Apple CEO Tim Cook apologises over iOS 6 Maps app

28 September, 2012 - Paul Dixon
Tim Cook - Apple CEO

In an open letter published on the company’s website, Apple CEO Tim Cook has today apologised to customers experiencing issues with the iOS 6 Maps app. Cook says that Apple is “extremely sorry for the frustration” caused by the app, and suggests a number of third-party solutions for users to try while Maps is improved.

Here’s the letter in full:

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO

In addition to the letter, Apple’s iOS App Store now features a prominent promotion for a number of third-party mapping apps for the iPhone and iPad.

About the author

Paul Dixon is the owner of Macsessed. He lives in Lancashire in the UK where he works as a web designer. You can find him on and Twitter.