve approved products that were abject failures, and I’m sure he nixed things that would have been great. What I see in Cook is a desire to be absolutely honest with customers, with employees, and with stock holders. In some cases it’s going to be costly in the short term. But in the long term, you establish credibility and trust. As a stock holder, I want Apple to make mistakes and fix them. It’s the only way to be innovative. The alternative is “me too”, “best practices”, and copying the work of others.
MDN is dead-ass wrong in their take. They, nor we don’t know the constraints and deliberations that went into this product release. What Cook’s honesty convinces me of is that he had no choice but to make the decision he did.
I’m not sure MDN is “dead-ass wrong,” but I agree that the Take goes too far. I’ve seen a lot of outside evaluation of Apple® employee performance issues. No one knows where the fault lies specifically. Personally, I doubt it rests with a single individual. Too many others would have had to review and approve the work. Someone there could have been sick during a critical couple of weeks. Who knows. Calling for firing anyone, without inside and accurate information, is unneeded. Let them handle it.
Those of us who knew things were seriously wrong have, in fact, been vindicated by Apple® itself. That’s not what we care about. We just want Maps fixed. Fortunately, Apple® is clearly on it and I know we’ll end up with a terrific product.
I do agree with MDN that Maps should have been labeled as Beta. I also think the apology was just a hair longer than it had to be. But, overall, it is excellent behavior for the corporation to step up and say they messed up but are fixing it. That’s exactly right. It quiets those of us who were complaining because we weren’t sure they were listening. Now, we know they have been and are fixing it. Good job, Apple®.
Still waiting for Samsung’s apology, and waiting, and waiting …
Forgot to add a comment on Tim Cook.
I agree that the jury is still out. There are things going on which are of concern but, as others correctly say, SJ watched over errors, too. Still, there are enough things to give early concerns. We are still watching to see how things unfold.
But I like Tim.
@Zeke – Wonderful observations.
I am always amazed at what those individuals, who are unencumbered by knowledge, can promote and defend. You obviously have experience with what it takes install applications. Thanks for your input.
Gaaahh!!! STOP MAKING SENSE!
Pretty much spot on. The only thing I disagree with is the labelling: Apple should have put it out as a beta.
Apple could have waited a “few months” and releasesd a product with improved accuracy and reliability, but did not. Any moron can make the statement that an existing product will improve over time, but that is no excuse for offering shit and promising caviar.
Any moron can nit pick someone else’s efforts at creating something without offering anything of value himself. How’s the world looking from your armchair, Mr. Quarterback?
Testy little, fandroid, eh? I’m sorry that I didn’t help Apple. I was to busy caring for the needs of orphans, curing cancer, and saving the whales. Tell you what, I’ll reschedule my meeting with the Dalai Lama and Hu Jintao and have Tim Cook meet me for supper tonight. Happy now?
Sheeesh,
Are you flowing heavy today or what? Apple wanted to package it with the iPhone 5 so…
Remember, flaws are ALWAYS easily found what you have two million testers rather that a few people in a R&D testing lab. Why do you think most people are hesitate to buy v.1 of anything?
That’s a weak apology.
A lot more than you’d get from any other company. Interesting that he suggested Google as a possible alternative
I guess you mean he should have said I’M SORRY rather than I’m Sorry. Give me a break.
What’s your example of a non-weak apology?
Not giving one at all would be better. Stick to you’re guns, admit nothing.
That arrogant thinking is why doctors and politicians, among many others, never (can’t) admit to doing anything wrong, and lawyers get to screw up the world trying to force admissions or rulings of guilt against people.
And also partly why the divorce rate is around 50%.
Hmm. I made the mistake of assuming you were intelligent and had a valid perspective.
Not so.
I made the same mistake with you.
Apology should never be policy.
WHY? Wrong is wrong, better to own it, come clean and apologize.
When you fail to meet expectations, do you just ignore it and hope those you failed will understand on their own? Wouldn’t it make sense to identify the deficiency, construct a plan to correct it and apologize for the failure and identify how you will correct it moving forward?
Honesty and accountability. Two thing sorely missing in America these days.
And watch the shitstorm get bigger? Nothing worse than an inactive CEO.
No it isn’t.
I was the first to be pissed when I upgraded, as I had paid a fortune to be turned into a beta tester.
Not only was it an honest apology he then goes on to suggest competitors products, including google.
Good man.
You paid a fortune for a free upgrade?
Jo isn’t very smart.
Weak? Let’s see, you own up to the problem (not deny it!), say you are sorry (with no “but”), are clear that you have a plan to fix it, and then recommend several competitors . That’s weak? Glad no one I know is not married to you.
Again, admit nothing. Bunch of fucking softies on here
I sincerely hope that you don’t run your own business or are in a customer service role.
I hope you don’t run one either. The pussyfication of America needs to stop.
And it stops when people like you aren’t running things.
I’ll bet you are a real joy to be around.
I am thanks!
Oh. Irony.
don’t recall Jobs ever sending a public email out like that…he just shitcanned people and replaced them with those who could get it done.
Well Tim is not Steve….
“Back in 2007, Steve Jobs wrote an open letter apologizing to early adopters for dropping the iPhone’s price after less than three months on the market”
yeah, I remember that, (in fact, got $100 credit myself) but it wasn’t for anything that was performance-related on the part of any product. So, that doesn’t count.
I’d like to see a poll here asking if the new maps have led you astray. Here in Toronto and surrounding region, it’s worked flawlessly for me. Even better than Google Maps as I get turn by turn directions.
Just curious.
I would love to see those poll results as well.
I’ve used Apple Maps extensively over the past 3 days and it has performed flawlessly. Super smooth clean interface. I was planning on using TomTom until Maps improved but I’ll stick with Apple Maps from now on. Voice guidance and POIs are all there. (I know they have a lot of work to do worldwide) Especially love how you can tell Siri, ‘Take me home’, and you’re instantly given voice directions out of the city. Once you’re on the highway – or in familiar territory – just close down the app.
I often wonder how/why people even used Google Maps anyway. It’s very dangerous to stare at that little blue dot while you’re driving along. It’s fine if you have a passenger but to try and use that while driving is way worse than texting.
The only problem I have encountered, the new highway that was opened in Aug is still missing while Google had it before it opened. Talking about 540 extension in RTP.
Works great in Barcelona
Likewise, I have found it accurate in Toronto although I mostly use it in the West end and downtown. The voice navigation is very helpful because I don’t have to take my eyes off the road and the traffic around me which can only be described as one step removed from a war zone.
Apple says that 99% of data in its maps is accurate.
However, that 1% is already enough to stir up mass-media hysteria about this.
Also, Apple should have checked at least the most important locations and FlyOver for roads and bridges — the more so there are only few cities with FlyOver available. Not checking and correcting it was Apple’s failure.
Please provide a link to the study that generated the statistics that you claim exist.
It is Apple’s statistic; obviously, no one can calculate it more correctly.
Yes. Maps is better than google for me, the big sign on the top saying when to turn is much easier to read.
I have had no problems in Vancouver and environs.
I am in Montreal. I mentioned in another thread that it has worked flawlessly here as well and I put it though its paces!!!
I think I also mentioned that perhaps this means Apple may be loving Canada more and more 🙂
@ Tony
I’m just down the road in Hamilton and like you I have no complaints. One curious thing:satellite view is grey scale.
Apple… A class act above all!
Yep that what make proud to declare I an a Applefanatic .
Great product and a great company ethics !!
P.S. Thanks for over paying us for our products. Our shareholders love fanatics.
Tim
No, you over pay when you get your android phone for free. You never over pay for an Apple product.
You know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
@Gary J.
Did anyone tell you that this is supposed to be a Dork-free zone?
Ridiculous to apologize.
iMacs works superbly. Problem with apple is they do not at dirty unlike those shysters loving competitors.
Ok so now that Cook admits its a screw up and not just a media echo chamber it’s over and beyond? Maybe. I don’t think the guy knows good software from bad. I think he was better off letting the punditry make up excuses for him than apologizing. He apologizes more than Barak Obama. MDN’s take(s) on the situation are more palatable than another Cookiewuss apology.
Rain bloody hell upon me fanatics.
Deluge is imminent.
Well, ya know, your constant degrading name calling makes you look a bit childish.. Just sayin..
Why are’t there like buttons on comments… 😉
What is this idea that an apology shows weakness, etc.
I think it is classy and puts him in touch with the common man.
It shows more than class to own your mistakes, accountability and honesty come to mind.
Seems TM would rather feign greatness than achieve it.
When you’ve screwed up badly enough, I prefer humble and apologetic over arrogance and bluster.
Being able to own the problem and say “sorry” (and actually mean it, not “sorry we got caught”) makes you a braver person than one who admits no fault and denies responsibility. Witness the PC world: problem with computer? Call maker, they punt you to Microsoft, who punts you back to the hardware maker.
(Apologizing when it’s not appropriate, that’s a different matter)
Cook does apologize a lot.
Not as much as Jobs did by the looks of it.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/editorial-apple-apologies-actually-arent-that-infrequent-and/
And Cook didn’t give you a free bumper or a $100 iTunes credit
I addressed that above.
Obama doesn’t have to apologize. Mitt RobbedMe and Paul Ryan will be a 2 for 1 takedown on election day. Ryan will never be able to get rid of the stench of the G.O.P. calamity of 2012. Losing VP candidates never win Presidential elections on their own later in life.
Early signs make It’s look like we may see a wave election- and not in the ConservaBot/NeoCondrethal direction.
The good thing about seeing Obama pull ahead of Romney who is perfecting the art of imploding, is that we rarely hear from F2T2.
There is a God!
AGREED WITH THELONIOUS.
I am so sick of your comments about Cook. We know you don’t approve of him, it’s getting boring now.. Cookiewuss? Seriously? I used to always enjoy reading your comments.. Not anymore..
If the will is there, Apple can produce the most user friendly, accurate mobile maps ever.
Keep pressing Apple, keep a tight focus on this already good product.
Well that shows he isn’t Steve jobs, I remember when the antenna crisis happened with iPhone 4 he didn’t apologize and it was amazing how he changed the whole PR business with his press release I don’t know how smart this is from his side??
I like it.
Personally, I’ve seen many errors/issues with the new Maps, but nothing that’s caused me any problems. Overall, I think it’s a huge improvement tover the old Maps that just needs some fine tuning and time.
Now, as for this being a complete departure from Steve Jobs, how quick people are to forget. When apple screwed up, jobs apologized. The most prominent example that comes to mind was the swift price cut on the original iPhone. Jobs not only writes public open letter like this, he also offered money back to early buyers. Apples screwed up, apologized for it, and moved forward.
Apple also similarly owned the iPhone 4 antenna “issues”. A piece was issued discussing antenna attenuation. Buyers were offered free cases to “fix” any problems.
Cook and Apple are staying very true to form here. Class acts.
Excellent point. Steve said, essentially, “…if you are unhappy with the product, bring it back for a full refund.”. Cook didn’t say that. That’s the difference everyone is feeling between Cook and Jobs.
I think apple should take back some of the shares it gave to Scott Forestall … He has failed in a way that is embarrassing and deeply damaging to shareholders
Oh horseshit.
I agree that this was Scott’s mistake. This was his baby, and his name was all over it. He may need to lay low until he can handle all of the responsibilities on his plate (maps, iOS development, Siri). Honestly, I think he may have a little too much to handle right now. Eddy Cue is doing a fine job with iTunes, iCloud and the App Store. They may need to find a dedicated manager for mapping with Cue and Scott involved.
Don’t know what the big fuss is all about. I love the Maps app. Turn by turn through Bluetooth is awesome; playing verry nicely with my iTunes. I live in Miami so Flyover works, and give them a bit of time, this will be so much better than the annoying “street view.”
I’ve been planning a trip to Chicago for next month and the yelp integration combined was a killer experience; much better than using google maps. The only thing I miss is photos, but hopefully Apple will get around it, specially with all those nice iPhone cameras running around.
To me this is a non issue, and like the article notes, there are alternatives to fill in the gaps until the Maps app becomes the world beating application we all know it will become.
Actually, I think Street View is a lot more useful than Flyover. Although I rarely used Street View in the past, I have upon occasion. Flyover is fun to look at at zoom around but if you’re not in a big city, what good does it do to look at the top of houses in a residential neighborhood?
I’m not sure you’ve even picked one up or used it let alone own an iPhone 5. Not with that overall conclusion.
I hope there will be a Mac Maps App one day, so I don’t need maps.google.com any more. But it seems Apple have other priorities right now…
Apology. Never apologize. He should have hired people from the comments section of MDN to advise on spin. Maps is screwy at times but its not THAT BAD. Shoulda just accidentally bumped into some reporter at a coffee shop and said, “Maps is definitely a work in progress, but unlike some types of applications, to ultimately refine it you have to get it out there to find the problems. We may not have the experience of some of our competitors in this space, but we’re Apple. We’re learning fast.” But this wussy ass apology? Jezebel manup.
I Said “Jeeze man up” and iOS said “Jezebel manup.”
You’re typing things wrong.
🙂
sometimes, iOS is sofa king wee Todd did.
Why hasn’t Apple hired Thelo? /sarcasm
I used itblastnight to find a highschool to where there was a football game. I had Siri to give me directions to Osceola high school and it took me right there. On the last version of Siri and google maps I tried the same directions before. 1st Siri couldn’t get Osceola right (it couldn’t understand me) then google took me some where not there. So nothing but props to Siri and maps.
Something I learned last night that I’m sick about is if I hold mt phone in landscape mode on wifi, Internet is practically useless. It started with a search on amazon upstairs from my router. It was so freaking slow. So I turned on LTE. When I was done I thought I’d try speediest app and see my wifi strength up there. I idid the same positions over and over all together for aboutn15 mins. Back to back. I’d get anywhere from 10-20 down and usually 10 up if I held the phone with two fingers. If I held it in landscape mode I’d be lucky to get 2 down and under 1 up. I couldn’t believe it. I did it over and over.
I never believed in the “antennagate”. But this seems like it, but only with wifi. I couldn’t believe apple could make this kinda mistake. If I hold it with my fingers covering all the sides, it goes to LTE.
Now I am upstairs from my router but like I said, I get 15-20 Mbps if I hold it with two fingers.
I seen people on forums having wifi problems but I thought Ahhh it’s the same people who complain every year. Then this happens. Am I expecting to much? Is this normal being that I was upstairs? Anyone? For it to drop so drastic. Doesn’t seem right.
*speedtest app. Typed on iPad and didn’t proofread.
Never mind maps…
Apologize for crippling the iOS file system and FU&KING WORK ON FIXING THAT.
While iOS 6 Maps may work in North America, in parts of South East Asia, like Malaysia, it is borderline unusable. I would say that this apology is meant to appease those in parts of the world that are facing issues.
This is an example of class. Always going above and beyond what they need.
The post-Jobs era. We all knew it would be like this yet kept ourselves deep in denial. Get ready for more of this and forget about all those ridiculous predictions about the price of AAPL. Look for more “classy” Tim Cook apologies with every new thing and then look for fewer and fewer new things. Flame away now, but you know I’m right.
Allow me to translate:
“Waaaah, waaaah, waaah, [/deep breath] waaaah, waaaah, waaah”.
speaking of delusional, y’all got it all
Again, there was no need to apologize. This apology will be the butt of late night TV.
Instead , they should have used countless of folks who would be willing to dare do a head to head comparison . And to give that sorry excuse of a cry-baby Waze a plug is utterly ridiculous. Never allow your enemies to define you. Especially the malevolent ones like an Eric the mole.
Forstall was the one who presented it at the iPhone 5 debut and he is in charge of iOS. Is he responsible for this?
I will take a little humility over profound arrogance…any day!
“I expect going from nothing to best in a single step”; is a mantra by those who have never played the game.
“Failures are your destiny…get used to them!” – Author unknown
I think that Tim Cook did the right thing with his open admission of the problem and his promise to make things right. His suggestions for competitive workarounds make him even more trustworthy in my eyes.
C’mon folks. The ultimate decision to drop Google maps was made by Tim Cook and he knew exactly what Apple was in for. He’s handling it in a classy way.
But Apple had to do this–right now. Google is slime and scum. They can’t be trusted in any way, shape or form. They deliberately held back features on the iOS Maps in order to benefit Android. They HAD TO GO. Apple made the right decision.
Maps will get better fast and will be better than Google Maps. We all know that.
Apple Maps app works great fiddling with it at home. Tried it out in the field looking for a trail: not so great, every time I tried to zoom in it slanted the whole landscape so weirdly I got seasick. I think a lot of this angst is not knowing how to use the app yet, going out trying to use it while pressured to get somewhere and never having used it before in real life. So will hold judgement while I learn how to use it. Did truly love Google Map app *sigh*
READ
Maps works great and looks fantastic. Steve would not have apologized and would have said it will only get better and leave us excited wanting more.
Tim, don’t apologize. Ever. Keep delivering us the best stuff and keep improving the experience.
The whole maps thing is overblown, 99% of it works fine and the other 1% will be fixed. I think it was classy for Tim Cook to come forward and apologize for some of the issues with maps.
I don’t think firing people would solve anything and the issue will get resolved and I don’t think there are a lot of people who think the maps suck. Just the few who are whiners and with the internet whiners get heard and then the media blows it up to huge levels. Let’s stop giving the whiners coverage and before you know it no one will think about anymore.
Refreshing.
I haven’t had an issue with Maps yet, but obviously a lot of other people are. All I ask of my employees is hard work and honesty . . . same with my politicians.
And same with my tech company. As I said, refreshing.
—— Now let’s all report problems over the next few weeks when we have time to and watch how quickly this “mess” becomes superior to all of the other mapping apps out there.
A: forstall is prolly responsible. You can’t fire forstall!
Maps is much better than expected. Flyover and 3D is terrible, but turn by turn navigation on the iPad is really great! I traveled 2,500 kilometers last week, with out any issue in Germany. So bad Apple did not mark this all as Beta.
I agree
I did 2 trips in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia last week-only totally about 250Km- and the turn by turn navigation was flawless .I particularly liked the intelligent routing and the lack of “recalculating” issues.There were no instructions for illegal turns etc
I don’t use street view much .There are separate apps for public transportation but hopefully this gap will be filled soon .
I think with time( and probably not much) this will be a big winner
I don’t think Apple maps is a failure.
I think it’s great. I get that people that search for destinations the App can’t find or people that used features in good maps that aren’t available in Apple maps are disappointed but that does not mean its a bad Application. I guess Apple overlooked some things in this release and focused more on a nice looking App than a map that just did the basics really good. What Ape showed on the demo was fantastic. And I guess they missed how much some people likes Google maps.
How ever. Google has been out with their maps service for many years. Give Apple 5 years or so and judge then then. Sure. If you replace something functional with something less functional for some people it will hurt. But give Apple some credit for making this good of an App this fast.
I also think its good that we finally have an alternative. Apple maps, bing maps and… Well that other maps app we shall not speak about any more…
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
Look out kid, it’s something you did
Bad timing, ineffective apology, and wet noodle. Cook fails in his attempt to address the issue, making him appear unsure and as weak as wet noodle in his ability to solve the problem.
Apologies should be given within 24 – 36 hours to show prompt awareness, clear understanding of the issue, and firm command of relevant facts and actions to address the issue. Cook takes too long to act and does so when the issue is already fading is counter productive.
Apology for apology’s sake is never enough. It’s showy and ineffective. While acknowledging the problem is a first positive step, Cook needs to offer a clear and concise explanation of how the problem comes into existence, outlines steps to be taken to correct the problem, and benchmarks to measure progress towards fixing the problem.
Cooks fails all three criteria in this case. He disappoints me.
So far so good for me. I haven’t run into a problem with it yet.
I noticed that in the list of alternative maps all had clickable links except Google. Is this MDN or Apple’s doing?
I disagree with MDN’s response. Tim did the right thing and he hit all the key points. The first graph contained the apology. No need to drag it out. The he moved to Apple’s position, promised to improve it, offered alternatives and stated their commitment to customers. It was very well crafted and timely. However, he could have offered free download of anyone of several navigation apps on the app store. That would have knocked it out of the park.
Ha ha! This is hilarious…keep it coming Tim! Funny how all the iSheep are in denial and think there is a problem!
*isn’t a problem.
Actually there are any number of apps able to do what Scott Forstall FUBARed. Not only did he allow this shiteous app out the door- they pimped it in presentations like it was something great. Forstall should be fired- given a cardboard box and perp walked off the campus. Not because of this app, but because of what it represents- he cannot deliver the goods and cannot meet the expectations.
Here, for example is an app available in both free and paid versions that will give you Google live street view.
Paid (99₵)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-street-view/id486967765?mt=8
Free
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-street-view-free/id493861593?mt=8
Funny how an independent developer can do what Apple cannot. For 99₵.
Amazing
The times have changed. Tim’s message was perfect considering that perfection isn’t being attacked as much as arrogance. Apple has apologized and admitted failure while reiterating their standards and concern for its customers. He struck the right note under the circumstances. This is not politics, where everyone screams at each other. This is diplomacy. Ballsy diplomacy.
Why the fuck feed the media and say u failed? What an idiot. I’m so sick of this maps thing! Get a life u fucking nerds!
Should we move on to the fact that iOS is a huge data hog in default settings and sometimes even ignores user set preferences?
http://joshcenters.com/2012/9/27/the-iphone-5-is-a-data-pig
iOS 6 is betaware.
WHEN???
Thursday?… November this year or next)??… 2035???
I love maps, it works ok for me. No real complaints.
It does what it says on the tin, it looks lovely, simple to use and above all I love the Siri integration.
Maps will be an industry leader when the next update comes out.
I’ve been trying to make that point now for a couple of days. Apple Maps works fairly well — “does what it says on the tin” is a good description. It’s just not as complete as Google Maps.
The problem is iOS 6 vs. iOS 5. iOS 5 came with Google Maps, which was good. iOS 6 comes with Apple Maps, which is not as good. So there *is* a reason to not use iOS 6 and by extension, anything that requires it.
MDN:Who’s responsible for opening Apple up to this overblown shitstorm and why are they still working for Apple Inc., if they still are?
Tim Cook, and because he’s the CEO.
+1
Not only that, but the shit storm was already beginning to fade. The general idea in the minds of people who cared was that there were problems with Maps, but they understood that would be dealt with. Nothing was going to stop them from buying the new iPhone. The bubble of tech news repeaters and consumers had essentially crafted their own answer and were moving on.
To come out and pump this up again with a poorly executed apology was above and beyond counterproductive. That what I’d like to know. Who’s dumb ass idea was that?
+1
Whose idea? Tim’s.
He has a horrible sense of timing.
Same PR consultants who pushed him to hire that retail guy.
CNBC laughing their hearts out for this amateurism.
Apology is classy between individuals. Apology is not classy in politics and business. It makes you appear weak. It casts doubt on your ability to lead. It makes people ask why you released this product if now you’re sorry you did.
Never apologize. Explain, if you must, but do not apologize. You’re not in elementary school. You’re the goddamn CEO of the biggest goddamn company in the world.
That apology cost a lot of people a lot of money today.
“That apology cost a lot of people a lot of money today.”
Not unless you sold on the drop in price. For all the noise about stock prices and trends, there are only 2 prices that count when owning a stock- the day you buy and the day you sell. Everything else is bullshit.
As to the day traders- eff em. Leeches upon the market.
MDN’s Tim Cook bashing and idol worship of Steve Jobs though rose-tinted glasses is getting stupid – and I’m a die-hard Apple fan. Jobs – who let us not forget had more than his fair share of howling fuck-ups and PR mis-steps (“you’re holding it wrong” ring any bells?) – certainly would have done it differently: but he would probably have bullshitted it out because he was much TOO stubborn at times until such time as it was too late. And Jobs had no trouble launching a half-baked product if he knew the short-term pain was worth the long-term gain. Hell, he launched a music player with no controls on it with a straight face.
Cook isn’t Jobs though, and thank goodness for that. He has made Apple look considerably more human by doing this, and long after Apple have nailed maps and offer a better service than Google (because they will as it’s designed better from the ground up, being vector-based) this’ll be remembered. He’s made them look like normal folk after the post-Samsung verdict Apple looked like a corporate monolith. And he’s also pointed users to other apps rather than Google maps, so he’s still pulled a shrewd move on the opposition.
Seriously, the guy is doing a great job. Leave him the hell alone.
Maps works well in Australia! There was a problem with the Sydney Opera House!! BUT nothing’s perfect!
Around my area near Melbourne, all fine!
And yes, MDN somewhat over the top!
Great feed site though!
Love my new MBA & iPhone 5
Before moaning about apple maps, people should actually use the app!
Also I remember google maps version 1.0, and trust me that was crap compared to apple maps!
Yet again, no reason to apologize.
If Cook does not see that the criticism was a premeditated attack (much like the Libya incident), then schmidt, Bezos and the media shysters will run rings around him. Bet you the consultants who advised him to write the open letter are working for these malevolent ones.
Cooks appears single-handedly responsible for the AAPL take-down today. His ill-timed and poorly constructed apology refreshes the fear, uncertainty, and doubt stoked by ihaters, fudsters, and competitors in investors who were about to forget the issue and move on.
He manages to reopen the wound and add fuel to the fire that Apple enemies have tried their best and failed to deliver until now. Perhaps, Forestall is responsible for the problem, but he does not need Cook’s help to make it worse.
I think MDN is spot on this time..and it’s time for Tim to show leadership by sacking – or at least demoting – Scott Forstall, I think he is the head honcho to be blamed for this PR nightmare, he needs to go ..pure and simple.
I really wish Apple would give Wozzie a more prominent role in the company now that Steve is gone. I am not saying he should replace Tim but he could act as some sort of supervisor regarding new product launches so that things like these will not happen again.
Just my 2 cents..
I predict that this will blow over fast and that Apple maps will continue to become the most widely used and most popular ever.
I am very irritated with this apology. If he had to say anything he should have said “I regret any frustration, but we are working to build the best experience possible.” Period.
This is one time where I tend to agree that Jobs would have handled it differently.
I don’t think Maps is tainted at all. My experience with it has been very positive! Apple always keeps it word when they say they are working on improving it. That was my experience with the attenna gate issue. They went way beyond what I expected any company would do to correct their mistakes. Apple has integrity, for those still having to wait for maps to be what they imagine it should be. It’ll happen. I am positive of that.
PR strategy? If you get a smug PC/Fandroids to touch the 100,000,000 deployed iO6 3D maps to show their deficiency… and then they can’t put it down because the 3D flyover mode is too sticky. Br’er Rabbit ensnared by the iPad.
Funny, last week MDN was calling the uproar FUD and today they are calling for heads to roll for fscking maps up so much.
I do give Tim Cook kudos for admitting it but (and I know this is getting old) Steve would never have let that POS out of the laboratory
Does this perhaps bode well that an apology for iMovie is forthcoming, along with a fix? (‘fix’ meaning going back to the HD 6 interface…)
If something like ‘maps’ is in beta then SAY SO from the outset don’t APOLOGISE later. Someone at ‘Apple Inc.’ is a ‘B’ grade player … Get rid of him/her ASAP.
I agree that whoever wrote the message, whether cook or some moron assistant that it was bad timing and bad wording.
Cook should have instead said something like “many of our users are finding that the maps are an improvement for them and enjoying the turn by turn, for others who are finding issues rest assured that Apple is working around the clock to resolve those issues. We are still selling out of the iPhone 5… ”
(I wrote that in 30 secs , a PR pro paid hundreds of thousands a year can certaintly do a better job and certainly shouldn’t have come up with a limpo apology like the above…for example they even pointed out you can USE NOKIA’S MAPS i.e hinting that they are SUPERIOR! Jobs would never have done that. That message should just have said “for those few who need alternatives there are map apps in the app store and the Safari Broswer ” . Cook knows very little about marketing or image).
I tried Apple Maps on my friends iphone 5 and it was 100% of the time. We then went into the hills with many backroads and trails and it did not so good. However i rate this better than Bing location finder. That thing is a nightmare to find anything. Now about Mr. Cook; he should have said that maps in still catch all BETA mode and further updates will be coming to correct the issues. Where he erred was when he recomended third party apps especially Google! Wtf?! This is giving the population the impression Apple can’t make a descent map app without Google. Though people that follow Apple i.e. Fanboys know this is not such a big issue about the maps app, PR is everything especially in the smartphone business. I am trying to sound elitist but who ever said “the masses are asses” were not wrong.
Well, Cook’s lousy timing and lame apology costs investors $14b today. I certainly hope Apple releases full week’s iP5 sales on Monday and they are excellent to help calm investors down.
Jobs was able to alley investors’ fear over the antenna-gate problem because he could show the problem did not affect customers’ purchase decisions and therefore had no impact on sales. Cook could easily mention the same points in his apology, but either carelessly neglected to do so or ineptly thought they were unimportant.
Cook owns Apple investors an apology.
“owns” should be “owes”
Lets c what happens after a few months in lockdown.
The apology was a bigger blunder than releasing the app! It works A LOT better than the podcast app. I found one error on it then went to the same address with google maps, and it was WRONG too! Hum….
The app does not crash, hang, bog down, or suffer from any strangeness. It just has a few flaws in the data base. Goish, how often do people update their Garmonds or TomToms?
No the apology is a big mistake forever tagging apple maps with an inferior label.
I applaud Tim Cook’s statement and I am angered by the continual denial by MDN concerning this issue. Completely ignoring the “facts” surrounding this issue.
Advice to MDN, open your mind just a wee bit. Apple will only improve if WE hold it accountable, not by your rhetoric in blind support of them! Duh!
Mr. Cook, please , no more apologies and start firing people. Man
up like Steve Jobs.take it or leave it.
I agree with MDN, it was a bit too much. But on the other hand it make clear that the Map app cannot be made an excuse to trash the iPhone5, since it is only a single app, of which there are few alternatives already available.
I’m tired of all these whiny tech folk that live on a myopic level. You all sound like the stars of My Sweet Sixteen.
Think like a chess player, 25 moves ahead.
-Goggle stabbed Apple in the back with Android when Eric Schmit was on the Apple board.
-Android comes out
-Jobs wages war on Goggle
-Apple nows has to ween itself off of Google
-The sooner Apple Maps is released, the better, since Google Maps will get better as well. Android was crap at first, but is quite good now. They did not wait till Android was perfect for a roll out.
-Apple will pour tons of money into Maps, and I predict in a few years, Google maps will be second rate. That new campus will be a beehive of activity.
-If you are sixteen and this is your birthday, happy birthday.
@ AbetterWorld
I like
Maps has not been Newtonized.
Apple with continue to sell an obscene number of iPhones, and Maps will continue to be a default app therein. People aren’t buying iPhones for Maps, and they won’t stop buying them because of it.
Maps will get better over time. And people will just start using it.