( CNN ) -- A recent torrent of complaints has prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue a public apology for the company 's new maps app in the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 , which previously relied on Google Maps . Addresses are not showing up correctly , public transit directions are n't available , and the satellite views make it look as if the Brooklyn Bridge is bending into the Hudson River . Unlike the naysayers , I was delighted to see the change . That 's because six months ago , I broke up with Google . It 's not a decision I made lightly . I was in an intimate relationship with the company for years . Google knew what I watched on YouTube and which trains I caught into New York City for a night out . It facilitated collaborations with my colleagues and helped me navigate foreign cities . We had some good times together , Google and I . Opinion : Why a naked Apple would be a better company . But over time , our relationship changed . Ads started to show up based on keywords that I had typed into the search engine or in my e-mail . In Google search , things I was looking for were now buried beneath `` helpful '' suggestions of things I was n't interested in in the slightest . The problem was Google 's latest privacy policy , which went into effect in March . Google 's new rules mean that in addition to tracking your activities , it can aggregate your data across its many services and platforms such as Google Maps , Gmail , search , and Gchat , for starters . Why does Google collect and aggregate your information ? Because when Google has a better picture of who you are , what you like and what you do online , it becomes even more attractive to advertisers . While Google 's ecosystem offers many appealing perks and conveniences , the price you pay is your personal data . In short , when you use a Google service , you 're not using a product -- you are the product . So I took matters into my own hands , and broke up with Google . Anyone coming out of a long-term relationship will tell you that breaking up is hard to do . You have to change your patterns . My first step was obviously to switch search engines . But to what ? The old alternatives are all gone , absorbed by Google , Yahoo ! and Bing . To make matters worse , I discovered that my own devices were working against me . Clicking a link on my computer or phone automatically opened Google Maps , search , or YouTube . I had to find new ways . Juggling directions from Nokia , Bing and MapQuest has led me on several wild goose chases while trying to get from A to B. I also spread my activities across multiple servers . I deleted my YouTube account , set my search engine to Duck Duck Go ( a service that does n't track search information ) , and logged into AIM . Deleting my Gmail account was the hardest -- and most revealing . It reminded me of the evil computer HAL 9000 's death scene at the end of `` 2001 : A Space Odyssey . '' As I selected all the messages I have ever received and clicked the delete button , the system protested : Was I sure I wanted to do this ? It reminded me of all our good times together by telling me we 'd shared `` 38,496 conversations since 2008 . '' In defense of my stupidphone . The ad bar stopped showing ads and started displaying environmentally friendly statements . Did I know that `` there is no limit to the number of times an aluminum can can be recycled '' ? Or that `` empty tissue boxes can provide easy and handy storage for plastic grocery bags '' ? I felt pangs of guilt and regret . When the screen finally displayed , `` You do n't have any mail ! Our servers are feeling unloved , '' I almost changed my mind . That 's when it hit me . I thought we had an intimate relationship , when in fact I was being manipulated into codependence . Service by service , Google had convinced me that I needed it for everything , all to seduce me into giving up more of my personal data . Of course , Apple collects user information as well . But it is not the company 's main source of revenue . Apple users pay for their products in dollars , not in personal information . Its closed system of products and devices , while decried among tech pundits , is its advantage . Apple also has a long history of treating its users not like products , but like consumers . This incentivizes improvements that put the user first , giving us a more powerful voice . After all , we can vote with our dollars and with our downloads . Breaking the Google monopoly means that all of our choices can improve . And that 's why Apple 's leaving Google Maps is a step in the right direction . In the meanwhile , as long as I know where my information is going , I do n't mind getting a little lost . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Janet Vertesi .
User complaints prompted Apple to apologize for its new maps app . Janet Vertesi / AP She says Google 's privacy policy aggregated users ' personal data for profit . Vertesi : Breaking the Google monopoly means that all of our choices can improve .