Within the last 24 hours, Google Maps has returned for iOS 6 users. It’s available in the iTunes store for free and already has over 10k comments/accolades. For those that have avoided upgrading to iOS6, you can stop complaining now. If your phone is as mission-critical to your daily activities as it is for me, you want to keep your operating system updated. App developers are concentrating on developing for new operating systems and if you don’t upgrade you may loose the ability to use your app and maybe even worse, loose your data.

Someone brought up Apple Maps in a group I was with recently and they all shared their common disdain. I defended it by saying that even Google Maps wasn’t so unbelievably  awesome and life-changing when it was launched on Feb. 8 2005. Do you even remember Google Maps in 2005? In the 2 years, 4 months and 21 days before the iPhone arrived (Jun. 29 2007.), Google had the chance to collect all of your usage data and build a robust database for Maps.

Cook’s Apology on Apple’s website

iOS6 is released Sep. 19 2012 and immediately we started hearing about Apple’s new Map errors. On Sep. 28 2012 CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology on Apple’s website (@EricMarkowitz dissected it for Inc. here). Some posited that there were good reasons behind Apple’s move to push their own map application such as @BenParr for CNET on Sep. 21. All the while, Tumblr’s like themazingios6maps began aggregating the best of the best errors.

Google’s maps app is pretty damn sharp. It’s not the old maps app just re-tooled for iOS6.  It’s compeletely brand new. It has the new sleek Google interface like the recently upgraded Gmail app (that I highly recommend. It supports multiple Gmail accounts too.) One of the main features that I enjoy is the integration with public mass transportation. You’ll see in the screen shots that I go from the Williamsburg Brooklyn waterfront to 419 Park Avenue South (Grind) using the subway. The step-by-step directions are great. I then tested it by using Washington DC as my destination and it showed me step-by-step directions incorporating Amtrak. (It even includes Amtrak’s travel tips.) I think the subway map overlay is superior to the current maps provided by the MTA because it’s geographically accurate. Last but not least, there are no more missing bodies of water. My favorite geographic anomaly is the missing Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary (totaling approximately 84 sq. miles of water) in Mandurah Western Australia. A city of 83k south of Perth.

Top app in less than 24hrs
Over 10k comments

You can now download Google’s Map app now. That’s only 2 months and 24 days since your map solution on your iPhone was stolen from you. I know that we all expect everything to work immediately and cry when it doesn’t. Everyone thought Cook was already ruining Apple in just a year after Jobs death.  I think that it’s significant to note the speed in which all of this happened.  In 2,040 hours the CEO of the most valuable company on Earth ever issues a public apology (that’s still live) and a replacement application is available for you. Just 85 days. I think that’s pretty damn good turn-around time. We don’t know how Jobs would have handled this and it’s not worth the time thinking about. One thing is for certain, no other company in this space would have reacted to a consumer feedback torch-yielding-mob this quickly. You know who those companies are and don’t pretend that it would be different. After 7,344,000 seconds you can now say that your iPhone is again perfect. Was it really that bad?

Screenshots of Maps

Pull-out menu with your fav features

Subway overlay is better than MTA map

Walking to subway

Walking to subway then Amtrak

Missing 84 sq. miles of water

Here is the missing water