Grant Gross
Senior Writer

Apple apologizes for its mapping service on iOS 6

news
Sep 28, 20122 mins

CEO Tim Cook says the company is working hard to fix inaccuracies in the new version of Apple Maps

Apple CEO Tim Cook is “extremely sorry” to customers for inaccuracies in its new mapping software included in iOS 6, and has pointed users to competing services in an open letter to customers released today.

With many users and news stories noting multiple inaccuracies in Apple Maps, Cook said Apple “fell short” on the company’s goal to make world-class products for customers.

“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,” Cook wrote in the letter.

Apple launched a new version of Maps last week, and the latest version was built from the “ground up,” to include new features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, and vector-based maps, Cook said.

More than 100 million iOS devices use the new version of Maps, Cook wrote. “In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations,” he said. “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.”

The Maps software has misplaced some landmarks, pointed some searchers to wrong addresses, and has not included major infrastructure such as bridges.

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for the IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant’s email address is grant_gross@idg.com.

Grant Gross

Grant Gross, a senior writer at CIO, is a long-time IT journalist who has focused on AI, enterprise technology, and tech policy. He previously served as Washington, D.C., correspondent and later senior editor at IDG News Service. Earlier in his career, he was managing editor at Linux.com and news editor at tech careers site Techies.com. As a tech policy expert, he has appeared on C-SPAN and the giant NTN24 Spanish-language cable news network. In the distant past, he worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Minnesota and the Dakotas. A finalist for Best Range of Work by a Single Author for both the Eddie Awards and the Neal Awards, Grant was recently recognized with an ASBPE Regional Silver award for his article “Agentic AI: Decisive, operational AI arrives in business.”

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