Travellers griping because Apple removed Google Maps from iOS 6, take heart: Google plans to release a standalone map app by the end of 2012, reports the New York Times.
Yet it’s unclear if the Cupertino giant will accept Google Maps in its App Store, a concern noted by Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt.
One explanation for why Google was caught out by the iPhone switch is that its contract with Apple still had time left on it. Apple surprised the search giant by terminating the contract abruptly, according to The Verge.
Another issue that may explain the hold-up is that Google might be adding 3D images to its Maps app, but those 3D images are on a separate Google Earth code base.
Apple’s new maps app is so buggy that it misplaces some towns and businesses, as Tnooz reported last week. There’s also no public transportation information, a function that Google Maps delivers.
Tweets are running two-to-one against Apple’s new maps, even though the new vector-based maps load more quickly than Google’s bitmaps, allow large swaths of territory to be saved offline for viewing, Â and provide turn-by-turn navigation (something that Google failed to provide for iOS).
Complaints are loud enough that a Tumblr has popped up for screenshots of the epic map fails, BoingBoing says. The Tumblr is sarcastically called, ”The Amazing iOS 6 Maps.”
While iPhone and iPad users can get to Google Maps via their browser, that solution is not ideal.
In the meantime, many travelers will look to third-party solutions like Embark.
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