Apple apologises for “falling short” with iOS 6 Maps

Apple has issued an apology for the sub-standard Maps app shipped with iOS 6.

The company has come under widespread criticism for the poor quality of the maps in the new iOS and iPhone 5, following Apple’s decision to walk away from Google as the default map provider.

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

Although Apple built its own service into the system using Tom Tom data as a base, the web was quickly ablaze with criticism over the accuracy of the data, prompting Apple boss Tim Cook to write an open letter to customers.

“At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers,” Cook said. “With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”

According to Cook, the errors were caused by trying rebuild the service from the ground up, but the results left much to be desired – so much so that he suggested iPhone users should seek alternatives, either from the app store or reverting to a Google service via the browser, something many people have already done.

“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 suggested.