Apple CEO Tim Cook Apologizes for Maps Fiasco in iOS 6
Tim Cook is coming into his own as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple. After a little more than a year at the helm, he's managed to differentiate himself in a subtle, yet meaningful way from Steve Jobs, and he did it simply by apologizing for the situation with Maps in iOS 6. We'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor.
If you're new to the Apple scene, understand that apologies don't come very often from the Cupertino company. When Steve Jobs was in charge, rather than apologize for a design defect in the iPhone 4 that caused a lot of dropped calls due to the antennae placement, he told people they were holding their phone wrong. Seriously.
Now we have Tim Cook offering up an apology for the sorry situation with the revamped Maps in iOS 6, which replaced Google Maps and has been frustrating users with incorrect location data.
"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," Cook begins his open letter.
Of course, this is still Apple, so don't expect the company to backtrack on what's been a poor decision and put Google Maps back in iOS. However, Cook did point users to the App Store to find an alternative solution while it works to fix Maps.
"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," Cook said.
What's your reaction to Cook's apology?
If you're new to the Apple scene, understand that apologies don't come very often from the Cupertino company. When Steve Jobs was in charge, rather than apologize for a design defect in the iPhone 4 that caused a lot of dropped calls due to the antennae placement, he told people they were holding their phone wrong. Seriously.
Now we have Tim Cook offering up an apology for the sorry situation with the revamped Maps in iOS 6, which replaced Google Maps and has been frustrating users with incorrect location data.
"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," Cook begins his open letter.
Of course, this is still Apple, so don't expect the company to backtrack on what's been a poor decision and put Google Maps back in iOS. However, Cook did point users to the App Store to find an alternative solution while it works to fix Maps.
"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," Cook said.
What's your reaction to Cook's apology?
