When Apple released its newest software, iOS 6, users were eager to upgrade and see the newest improvements.

But many were disappointed to find the Maps app had gotten worse.

Apple admitted to releasing a flawed application. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently apologized to customers in a Sept. 28 press release, saying the application did not meet Apple’s standards.

“With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment,” Cook said in the release.

The new Maps application is defective, said Jeffrey Rubin, associate professor in the School of Information Studies.

“Here’s what I think the issue is: People aren’t used to putting the word Apple and flawed in the same sentence,” Rubin said.

Apple formerly utilized Google Maps, but chose to end its partnership with Google and make its own app, he said.

Apple did not only release a faulty replacement; it got rid of an application that worked. The new app has incorrect data and the maps look as if earthquakes have run through them, particularly when in street view, Rubin said.

“Especially when you get into the street view, the streets look like something out of a sci-fi movie,” he said.

Despite the errors in the app, Rubin said it was still usable. It gave him the correct directions when he tested it on a local drive.

But he said fixing the problems would likely require a lot of work.

“You have to throw a lot of software engineers on this project,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this is a minor bug you can fix overnight.”

Many students at Syracuse University noticed these changes.

Kanan Shah, a graduate student in the iSchool, said she already updated to iOS 6 and prefers the old version of Maps.

“I don’t see much of an upgrade, especially with respect to the map,” Shah said. “This map can be brutal once you start using it.”

She said she has trouble understanding the three-dimensional view and that the map occasionally places her at the wrong “Current Location” when she starts moving.

In Apple CEO Tim Cook’s press release, he said Apple hoped to allow for turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps in its newer version.

While Apple is currently working to fix Maps, Cook suggested users download apps from competitors, such as Bing, MapQuest and Waze, according to the press release.

Despite Apple’s release of an apology, public relations professor of practice Bob Kucharavy said he felt Apple should not have waited for public discontent to issue it.

“There was outlash as far as Apple customers complaining about it, and he reacted to that,” Kucharavy said. “They should have been on top of the situation and known what is going on and issued that letter sooner than they ever did.”

The negative reaction to Maps could hurt Apple’s reputation with its customers. Apple has a strong reputation with its following, but many Apple users will now treat their products with caution, he said.

Said Kucharavy: “Ultimately this is going to taint other introductions.”

Published on October 9, 2012 at 12:56 am

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