Maybe Firing the Man Behind Apple Maps Will Make It Better

Maybe Firing the Man Behind Apple Maps Will Make It Better

Now that it's gotten rid of two people behind its Maps debacle, it's time for Apple to get to work on making the loathed app better. Following last month's ousting of iOS Senior Vice President Scott Forstall, Apple has reportedly let go of the man who oversaw the Maps team, Richard Williamson, sources tell Bloomberg's Adam Satariano. Williamson was also credited with thinking up the Find My Friends feature, that stalking app that all of you disabled ASAP. We imagine that didn't help his case, either. 

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Considering the timing and reasoning, why didn't Apple fire Williamson when it got rid of Forestall? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the app hasn't gotten much better. Those same sources says the move is to win back trust from all the upset iPhone users who still miss Google's product. Apparently, firing Forestall and adding a more visible "report a bug" widget to the app didn't do much in that department. People still miss the olden days. That's why there was so much excitement (followed by disappointment) when Nokia released its iPhone app Here. It's also why people get excited about whisperings of a new version of Google's map app. We're not sure getting rid of another exec will do it. But hiring a replacement who makes it better? That probably will. Apple does not yet have someone to take Williamson's place. For now, it's talking with TomTom and other navigation experts for advice.