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Troubled Apple Maps app sparks attack ad from Google's Motorola

New ad joins a chorus of satirical criticism over problematic iOS 6 maps app

September 23, 2012 10:06 AM ET

Computerworld - Motorola Mobility, a division of Google, has created an ad that mocks the troubled Apple Maps application in iOS 6.

iOS 6, which runs on the new iPhone 5, was rolled out last Wednesday to generally positive reviews. One notable trouble spot, however, has been the Maps application, which replaces an earlier similar app from Google.

Motorola has now joined a fray begun by other smartphone makers such as Samsung and Nokia, which have used satirical video ads to take on Apple and the iPhone 5.

In its ad, first posted Friday on Google +, Motorola compares Google Maps on its Droid Razr M side-by-side with Apple's iOS 6 maps app on an iPhone 5, labeling Apple's as "#iLost."

"Looking for 315 E 15th in Manhattan?" the ad asks. "Google Maps on Droid Razr M will get your there and not #iLost in Brooklyn."

Other examples of problems with Apple Maps have included an extra airfield for Dublin, problems with various place names, and grainy images on maps.

An Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD on Thursday that the map service was launched with the knowledge that "it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it.... We are continually improving it and as is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get.... We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."

Eiffel Tower
Apple's new Maps app shows a distorted view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The app is being criticized for numerous such problems.

Apple's reaction to the criticism and its Maps app troubles seems to have only emboldened various critics as well as direct competitors.

A number of short satiric and sometimes crude videos on a Google+ section for #iLost includes one with a car smashing through a crowd of bicyclists, apparently on a path recommended by Apple Maps. Another post shows that Apple Maps renders the Eiffel Tower flattened to the ground in two dimensions.

covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at Twitter @matthamblen or subscribe to Hamblen RSSMatt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

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