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Apple CEO Cook Posts Letter Apologizing For Buggy Maps

This article is more than 10 years old.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted an open letter to the company's customers apologizing for the buggy maps application that included in iOS 6 as a replacement for the Google maps app included in previous versions of iOS.

Users have blasted the company for errors and omissions in the new mapping application; some locations are missing, others are on the maps in the wrong place. Others have criticized the omission of mass transit information from the maps.

While issuing a public apology is a slightly unusual move for Apple, it is not the first time that Apple has made a move along these lines. You might remember that with iPhone 4 the company offered customers free "bumpers" or cases in response to the "antennagate" issue a few years ago, for instance.

Cook says in the letter that the company is "extremely sorry" for leaving people frustrated, and says Apple is working to make the maps application better.

He goes so far as to suggest potential alternatives both in the App Store and via the Web, specifically mentioning using Google maps via a browser as an option; he also points customers to mapping options from other rivals, including Microsoft Bing and Nokia.

Here is the letter in full:

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook

Apple’s CEO