| The problem is I can just as easily come up with a situation where Google is being "evil" and doing everything it can to screw Apple: Apple and Google have become serious competitors. Apple realized that and started working on its mapping solution, but recognized it wasn't ready in time for iOS 6. Unfortunately, the license was going to run out before iOS 7, so a new contract would have to be negotiated[1]. Google came back and said "piss off" (or "pay $50/phone" or whatever "evil" terms you want). Apple couldn't make the terms work within their constraints, so quickly made a deal with Tom Tom and tried to integrate their data into the nascent mapping system[2]. The iOS 6 beta comes along and the data is nowhere near where it needs to be. Apple has a decision to make here and, with a choice of "go for it" or "pull a major feature in iOS 6.x"[3], they decide to cross their fingers and go for it. Now, iOS 6 release hits. They know the maps aren't ready, but the bridges have been burned. Their choices now are "put some lipstick on a pig" or "pull a major feature from iOS 6.0". They decide on lipstick. Sometimes you get away with it; sometimes you don't. They didn't. I'm not saying this is what happened! My point is that when major companies are in "coopetition"[4], nothing is simple and obvious. Maybe Apple thought they could shroud everybody in a reality distorition field. It is possible, even plausible. I just don't think it is the most possible scenario, and it is tiring to hear it expressed as the "only" possible solution.[5] 1. http://daringfireball.net/2012/09/timing_of_apples_map_switc... (that's the best I've got to "source" the end of the Apple/Google deal happening before iOS 7 would release) 2. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/427347/apple_signs_glo... 3. iOS releases seem to have stabilized on an October time-frame. Based on my experience, it is unlikely that you could pull up the release of an OS by 6 months, so maps would have to change in a "dot" release. 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coopetition 5. Regardless of what really happened, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in those meetings. Those would have been awesome bizdev meetings...unless Apple really did say "piss off". :) |