Apple has today released an open letter to users of iOS 6 and the new Maps application which has received significant criticism since its launch. The letter comes from Apple CEO Tim Cook and admits that the company has failed to deliver the best possible experience in the maps application. The CEO also reassures users that the company is working hard to make improvements to the Maps application in iOS 6 to make it the best possible quality.
The full text of the letter is below, taken from Apple’s site:
“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”
It’s interesting that the company takes the step of recommending other maps applications until Apple brings their own maps application up to the higher standards promised. That is certainly not a strategy that other companies would likely take, and perhaps even reflects a new standard of transparency and honesty about quality that other companies would be wise to replicate.
Wow…