Archived version: https://archive.ph/hguLn

Excerpt:

Apple Maps’ offering might surprise people who remember its disastrous launch in 2012, which the Guardian described as the company’s “first significant failure in years”. Users were more than furious – they were lost, sometimes dangerously so. In Australia, police had to rescue tourists from the huge Murray-Sunset national park, after Maps placed the city of Mildura in the wrong place by more than 40 miles. Some of the motorists located by police had been stranded for 24 hours without food or water. In Ireland, ministers had to complain directly to Apple after a cafe and gardens called “Airfield” was designated by the service as an actual airport.

But mostly the map was just glitchy and unhelpful, its directions always a little off kilter. Users revolted and Apple made a rare retreat, allowing Google Maps to be used as the default on many iPhone apps and apologizing for the product.

  • @[email protected]
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    fedilink
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    111 months ago

    Lane directions and verbal hints like “after the next set of lights” are better than google now. However google still seems to have more accurate or corrected location markers. The location of the marker often is the difference between the directions ending on a busy road at the back of a building vs actually stopping on the correct side of the block / entrance / parking lot.