Apple has come under fire for its new Maps application that has been launched with the latest iteration of the company's mobile operating system, iOS 6.
The Maps app replaces the popular and widely used Google Maps application, which used to come pre-installed on Apple mobile devices.
Complaints include persistent glitches, a lack of transit information, inaccuracies and a general lack of reliability. A Tumblr blog, The Amazing iOS 6 Maps, has emerged to catalogue all of the mistakes and missteps made by the new app.
Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller has said in a statement to AllThingsD: "Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features, including Apple Maps, our first map service.
"We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn-by-turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it.
"Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."
According to reports, the team at Apple responsible for the Maps app is currently on lockdown, working to resolve the problems.
Errors abound
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Apple's Maps app incorrectly labelled a farm as an airstrip - something which has prompted the Irish minister for justice, Alan Shatter, to ask for an urgent correction.
The minister issued a (seemingly tongue-in-cheek) statement saying: "I know on occasion mistakes can be made and I am surprised to discover that Airfield, which is in the centre of my constituency in Dundrum, has, in Apple's new operating system iOS 6 maps application, been designated with the image of an aircraft."
Shatter continued: "In context of Airfield there are a variety of possible alternative images that could be utilised, such as a cow, a goat, a sheep, a flower or any indeed other type of plant, as Airfield operates a nursery."
Amid the complaints, rumours have also surfaced claiming that Google has been working on a standalone Google Maps app for iOS for some time, but Apple approval for it is the biggest stumbling block. These rumours have been rejected by other commentators though, including Jim Dalrymple, of The Loop, who responded to the claims with a simple "Nope".
Google Maps can still be used by iOS 6 users via the Safari browser. In the meantime, Google's only statement on the matter has been: "Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system."
Nokia has also taken the opportunity offered by the negativity around Apple's Maps app, to punt its own mapping services, which are built on "automotive-grade Navteq maps", which have been developed over 20 years.
In a post of the Nokia Conversations blog, which directly compares Nokia, Google and Apple mapping services, it is said: "Unlike our competitors, which are financing their location assets with advertising or licensing mapping content from third parties, we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps.
"In other words, we truly understand that maps and location-based apps must be accurate, provide the best quality and be accessible basically anywhere. That's been standard practice at Nokia for the past six years, and we also understand that 'pretty' isn't enough. You expect excellence in your smartphone mapping experience."
* Have you had any problems using Maps in iOS 6 in SA? Tell us your experiences in the comments section below and send screen shots to kath@itweb.co.za.
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