As we have reported over the last couple days, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Maps application has been receiving some heavy criticism. We have talked of how Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) criticized them in their blog about navigation, as well as Gizmodo calling the app an “apocalyptic horror show”. We also reported earlier today that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is currently working on a Google Maps application for iOS 6.
Now, one expert has stepped forward with an opinion about the app, that may come as a surprise. Mike Dobson, the president of TeleMapics, a map consulting firm, had more than one acid statement regarding Apple’s new Maps application. However, he also claims he can fix all the issues in the app.
Dobson posted the following statement in his blog, regarding Maps:
“Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s data team seems to have munged together data from a large set of sources and assumed that somehow they would magically fit. Sorry, but that often does not happen in the world of cartography. Poor Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has no one to blame but themselves.”
Dobson went further in stating that Apple’s biggest problem was the quality of the data offered in the application. This problem is evident to even the most unknowledgeable users, as the images in the app reportedly appeared to be distorted and missing details. According to Dobson, the application is highly inaccurate in determining location, as well as incorrect positioning of landmarks. One example given involved having a location’s name and address correct, but having it placed in the wrong place on the map itself.
Dobson does offer some hope for the application, saying that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs to realize that not every problem can be solved with an algorithm. He explains that an application, such as Maps, requires real people to test them out, before they are released to a waiting public. He further expounds that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs to hire professional cartographers to help resolve their mapping issues, not a large consulting firm.
He says:
“There is no really quick fix for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s problems in this area, but this should not be news to anyone who is familiar with mapping and the large-scale integration of data that has a spatial component. Of course there appears nowhere to go but up for Apple in mapping.”
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has yet to comment on Dobson’s remarks regarding Maps, and even with the hang ups in the application, millions of users are downloading the updated iOS 6, which offers over 200 new features, including the faulty navigation.
