A Google Maps designer who worked with Apple on the original Google Maps app for the first iPhone was incredibly disappointed with Apple Maps. Why?
Well, he said he "remembers how difficult it was working with Apple" and I guess he expected a heck of a lot more from Apple on the Maps product.
I suspect Apple made Google do some crazy things before allowing them to be a standard app on the iPhone. In fact, I know Apple makes some app developers go through crazy loops to become a featured app. If you want Apple to vouch for you, you must live up to Apple's standards of quality.
Clearly, with the new Apple Maps, even Apple didn't live up to their own standards. Not even close.
So this Google engineer was blown away at how bad Apple Maps was on release. Not because he loves Apple, more likely because he knew what hell he and his team went through based on Apple making Google go through every little detail in their App to make it perfect for iPhone users.
Now for Apple to release something as bad as this, he is taken back.
Fred Gilbert of Google, who is now the head of design for social products, and I assume one of the leads on design of the Google Maps app back in the day, wrote on Google+:
As one of the original designers of Google Mobile Maps I remember how difficult it was working with Apple. But this just blows my mind.
If you miss Google Maps on iOS 6, see this story.
Forum discussion at Google+.
