iPhone & IOS 6

Well, I started to play some more with IOS 6 after reading a column in today's New York Times that Apple replaced the map from Google with their own map application. Since the icon for it is nearly identical to Google's, I didn't pay much attention to it  until I read the column.

And so far, just getting started with it, I have to say it sucks. I put my iPad next to it with Google's map on it (they still use IOS 5.1) for comparison and immediately ran into problems with Apple's map app.

For one thing, both used the location enabled and GPS signal. The iPad almost always hones in quickly and to the exact location and building. The iPhone has my home somewhere in the middle of the Narrows Strait amidst the boat traffic about a half-mile east of where I live.

That's not cool. If it can't find your current location, what good is it? Isn't that what GPS is about, to be with 10' of your exact location?

What's worse, it kept blaming the compass in the iPhone, the interference error message you get to move your iPhone in a figure-8 a few times. Repeated tries with this produced the same error message and still kept me in the middle of the Narrows Strait.

I read that Apple, instead of developing their own in-house maps, bought 3 companies which make map apps. Well, what can I say, you get what you pay for and customers get to choose what they want to buy.

And while I like the iPhone, I'm not enamored, and even sometimes pissed, Apple seems to keep thinking it knows its customer more and better than the customers. Well, dear Apple, you don't, so stop trying and stop making decisions we don't like.

So, my suggestion?

Google, please develop an iPhone app for your map service.
Please. I'll even spend a few bucks to buy it and park Apple's map app in the junk box I keep in the last screen with all the other useless Apple apps, now up to six apps.

Update.-- Well, about 30 minutes later the iPhone finally got my whereabouts and my home properly located on the map. Gee, I'm warm and dry now. And while it changes my view of Apple's map app a little, it doesn't change my view of Google's map app, please make one for iPhones to give people choices.