Apple has received a lot of
criticism for its new maps that have fallen way short of user expectations. Until now there has been little acknowledgement of the problem from Apple except saying Maps are a new product that will get better as more people use it. That has changed with a letter to customers from Apple CEO, posted on the company's website.
Tim Cook has apologised for the "frustration" caused by new maps and vowed that Apple is doing everything to improve the situation. Interestingly, Cook also pointed customers to 13 third-party apps available in the App Store that customers can use in the meanwhile. He also highlighted Google Maps and Nokia Maps mobile websites as viable alternatives.
Here's the
letter in full:
To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.
We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. 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.
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.
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Tim Cook
Apple's CEOHere are the apps that Cook recommends in his letter.