Apple's new iOS 6 software update replaces Google Maps with Apple Maps as expected, but so far, unhappy users are panning the change in online forums. Meanwhile, Google Maps touts new features for Android users.
In Dublin, Ireland, an airport that
doesn't exist somehow made its way into Apple Maps, according to
The Guardian, prompting officials there
to inform Apple of the error.
Apple's
removal of Google Maps, which had been built in to iOS since the debut of
the iPhone in 2007, in favor of Apple's own Maps application was announced in
May. Apple and Google say publicly that the move was simply because a five-year
licensing deal has expired, but industry pundits point to a more competitive battle
for market share for both companies which means there will be fewer areas where
they will collaborate.
Apple also announced in August that it was
removing
the YouTube player from iOS 6, which like Google Maps had been part of the
operating system since the launch of the iPhone in 2007.
Meanwhile, as Apple fans were loudly criticizing the
maps feature in iOS 6, Google unveiled some new Google Maps features on Android
that are aimed at
helping
users organize their Google maps searches in one place and sync them to
multiple devices.
"When you're on the go, it can be difficult to
recall all of the places you've searched on your desktop browser at home,"
Keiji Maekawa, a Google Maps software engineer, wrote Sept. 19 on the Google
Lat Long Blog. "To make Google Maps more useful and comprehensive, we
added a few improvements to better sync your maps experience across all of your
devices. Today, with the latest release of Google Maps for Android, we're
making it faster and easier for you to get the information you've searched for
on your browser, right on your Android phone."
It's ironic that Google made the Google Maps on
Android announcement on the same day as Apple iOS 6 downloads got underway.
Perhaps the good folks in Mountain View were anticipating problems with the
launch of Apple Maps and wanted to rain on Apple's parade?
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