Apple Issues Insincere Map App Apology: No Plans to Offer Google Map Equivalent

by Holly Shoemaker

Today, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook issued a letter of apology to customers to address the disappointment and performance of its iOS 6 Apple Maps.

Overview of Apology

Apple apologized for the frustration its map app has caused, and said the company continues to work on improving functionality.

In the letter, Time Cook had no choice but to mention the option of using other apps until Apple addresses all issues – the letter even mentions Google Maps and Nokia Maps. However, Microsoft’s Bing gains the first mention, showing that Apple will not go out of its way to admit its mistake of splitting with Google Maps too soon.

Concluding Thoughts

Apple’s apology does not come across sincere. Instead of sticking to an apology, the company took the time to praise itself on the number of people using iOS 6, and stated that customers have searched for half a billion locations.

The letter should do little to diminish people’s frustrations with the application and its latest operating system. The numbers also do not equate to success when people retrieve incorrect information from the app. Furthermore, a letter of apology does not change the outcome that Apple has no equivalent product to Google Maps, which used to come as the default map app on previous iPhones. On Tuesday, Google confirmed that it had not submitted a map app to the Apple’s Apple Store. 

Apple prematurely severed its ties with Google here – being Apple only gets the company so far. It will have to quickly deliver an updated and tested application to its loyal customers. If not, Android and other products like Nokia Maps will continue to gain more customers.