Apple admits to falling short on its Maps app

Today Apple’s CEO Tim Cook published a letter of apology on the company’s website in what is a nod to the spate of negative user reviews over the digital maps the company used to replace Google Maps for its iPhone and iPad operating system.

The Maps function was one the iPhone 5′s biggest new features, so the slams against it have been especially painful.

In the statement, Apple once again insisted that its maps will get better as more people use them.

A hint at the future

The most interesting part of the public letter may be an uncharacteristic remark recommending that customers consider using map alternatives. Cook wrote:

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.

That statement highlights Google’s Maps as one of the alternatives that some customers might prefer, which may presage a commitment by Apple to approve of any stand-alone Google Maps app for iPhone users that Google may develop by year end.

In the meantime, Cook says the company is “doing everything it can” to make the maps better.

Kudos to the company for at least acknowledging the customer hassles.

Here’s the full letter:

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