iOS 6 Maps is a horrifying, embarrassing, disaster of an app that leads people off of bridges and cliffs, right? Sure it is – just ask any of the dozens of “me too” doomsday journalists who want everyone to think so! Unfortunately, those problems don’t actually seem to live up to their hideous reputation to the people that actually matter: the users.
According to a survey survey from Mike Blumenthal (via AppAdvice), conducted using the Google Consumer Surveys tool, most users don’t consider the iOS maps “problems” to be a significant issue. Over half of the respondents thought iOS 6 Maps isn’t a step down at all, while another 23% felt the app was “good enough,” despite having a few issues.
While the survey only covers 168 people, the results are interesting – and well in line with what I’ve found when discussing the iOS 6 Maps app with people who have actually used it. There are a small number of seemingly major errors in the app – but Apple is quickly correcting the inaccuracies, and in reality, only a very small number of people are actually affected by Apple’s young and unrefined Maps data.
The survey also found that Maps tends to be more useful in urban areas than rural areas and small towns, which makes sense, considering that cities with more people are providing more feedback. All in all, the survey speaks to something I’ve been saying from the beginning: The iOS 6 Maps app is nowhere near as bad as alarmist media would have you believe.