[empire29]

This iOS6 Maps controversy smacks of Antenna-gate. Picking on one shortcoming and heralding the downfall of Apple/iPhone.

Yeah, it sucks that iOS6 maps aren't as good as iOS5 maps.

Does taking a step backward on (important) iOS app mean Apple has peaked? Probably not.

Will the general consumer be happy enough with the iPhone5/iOS6 as a whole that they will tolerate (and then forget about) Maps's reduction in quality? Probably.

Will Apple improve Maps so that in 6-12 months where the iOS6 maps quality is on par with iOS5 maps? Probably.

Time will tell - but my money is this is a classic case of the media/blogs trolling for page views, the general consumer not noticing (ala antenna-gate), and all this will be forgotten in a month.

...and Job's reign had missteps as well - from imac disc mouse to iphone cellular performance on at&t to mobileme to iphone4 antenna. Apple's great power is they make the entire package so enchanting that consumers tolerate issues until they can be resolved.

[mikeash]

I can tell you that I never encountered a real user who cared about antennagate, but my Apple-using friends are talking nonstop about how awful the new maps are. Antennagate was something that affected essentially nobody, but got picked up as a great story by the media. These maps deficiencies are affecting a lot of real people, and making some of them pretty angry. Most people became aware of antennagate from the media, but everybody I've talked to has learned about iOS 6 maps either from using it and finding it to be sub-par (which is how it happened for me) or talking to people who did that.