Apple Maps Strand Motorists, Called ‘Life-Threatening’

by Christopher Freeburn | December 10, 2012 10:25 am

[1]There have been a lot of complaints over errors in Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL[2]) new in-house maps app since it debuted in September, but probably none as dramatic as those coming from Australia[3].

After a series of motorists became lost while using the maps app to find Mildura, a city in Australia’s south-eastern region, local police have taken the extraordinary step of warning motorists not to use the app, Sky News noted.

The app shows Mildura 43 miles away from its actual location. In fact, the app puts the city in the middle of Murray Sunset National Park, where there is no wireless reception or available water.

A number of motorists have strayed into the local wilderness while trying to find the city with the app. Temperatures in the region can soar during the day. Four drivers have required rescue after becoming lost.

The Mildura police have posted a warning on their website, advising drivers not to use Apple’s maps app to find the city, calling it a “potentially life-threatening issue.”

Apple dropped Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG[4]) long-established maps app from the back-end of iOS earlier this year, reportedly because Google wouldn’t offer voice-guided turn-by-turn directions on iOS[5]. However, the new maps app, which debuted with iOS 6 quickly drew harsh criticism from users over cartographic errors and glitches, leading Apple CEO Tim Cook to apologize for the mistakes.

Shares of Apple slipped fractionally in Monday morning trading.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/12/apple-maps-strand-motorists-called-life-threatening/

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