Apple a fost intens criticata pentru lansarea unei aplicatii Maps care nu este nici pe departe la fel de buna precum alternativa pe care utilizatorii o aveau prin Google Maps. Multa lume si-a exprimat nemultumirea in legatura cu aceasta aplicatie si acum CEO-ul Apple, Tim Cook, a publicat o scrisoare deschisa in care isi cere scuze fata de utilizatori pentru functionalitatea aplicatiei. El spune ca sistemul este in proces de dezvoltare, 100 de milioane de oameni il utilizeaza, jumatate de miliard de cautari au fost deja facute, insa recomanda utilizatorilor sa foloseasca aplicatii precum Bing, Waze, MapQuest sau website-urile Google Maps/Nokia Maps pana cand aplicatia Maps din iOS 6 va fi suficient de buna.
Ca sa fiu sincer sunt uimit de faptul ca Tim Cook a ales sa publice o asemenea scrisoare pe website-ul Apple, ma asteptam ca nicio persoana din conducere sa nu comenteze oficial situatia si cred ca publicarea acestei scrisori a fost o decizie extrem de buna. In final, avem alternativa de a utiliza altceva pana cand Apple isi va consolida aplicatia Maps, sau pana cand Google Maps va fi disponibila din nou prin App Store.
UPDATE: Aici Apple explica modalitatea prin care puteti salva in HomeScreen un shortcut pentru aplicatia web Google Maps, iar aici aveti o lista cu alternative pentru iOS 6 Maps.
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
