The public backlash over iOS 6 Maps continues: developers are coming out of the woodwork claiming they warned Apple about quality issues before launch. A new report at CNET highlights stories from six third-party developers who say they tried to tell Apple about bugs in Maps, only to find themselves ignored. The statements echo the grumblings from other developers about Maps, in addition to what several Apple engineers told Ars last week as part of our feature on Apple's internal culture.
The developers speaking to CNET asked not to be named because they have apps in the App Store, some of which rely on Apple's MapKit framework for their own products. They tell stories of woe about filing bug reports in Apple's Radar system, making posts in the company's private developer forums, and even e-mailing Apple engineers directly about their concerns. One source claims an Apple employee told him the issue was "well understood."
Indeed, based on our interviews with a number of Apple employees, the issue was understood—at least on the engineering level. "It was clear to anybody who would use it, even in the iOS betas, that Maps looks pretty bad," one source told Ars. "If someone had showed that to Steve, he would've said, 'This looks like shit.' He would have actually said that. Tim did the right thing by apologizing, but the better thing would've been, like, 'We can't ship this.'"
Apple CEO Tim Cook published a public apology for the quality of Maps less than two weeks ago, suggesting a handful of alternatives for users who want to try something else. But when we went hands-on with those apps, we didn't come away feeling particularly impressed by the alternatives, either. I have defaulted to a mixed-use scenario: I use Google Maps mobile for most of my day-to-day use (because I rely heavily on transit directions and I feel Google's online solution is the closest thing to iOS 5's Maps as we can get), while using iOS 6 Maps for general lookups and occasional driving directions. But using two apps for mapping instead of just one isn't ideal, so here's to hoping Apple ships some of those promised updates sooner rather than later.
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