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"Apple Maps is not a bad product, and yet many users hate it.\nEven for a company as huge as Apple, it has to be frustrating to be in this situation \u2014 to acquire three different mapping-related companies over the years, and to have dozens and dozens of engineers work on an app that is hated by a noticeable chunk of its user base. \nApple claims it will work to improve the Maps app, promising updates in the near future. But as a company that provides a very complex user experience to its many users, it also has to learn an important lesson: You never, ever replace a superior product with an inferior one.\nThe problem with Apple Maps is not the app itself; it's how it compares to Google Maps. Not the Google Maps of old, not the Google Maps of two years ago, but the Google Maps of now. The one iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners were happily using up until 24 hours ago, when iOS 6 became available, replacing it with Apple Maps. \n\n\nThe Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParis, France\n\nAre you alright, Eiffel Tower? \nYou're looking kind of... flat.\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLondon, UK\n\n\"Battersea Bridge in London, UK. I think I\u2019ll find another way to cross the Thames.\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nColchester, UK\n\nWell, that's helpful.\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPaderborn, Germany\n\n\"One part of my city (Paderborn, Germany) is now sharp but black-white, the other part is colored but blurry! Great Apple!\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCologe, Germany\n\n\"Walking instructions actively try to avoid getting you to your desired target. (Which is correctly marked by the red pin.)\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYork, UK\n\nWhat happens when the color starts? Does it mean you've reached Oz?\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBoston, Massachusets\n\n\"I-93 at the Zakim Bridge in Boston. Never knew it was a roller coaster!\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMalm\u00F6 Central Station, Sweden\r\n\n\nAre they hiding something?\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMumbai, India\n\n\"This isn\u2019t some remote location, this is the city of Mumabi. The blue dot is where I am.\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew York City, New York\n\n\"Clearly Apple knows of the coming apocolypse. Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge.\"\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTokyo, Japan\n\nThey said it all.\nvia The Amazing iOS6 Maps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you remember, the web version of Google Maps came out seven years ago. Back then, it had no traffic information. It didn't have Street View. It got a lot of locations wrong. Huge chunks of land, especially in areas other than the US and western Europe, were basically empty satellite images, devoid of any info whatsoever. A large chunk of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and the city I live in, was hidden behind a cloud in the satellite imagery.\nGoogle Maps for Mobile came out in 2006, and it was present on the first iPhone, which was launched five years ago, but that version was also a far cry from today's Google Maps. \nApple Maps is vastly better than that version of Google Maps.\nUnfortunately for Apple, no one will compare Apple Maps to that Google Maps. They will compare it to the latest version, and in that comparison, Apple Maps is a distant second. \nIt sounds simple: Don't replace a popular app with an inferior one. But Apple did not follow this rule \u2014 it thought a \"good enough\" Maps app would be, well, good enough. Wrong.\n\nSEE ALSO: The World According to Apple Maps\nThe map fiasco also has also a less obvious, but important lesson for Apple (and for all those who \"hate\" the company) \u2014 Apple users do not love everything Apple does, regardless of its quality. If it sucks \u2014 like iTunes Ping, or Apple Maps \u2014 they will hate it. \nApple has set a high standard with many of its products, and the users expect nothing but the best from the company. Being the world's biggest company, and one of the richest, Apple simply has no other choice but to create the best possible product, every single time. \nThe damage can be, and probably will, be undone. Apple will surely listen to its users' complaints, and jump to improve the app in every possible way. In time, people will get used to Apple Maps. But every mistake like this is a dent in its armor \u2014 too many of those, and the aura of invincibility goes away."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/apple-maps-lesson/>