Watch Live: Congressional Hearing on IRS Scandal

Live Now on TheBlaze Radio: ‘The Buck Sexton Show’

Technology

How Bad Are Apple Maps’ Directions? So Bad They’re Potentially ‘Life Threatening’

Dec. 10, 2012 3:53pm Liz Klimas

Australian Police Warn People From Using Apples iOS 6 Map Application After It Leaves Motorists Stranded

Motorists have been stranded in remote areas of Murray Sunset National Park in Australia by following Apple’s Map service. (Image: Victoria Police News)

After several motorists followed Apple’s iOS 6 map service and became stranded for more than 24 hours without food and water, Australian police are warning users away from using the direction-providing system.

Apple’s Maps have been criticized as not up to par with the company’s high product standard in the months since being released, but now the Mildura police in Victoria, Australia, have gone as far to call the service potentially “life threatening.”

In a statement, the police department said:

Tests on the mapping system by police confirm the mapping systems lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, approximately 70km away from the actual location of Mildura.

Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees, making this a potentially life threatening issue.

Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception.

According to CNET, the police have rescued six people in the Murray-Sunset National Park who were led astray by using the application on their iPhones.

“Anyone travelling to Mildura or other locations within Victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified,” the department advised in its statement.

Wired’s Christina Bonnington wrote when she tested the application at 11:15 PST, the issue appeared to have been fixed. Apple has not made a statement with this issue specifically yet though.

Scott Forstall, the long-serving head of iPhone software development, stepped down and his responsibilities were divided among other executives recently, with some speculating his departure was in part related to the scathing reviews of the maps application. CEO Tim Cook apologized for the state of the service shortly after it replaced Google Maps on Apple devices.

Apple Senior VP of iPhone Software Scott Forstall demonstrates the new map application featured on iOS 6 in June, well before the issues with the service were experienced officially by users. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“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,” Cook wrote in statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(H/T: Gizmodo)

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (21)

TROONORTH
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:59pm
Apple shows again that it is not a technological or innovational leader in the industry. Apple products are repackaging of old technology, old features or as in this case half baked services. It is time for anyone who has apple stock to start looking elsewhere.

Can you imagine the row that would have been raised and the phalanx of lawyers dispatched should this have happened to RIM?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- G-WHIZ
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 11:18am
  Can you immagined how pissedoff SteveJobs would be if this happened while he was still allive?? This has turned from a “best-of” company to a “worst-of” in such a short time after he “left”!! I already miss that “left-leaning-loon” with the great forward-thinking mind! Just goes to prove FACTS, that even lefties can do it “right” if they stay offa their dead-ends!! Lookit Ben&Jerrys…what a pair of loons, BUT what GREAT ICECREAMS!! I send to lefty-Vermont forthe absolute-Best-MapleSyrup inda U.S.A.! YES…THESE PEOPLE DID BUILD IT THEMSELVES!!
  
  Report this comment
OniKaze
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 4:06pm
I have said it before and I will say it again…

I know many of you will dis-agree, however, I REFUSE to use Apple products… In the past, I have had nothing but problems with them, and they NEVER seem to live up to the hype…

Great Quote:

“What would happen if every PC based item failed? World Disaster.. But What if every Apple product failed? Nothing really….”

I heard that somewhere, and it rang true to me… I know many of you people out there swear by your apple products (to each his own), but I have yet to see an Apple product that is not rivaled or surpassed by a PC based version of the item… And since PC based items tend to be compatible with all kinds of things, I will chose to stay on PC and not have to worry about having Apple Compatibility issues… (although admittingly, this could have changed and I just don’t know about it…)

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Gup20
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:19am
I’ve had an iPhone for the last 4 years (through 2 models) and I’m actually going to switch if they don’t fix the Maps soon (maybe Google will release an app we can download?) The Maps were the most useful part of the phone.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
alexegz30
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:25pm
Yet another good reason why people should keep a physical map of the area they travel in their vehicles. Get lost? No GPS? Look at the map and think for yourself. No batteries needed!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Wavelinker
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 11:06pm
  How can we get a better map program for the I Phone?
  
  Report this comment
- n7plus1
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:50am
  get a new phone…
  
  Report this comment
- SinginRN
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:00pm
  To add to Alex’s point, if one should resort to using a physical map for directions, make sure it is up to date. Roads might change (due to construction) and old maps don’t account for those changes.
  
  Map reading seems to be a lost art these days. Admittedly, land navigation had been a weakness of mine during my time in the military, but I did at least gain some map reading skills. :)
  
  Report this comment
freelancer91
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:24pm
I’m an IT major. If I had submitted this code to my supervisor, I probably wouldn’t bother showing up for work the next day, or indeed, ever again. They had to have known this didn’t work and yet they tried to sell it as a working product. All parties involved in the release of maps for iOS 6 should be deeply ashamed of themselves for a job very poorly done…

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- danbarlinmar
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:57am
  ive been noticing that ever since steve died, the products apple has released have been… screwy. people criticized him for being a demanding task master, but maybe he was right.
  
  Report this comment
Larry E
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 6:28pm
My wife went on a website to get directions for a trip we’re going to take and have taken several times before. I know the route, except for the last little bit, maybe 2 or 3 miles, but the directions from the website routed us mostly on two lane roads near Yellowstone NP. That might be the shortest route, but it’s most assuredly not the fastest, especially in winter. She went back to the site and got another route which was longer and just as stupid. The third route was nearly right except that it took off on a two lane road that runs parallel to I-90 for about 8 miles instead of staying on I-90 for that distance.

Some rocket scientists, likely living in NYC or LA, and who have likely never been in the intermountain West must come up with stupidity like this. Totally amazing stupidity.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DZ-015
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 5:57pm
Spammers begone!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DZ-015
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 5:52pm
Found Mildura, Victoria on Google Maps and it appears to be somewhere near the purple pin placed on the screenshot which accompanies this article (not the shot with the VP at a demonstration). There are significant discrepancies with regard to roads on the Apple Maps screen; however, the town is on the A-20 highway near the border with New South Wales, landmarks common to both mapping systems. The scariest thing is that the Apple app shows a second possible route which goes by way of unimproved roads or tracks, according to Google.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Al J Zira
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 5:20pm
One problem, maybe it’s just me but, if you lose cell phone service in the middle of nowhere do you think there’s a chance any GPS mapping system will work? I know Apple’s system stinks but there’s a certain logic escaping me here.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Attention2Detail
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 6:32pm
  Even without cell reception the GPS still works. If you need to recalculate, that won’t work either, but the location will still show until you run off of the map that has been downloaded. So if you stay on course it will take you as far as you asked it too, even into the middle of nowhere.
  
  Report this comment
black9897
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 4:29pm
Reminds me of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIakZtDmMgo

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
TROLLMONGER
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 4:07pm
Not as bad as how often the religeous nuts have been wrong about predicting the end of the world…LOL!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- DZ-015
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 4:44pm
  Trollmungus: You’re off topic here. The app you want is Apple-collapse Now.
  
  Report this comment
- FISH_BONE
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 4:45pm
  That was an awesome comment TURDMUNCHER. I love your thoughtful and though provoking comments.
  
  Report this comment
- FISH_BONE
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 4:58pm
  though = thought
  
  Report this comment
ResistSocialism
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 3:54pm
Yea it sucks and so does apple

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.