Apple’s new map app has been widely criticized since its launch. Recently, Australian police revealed that due to the navigation feature in Apple’s iOS 6 map system, several Australian tourists have “gone astray,” with some nearly facing life-threatening situations.
Recently, police in Victoria, Australia, posted a notice on their official website urging drivers in the town of Mildura under their jurisdiction to use the built-in navigation feature of Apple’s iOS 6 system with caution. According to local authorities, due to incorrect directions provided by Apple Maps, many domestic Australian tourists intending to drive to Mildura ended up in the remote areas of the Murray-Sunset National Park, over 70 kilometers away from the town.
Currently, Australia has entered peak summer. Local police stated that due to the lack of water sources in the national park and temperatures that can reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, this poses a serious threat to the safety of tourists who mistakenly wander into the park. According to local Australian media, Victoria Police have rescued six stranded tourists over the past two months, all of whom had set Mildura as their destination and had used the latest version of Apple Maps for navigation.
So far, Victoria Police have contacted Apple regarding the 70-kilometer discrepancy in map coordinates and have also issued warnings to travelers, advising them to use alternative map navigation systems until the issue is resolved.
In fact, since Apple updated to iOS 6, consumer complaints about the company’s self-developed map application have never ceased. It is rumored that this is precisely why Apple recently fired the project manager in charge of developing the app.
Since the launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007, it has used map services provided by Google. Currently, Google is ready to offer a standalone map app download for Apple mobile devices. Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to consumers in September this year for the poor map app performance and stated that Apple is doing everything possible to improve the app.