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Apple's CEO Tim Cook personally apologize for the Maps fiasco

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andycapps said:
I would think that if they want to develop the transit side of things there's a lot of coding to be done behind the scenes by them. You've got to have people pulling data from the cities that are publishing it and then displaying it in your app. You definitely can't crowdsource that part of it.
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oh absolutely, it would be a lot of work. but, since Apple is now in the Maps game, they should get down in the dirt and work. similar to how they've had to create relationships with cell companies all over the world and media companies all over the world to make itunes and iphones available most everywhere. Now they should make more relationships for public transportation and offer it integrated into the app (like they used to, via Google's data)

I get the same vibe that this public transit handoff is like Apple's "sweet solution" of webapps for developers in 2008 before they announced the SDK. it's a shitty solution and not what people want or need. but, sadly, in this case I don't think Apple wants to offer the better solution. I'd like to be wrong
 
KHarvey16 said:
If there's one thing we all know about Apple, it's that they pride themselves on being open and specific regarding their future plans.
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So I shouldn't be worried about missing features, because we don't know that Apple isn't planning to add them back in, despite no indication of it, and every statement indicating otherwise? :P

I'm hopeful!
...for a jailbreak tweak that puts Google Maps back in as the default maps :P
 
Not enough. He need to comeback from Hawaii and have a meeting with the press. Also give out free bump- I mean third party map software for free.

Steve does Tim Cookn't.
 
LCfiner said:
However, the issue they have with non integrated transit directions is something they can't just fix with more bodies submitting data. I might use a car a lot but I know that there's tons of people who depended on reliable and integrated public transit info in Maps to get around. Just handing that off to third party apps is a poor substitute (since who knows how good each app is and how reliable they are).
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I really disagree. Given, Google's Maps were never great for NYC's transit. It worked much of the time, but it didn't take into account service changes, and their timings really sucked. On top of the the actual maps had tons of old/incorrect train lines and stops. I gave up relying on them a while ago in lieu of Embark. Added bonus, Embark works underground/without an internet connection.

New Maps' APIs tie directly into real, dedicated transit apps, so when the day comes that I can rely on Apple's locations and POIs, I can put in directions to there, select mass transit and it shows me Embark. I click launch Embark, it does with my route/starting point and destination already input. It's a damn near perfect and elegant solution, in my opinion.
 
mrklaw said:
the nokia webapp is pretty nice, with the overlays showing live traffic etc. Google is ok but a little slower. But neither show street view and so still don't bring back the biggest benefit of the native google app on ios.

I was pleasantly surprised how well they work on a touch device though.
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Street View is coming to Google webapp possibly as early as today. Google has already said that it is getting updated very soon.
 
KHarvey16 said:
The person I responded to asserted that Apple terminated the relationship because they hate google:



That's dumb and nothing anyone has posted backs it up. I asked how people know Apple terminated the relationship unilaterally to point out why it's dumb.
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He didn't say that they terminated their relationship, he said they chose to screw them over. The two companies are rivals and while I wouldn't have anthropomorphized the actions of multinational corporations as much, it's not exactly far off. They did what they did in order to get a competitive edge against google. Hell, google was pretty much caught woefully unprepared for this as evidenced by their slapped together maps presentation earlier this year like the week before Apple's and their current lack of a maps app on the app store. The article even explicitly stated that the contract still had a year left without any additional requirements.
 
LCfiner said:
oh absolutely, it would be a lot of work. but, since Apple is now in the Maps game, they should get down in the dirt and work. similar to how they've had to create relationships with cell companies all over the world and media companies all over the world to make itunes and iphones available most everywhere. Now they should make more relationships for public transportation and offer it integrated into the app (like they used to, via Google's data)

I get the same vibe that this public transit handoff is like Apple's "sweet solution" of webapps for developers in 2008 before they announced the SDK. it's a shitty solution and not what people want or need. but, sadly, in this case I don't think Apple wants to offer the better solution. I'd like to be wrong
Click to expand...

This makes sense...

SnakeXs said:
I really disagree. Given, Google's Maps were never great for NYC's transit. It worked much of the time, but it didn't take into account service changes, and their timings really sucked. On top of the the actual maps had tons of old/incorrect train lines and stops. I gave up relying on them a while ago in lieu of Embark. Added bonus, Embark works underground/without an internet connection.

New Maps' APIs tie directly into real, dedicated transit apps, so when the day comes that I can rely on Apple's locations and POIs, I can put in directions to there, select mass transit and it shows me Embark. I click launch Embark, it does with my route/starting point and destination already input. It's a damn near perfect and elegant solution, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

...as does this.

I don't know. I could see Apple buying Embark or Transit or whoever and integrating it as well.
 
Too little, too late.

I also love how users apparently have to put up with using Apple's crappy maps so that Apple can get the data necessary to fix it.

So basically he's saying, "Here are some alternate map apps, but if you don't use ours don't blame us if our maps stay crappy because it's your fault."
 
Divvy said:
He didn't say that they terminated their relationship, he said they chose to screw them over. The two companies are rivals and while I wouldn't have anthropomorphized the actions of multinational corporations as much, it's not exactly far off. They did what they did in order to get a competitive edge against google. Hell, google was pretty much caught woefully unprepared for this as evidenced by their slapped together maps presentation earlier this year like the week before Apple's and their current lack of a maps app on the app store. The article even explicitly stated that the contract still had a year left without any additional requirements.
Click to expand...

That's another year without turn by turn.
 
Divvy said:
He didn't say that they terminated their relationship, he said they chose to screw them over. The two companies are rivals and while I wouldn't have anthropomorphized the actions of multinational corporations as much, it's not exactly far off. They did what they did in order to get a competitive edge against google. Hell, google was pretty much caught woefully unprepared for this as evidenced by their slapped together maps presentation earlier this year like the week before Apple's and their current lack of a maps app on the app store. The article even explicitly stated that the contract still had a year left without any additional requirements.
Click to expand...

When did the contract end exactly? How did it line up with their release schedule? What sort of requirements were present in that final year, and did any of it conflict with what Apple was trying to deliver to its customers? How did Google voice its displeasure regarding the current agreement with respect to branding and advertisements? Is that all they wanted?
 
Tobor said:
That's another year without turn by turn.
Click to expand...

They could have rolled out turn by turn as a separate app that could have been launched from within the old maps app. When the new maps was ready, they could have rolled it together with turn by turn and removed the old maps app. Seems like the best solution to me.
 
I find it a little hard to believe that Google was caught 'unprepared' that this was going to happen, particularly because of the reports that there was only a year left on the deal. Even lowly internet bloggers were talking about it before iOS 5. I remember the story going around back when Apple bought that 3D mapping tech. I'd be surprised if Google was that oblivious.
 
Jesus christ at some of the people here.

Yes they fucked up, they acknowledge that fully and apologize. They even bring forth other competitor's services to temporarily aid users while the Maps app gets improved.
As far as i'm concerned, it's one of the most sincere and classy statements I have ever seen Apple make.
 
Vyer said:
I find it a little hard to believe that Google was caught 'unprepared' that this was going to happen, particularly because of the reports that there was only a year left on the deal. Even lowly internet bloggers were talking about it before iOS 5. I remember the story going around back when Apple bought that 3D mapping tech. I'd be surprised if Google was that oblivious.
Click to expand...

im sure they know it was coming eventually but didnt expect apple to be dumb enough to release it so abruptly while shitting on their contract
 
mrklaw said:
haven't they had free turn by turn for about 3-4 years now? Think they bought one of the big two suppliers - navteq or teleatlas.
Click to expand...

Navteq.


Anyway, Tim Cook did the right things by making a public apology. They should have done way more testing, and invested a wee bit more in mapping data. But, I have no doubt the maps will get better soon. They're probably operating in full crisis mode as we speak.

Also, can't blame Apple from wanting to move away from Google. Google's probably been holding this over Apple's head for a while now.
 
Divvy said:
They could have rolled out turn by turn as a separate app that could have been launched from within the old maps app. When the new maps was ready, they could have rolled it together with turn by turn and removed the old maps app. Seems like the best solution to me.
Click to expand...

Then everyone would be screaming about what a kludgy implementation of turn-by-turn Apple produced. Might not have been a big of a story as the current maps fiasco, but that doesn't seem like a good solution either.
 
Hoo-doo said:
Jesus christ at some of the people here.

Yes they fucked up, they acknowledge that fully and apologize. They even bring forth other competitor's services to temporarily aid users while the Maps app gets improved.
As far as i'm concerned, it's one of the most sincere and classy statements I have ever seen Apple make.
Click to expand...


This is Mapplegate, duded. People want to relish it.
 
Sapiens said:
No free bumper?
Click to expand...

You get one of these for free with every purchase of an iPhone 5*.

*Selective cities.

Finished.jpg
 
Interesting article about this,
"What Makes Google’s Maps So Good"


..."Like Apple, Google also collects location and movement data (anonymously) from millions of smartphones as they’re driven around; from this information, Apple and Google can determine when, for example, a one-way street has been mislabeled in its data."...

..."I asked Google why its satellite photos don’t seem to display the same jarring seams that are showing up on Apple’s — obvious borders between side-by-side tiles that were taken at different times of the year or in different weather.

“When you look at Google Earth,” I was told, “you can see that the globe is made from a mosaic of aerial and satellite photos, often taken in different lighting and weather. We license these photos from multiple providers, possibly the same ones that Apple uses; but we’ve had the time to come up with a smoothing algorithm. In January, we introduced a new way to render them, smooth them out, make them seamless. But by no means have we perfected this.”"
...
 
Sapiens said:
This is Mapplegate, duded. People want to relish it.
Click to expand...

Seriously. Anything Apple does wrong is hoisted up and displayed with great fanfare.

Samsung's little problem with phones being able to be wiped by visiting a webpage or scanning a QR code? If that had been Apple it would have been front-page news, and the torches and pitchforks would have come out.
 
The end of the iPhone era as the premium smartphone has clearly come to pass. All their competitors had to do was show that the gods can bleed, and momentum will do the rest.

I appreciate the attempt at reality distortion with all those untruths in Cook's apology: he'll never wield anything close to Steve's mysterious force.
 
Pie and Beans said:
The end of the iPhone era as the premium smartphone has clearly come to pass. All their competitors had to do was show that the gods can bleed, and momentum will do the rest.

I appreciate the attempt at reality distortion with all those untruths in Cook's apology: he'll never wield anything close to Steve's mysterious force.
Click to expand...

This thread...
 
Pkaz01 said:
im sure they know it was coming eventually but didnt expect apple to be dumb enough to release it so abruptly while shitting on their contract
Click to expand...

but would the contract have ended during, theoretically, the time frame of an iOS 7 release? It doesn't seem very abrupt. I think iirc seeing stories about apple job postings for maps like in 2010. They've been reportedly working on it for 5 years. If the contract is in it's last year - with yet another iOS iteration in the time frame, it doesn't seem unreasonable for Google to assume that a renewal wasn't coming.
 
Divvy said:
They could have rolled out turn by turn as a separate app that could have been launched from within the old maps app. When the new maps was ready, they could have rolled it together with turn by turn and removed the old maps app. Seems like the best solution to me.
Click to expand...

Could they? We know they weren't allowed to use the Google maps data for turn by turn, that much is on the record. The app you are describing would need the Google Maps data to hand off to the turn by turn app. I'm willing to bet that's a violation of the contract.

What you would end up with is a separate app that's completely cut off from the Maps app. That's assuming they were even allowed to build an app at all under the terms. No one knows the details of that contract.

Why would Apple have fought so hard to add turn by turn using Google's data in the past if the answer is as simple as building a separate app?
 
Poor Apple. How will one of the richest companies in the world with a massive cash stockpile recover from this unfair treatment by the very same press they constantly play like a fiddle?

Poor, poor Apple.


Tobor said:
Could they? We know they weren't allowed to use the Google maps data for turn by turn, that much is on the record. The app you are describing would need the Google Maps data to hand off to the turn by turn app. I'm willing to bet that's a violation of the contract.

What you would end up with is a separate app that's completely cut off from the Maps app. That's assuming they were even allowed to build that under the terms. No one knows the details of that contract.

Why would Apple have fought so hard to add turn by turn using Google's data in the past if the answer is as simple as building a separate app?
Click to expand...
I'm assuming he meant rolling out a separate turn-by-turn app using the same non-google map data they're using now.
 
Ingueferroque said:
Yesterday Maps thought Manhattan was Brooklyn.

Inexcusable.
Click to expand...

Oh man, my sympathies. I can't imagine trying to use it in NYC.

LCFiner said:
oh absolutely, it would be a lot of work. but, since Apple is now in the Maps game, they should get down in the dirt and work. similar to how they've had to create relationships with cell companies all over the world and media companies all over the world to make itunes and iphones available most everywhere. Now they should make more relationships for public transportation and offer it integrated into the app (like they used to, via Google's data)

I get the same vibe that this public transit handoff is like Apple's "sweet solution" of webapps for developers in 2008 before they announced the SDK. it's a shitty solution and not what people want or need. but, sadly, in this case I don't think Apple wants to offer the better solution. I'd like to be wrong
Click to expand...

I agree, they have the money. They need to hire some managers there that really understand the business and can build a huge team around them. The problem with GIS stuff and with any of this stuff is that it takes large amounts of people to do it. It's a very tedious process and you can only improve it so much with software. Someone still has to go in there and trace the lines. Though the lines may be able to be crowdsourced to some extent, you'd have to have a QC/QA process in place to validate them and integrate them into live data. And Apple is having to do this for a worldwide launch. They need to be hiring thousands, not hundreds.
 
Pie and Beans said:
The end of the iPhone era as the premium smartphone has clearly come to pass. All their competitors had to do was show that the gods can bleed, and momentum will do the rest.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? There is no way you can say that with a straight face. iPhone 5 is going to sell a hell of a lot more than iPhone 4S just like 4S sold a ton more than iPhone 4.
 
This is the biggest goof modern Apple has made. And they have only themselves to blame for it. In most cases, competition is supposed to make your product better. Instead, Apple got greedy and tossed together whatever they've got right now. It's a complete embarrassment.
 
Prez said:
If someone else wrote it, I wouldn't consider it a personal apology like the thread title says.
Click to expand...

It's as personal as a corporate apology can really be, which is to say, not much. He's the head of a company that released an unfinished product, and it's his responsibility to apologize on behalf of the company.
 
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