Virtual Pants

The feature list of Sunrise, a new calendar app for iOS includes the following: Use Google Maps for Directions.

It’s telling that using Google Maps, instead of Apple’s map app, is listed as a feature here. Clearly, Apple’s maps problem hasn’t gone away. The buzz surrounding it has fizzled, largely due to Google releasing Google Maps. But Apple’s maps are still inferior to Google’s.

This is a rare situation for Apple, a company where user experience is paramount. Apple selfishly removed an app from a competitor and replaced it with an inferior app of its own. Months later, Apple is still shipping devices to users that offer an inferior maps experience. And the inability to set Google Maps as the default in iOS is rubbing salt in the wound.