Why did the hipster get burned by his coffee?

…he drank it before it was cool

A lot of people (myself included) are wondering why Apple decided to launch its own Maps app for iOS6 when early reports clearly indicate that it is inferior to the Google Maps app that Iphone owners could use in iOS5.

Apple launched its iOS6 with much fanfare, including a new Apple-owned Maps app. On the surface the new app is beautiful, with a great new 3-D view that allows users to navigate through SimCity-like buildings. Visually, it looks amazing.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Mrl14SrhaUM]

However, it wasn’t long after iOS6 was released to the public that a slew of issues arose with the new app.  Some of the complaints about Apple’s new Maps include (images  here ):

Pixelated Maps

Maps with no Street Names

 Maps that look like an earthquake disaster

Google Maps vs IOS6 Maps

So with all of these errors, missing streets, visual bugs, and an overall product that is inferior to Google Maps, why would Apple move away from Google to build its own proprietery Maps app?

This answer from Quora Member and longtime Apple User Robert Scoble expresses it best (click here for source):

Why did Apple feel that it was worth pissing off customers?

Well, future products will rely very heavily on maps and if Apple doesn’t control its own destiny it would forever be beholden to Google.- Robert Scoble

Maps are a tremendous part of the smartphone experience, and with Google’s Android as the primary competitor to Apple’s iOS it is in Apple’s interest to lessen its reliance on Google’s data. The rivalry between both companies is getting more heated, and Apple’s launch into Maps is a long-term investment for Apple’s future.

But why not just have a 3rd-party vendor create the app? (Maps was created by Apple using TomTom’s data)

Apple would need to license that data from somewhere else. These other companies might not care so much about Apple’s needs and also might charge very high prices for access to its APIs (like Google is). That would be very dangerous for Apple’s future.- Robert Scoble

So it is in Apple’s best interest to create a native Apple Maps app. While it is ironing out the kinks in Maps, Apple has the capital to emulate the fleet of Google street cars that give Google its advantage.  There are growing pains with Apple’s foray into navigational apps, but it is a long-term investment for Apple that will pay dividends in the future.

In the meantime, Iphone 5 users might have to use their web-browser to use Google Maps until iOS Maps has matured.

The following is a great post on some little-known facts about Yelp! I was very surprised that most of their traffic still comes from desktop devices (over mobile).  Another thing, you would think that restaurants and eateries would be the largest category on Yelp!, but it’s not the case. Check it out!

10 Thing You Didn’t Know about Yelp!

http://mashable.com/2012/09/03/10-yelp-facts/