So now that we have our magical iPad Mini, which I must admit is pretty damn sexy, we listened to Tim Cook and Phil Schiller talk about all of the success that iOS 6 and the latest iPhone has had. But there was no mention of one of its core products, iOS Maps.
Hmmm, I wonder why? Now, don’t get me wrong, Cook responded in a great way to criticism of what I feel to be a half-baked attempt at making its Maps offering a better experience than what was available before iOS 6 with Google’s embedded maps. In his statement about Maps last month, Cook said that Apple was hard at work:
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.
Today, though? Not a peep. No mention of any world class updates on the Maps backend, or any great feedback from its users. There was no mention of me not being driven off of the road ever again, due to crappy directions. That was a little curious, if not a letdown, honestly.
While Cook took a few shots at Google and its Nexus 7 device, specifically, there was nothing to be said about Maps, which I think is more important than a 7-inch tablet. You can call me a hater all you like, but it doesn’t make sense, since I’ll be purchasing some of Apple’s new shiny devices soon enough.
I know that this event shouldn’t have been bogged down in negativity, but I really felt like this was a huge opportunity to tell the world “Hey, we have Maps under control.” Alas, they did not. Even an incremental “update” or word of encouragement on the progress of Maps would have been received quite well. Damn.
Until Google pounces with its own native Maps app, I’ll see you in the ditch on I-95. Here’s to the boring ones, Apple.