The mobile world is very fickle.
Apple consumers are throwing a fit because of the change in map providers. I must admit I was reluctant to download myself but jumped in anyway. Others don't seem too inclined. On our internal
Yammer feed there was a lot of chatter about what a good alternative was to the Apple offering. This was before the
IOS was released.
Maps are strategic IP because they capture consumers' intent of where they want to go, which creates the opportunity to intervene and shape consumers' paths. Apple doesn't want Google to have that data on its users and doesn't want to give Google the opportunity to serve location-based guidance. The problem is that maps are difficult to build -- Nokia and Google (the two main map providers) have been building their map IP for years. Nokia maps, for example, are on nine of 10 in-car GPS systems, each of which acts as a probe that continuously improves Nokia's maps. Apple can't catch up overnight, and it seems as if Apple was premature in pulling the plug on Google Maps -- it has produced a consumer backlash, at least among early adopters.
via Mapplegate: A Brief Take On Apple Vs. Google Maps | Forrester Blogs.
As it was for antennagate with the iPhone 4, I think the Apple Maps App issue is being blown out of all proportion by the tech and news media looking for something to criticize. Is this the "tall poppy syndrome"? The iPhone 5 is the most incredible piece of precision engineering I have seen in a very long time and as for IOS 6, the adoption rate speaks for itself. @dongrgic
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