A couple of weeks ago Apple gave a presentation on topics that have continued to be at the forefront of technology news since then. The iPhone 5. iOS 6. The list goes on. And almost everyone has something to say about it. Now, I am obviously quite the Apple fan. I have had an iPhone since the 3G, and now have a 4S. I can’t upgrade for the cheapest price until May, so I will be waiting until at least then, if not until next fall when the next version will probably come out. I also have an iPad, a MacBook Pro, and two Apple TVs in my home. I enjoy the company’s products, and they work well for what I need. I do have to admit, though, that as someone that just got an MBA in marketing, I think they do a great job with that also.

What I really want to talk about, though, is all of the criticism of Apple’s new Maps application on iOS 6. Apple decided to get rid of the Google Maps that they were using for this application and have their own version of it. And people really seem to hate it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan and huge user of Google Maps, both on the website as well as on my phone before Apple replaced it with theirs. Google Maps is slick, that’s for sure. It’s also a product that has been in development for a really long time. Google has put a lot of time and effort into making Google Maps the go-to map application for a lot of people. So you can see how it would be easy for people to be pretty disappointed when Apple decided to ditch it. Now there are a ton of complaints out there about Apple’s new maps app. Which, I get, that there are problems with it. I mean, this is the first time it’s been introduced. I doubt Google Maps was perfect when it first came out either. But that seems to be all people want to do, find the things that are wrong with it. And, well, these seem to be either pretty minor or hard to find to me. I have yet to see anything wrong with the maps that I’ve used so far on it. I know they are out there. But in general, I’m going to say it’s more accurate than not. Plus, it runs well. Plus… well, gee, let’s take a second and look at what’s actually good about it. I have seen a ton of articles about how Apple’s Maps app sucks. But I have yet to see a single one about what’s great about it. Like the NEW TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS. I mean, come on, people. If you have an iPhone, you now basically have a TomTom. I mean, from what I have seen so far, the way the turn-by-turn directions integrate into the device and iOS… is fantastic. You ask Siri to find you directions, she starts them for you. You can even start the directions without unlocking your phone. If it’s unlocked and you get directions, the screen stays on while the directions are going, then the screen shuts off. If you turn the screen off, the audio for the directions keeps going. If you are listening to music while using turn-by-turn, the music keeps playing and is only interrupted when a new direction is said. It just… works. I love it. But yet I haven’t seen a single article about how good it is, because everyone is only looking for the things that are wrong with this app.

There are things I miss about having Google Maps as my native map app on my phone. But, I can get most of those things by using Google Maps mobile web app, so I don’t feel like I’m really missing them. Plus, I have no doubt that Apple will continue to improve on their own new maps app. I’ve found the phone I like, and see no reason to switch yet. Apple’s not perfect, but to me, they don’t disappoint.

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