Apple's new Maps in iOS 6 draw ire from users around the world

With the launch of iOS 6 on Wednesday, the public has had their first opportunity to test out Apple's new Maps application for iPhone and iPad. The new software is a change from previous versions of iOS, which relied on Google's mapping data.

The new Maps in iOS 6 have been highlighted by numerous reviewers, including Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, as one of the few negatives in the new operating system update. Similarly, users have said they find Apple's mapping solution to be less reliable and functional than the previous collaboration with Google.

A story published Thursday in the Irish Times notes that Apple's Maps for iOS 6 have incorrectly placed a new airfield in Dublin. That prompted Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to write a tongue-in-cheek letter to Apple.

"I know on occasion mistakes can be made and I am surprised to discover that Airfield, which is the centre of my constituency in Dundrum, has, in Apple's new operating system iOS 6 maps application, been designated with the image of an aircraft," Shatter said.

Another story Thursday from NorthScotNews in Scotland declared that Apple's new Maps in iOS 6 have sent the highlands "back to the dark ages." That's because satellite imagery for areas such as Inverness, Thurso, Tain, Nairn, and Ullapool all offer only black-and-white satellite imagery.

Problems for iOS 6 Maps also exist in the U.S. One AppleInsider reader noted that a search for "Columbia SC" returns the city of Santiago De Cali in the nation of Colombia in South America.

Another story published by the BBC on Thursday also declared that Maps in iOS 6 has "provoked anger from users." In one error, the new application has renamed the town of Hagley in the U.K. as Dudley, which is a separate city actually located more than seven miles away.

Users also reported that towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon and Solihull are missing, and a search for Manchester United Football Club directs users to Sale United Football Club, a community team for ages five and up.

In moving away from Google, Apple has also ditched the popular Street View feature, which provides ground-level images of cities captured from vehicles that Google has driven all over the world. Apple's alternative is Flyover, a 360-degree view that renders topographical terrain and buildings in some major cities three dimensions.

With iOS 6, Apple has further distanced itself from Google by removing not only Google Maps, but also the built-in YouTube application that was found in all previous versions of iOS. Google launched a standalone YouTube application in the iOS App Store earlier this month to address the removal of YouTube in iOS 6.

There has been speculation that Google could also release a Google Maps application in the App Store to compete with Apple's own built-in Maps solution. But so far, the search company has yet to indicate that it will do so.

"We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world," the company said in a statement to Search Engine Land this week. "Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system."