Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted a public letter to Apple's website in order to apologize for the backlash caused by iOS 6 Maps. In the letter, Cook writes that Apple "fell short on this commitment" to make the best products for its customers, suggesting that customers can use alternatives from the App Store like Bing, Mapquest, or Waze—or they can use the mobile websites for Google or Nokia.
Maps did not receive a glowing reception when iOS 6 was launched earlier this month. In our own review, we pointed out that the driving directions took us to incorrect places and we were very unhappy with the absence of built-in transit directions—despite alternatives being made by developers. Others have echoed these statements, and a mini-uproar (colloquially being referred to as "Mapgate") has begun among Apple-watchers and the general public alike.
Things have apparently gotten bad enough to spur Cook to write a Jobs-style public letter. Below is the full text of the letter, which once again promises that Apple is making improvements to the app.
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 CEO
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