Apple quietly dropped a claim that its new iOS Maps app was the, "most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever" in the wake of CEO Tim Cook's apology for the service and commitment to improve it. Apple's webpage devoted to the product replaced the above-mentioned braggadocio with a more modest claim that Apple Maps offered, "a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease."
Apple has received a ton of criticism for its new Maps app after replacing the popular Google-powered service that had been a flagship service on iOS since the release of the first iPhone in 2007 when it was called iPhone OS. The reasons for the change appear to have centered around basic competitive issues between Apple and Google, but many believe that Apple released its new Maps app before the service was truly ready.
On Friday, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the criticism and apologized for what he said was Apple falling short of its commitment to deliver the best experience possible to its customers. He promised that his company, ''will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard."
Part of the criticism that has been leveled against Apple is that senior vice president Scott Forstall's presentation for Apple Maps was flawless and made no mention of the reality that it was an early-stage product that needed time to mature. A continuation of this confidence in Apple Maps was the verbiage used to describe it on Apple's website.
Apple's site used to say, "Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning flyover feature. All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever."
Over the weekend, that got changed to the much more modest, "Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning Flyover feature. All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease."
That's much more in keeping with the humble tone struck by Tim Cook in his letter to Apple's customers on Friday. Another reflection of that modesty was an effort by Apple on Friday to highlight competing mapping services on the App Store.
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