Apple hired an expert on drones and aviation law as a lobbyist. But this doesn’t mean the company is about to introduce a line of unmanned aircraft.
December 10, 2012: Apple fixes an Apple Maps error that caused several motorists in Victoria, Australia, to become stranded in the remote Murray-Sunset National Park.
The glitch showed the town of Mildura about 45 miles from its actual location. In the aftermath, Victoria police describe the app as “potentially life-threatening.” That’s pretty much the opposite of “it just works.”
A dozen members of the European Parliament have sent letters to Apple. They are demanding that it correct information Crimea, the Russian annexed peninsula. When viewed inside Russia, both Apple Maps and Apple Weather present Crimea as belonging to Russia.
Russian lawmakers made the initial request to Apple. But it seems that a whole lot of people are not happy about it.
Apple says that it is going to take a “deeper look at how we handle disputed borders” after recent controversy about the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Last week, Apple agreed to depict the disputed peninsula as belonging to Russia on Apple Maps and Apple Weather. The changes only showed when viewed inside Russia. In the backlash that ensued, Ukranian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said that Apple should stick to “high-tech and entertainment”.
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has lashed out at Apple over its decision to depict the disputed peninsula of Crimea as belonging to Russia — when Apple Maps is viewed by users in Russia.
In a tweet, Vadym Prystaiko said that Apple should stick to “high-tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side”.
November 27, 2012: Apple fires the manager responsible for iOS 6’s disastrous Apple Maps software.
Richard Williamson, who oversaw Apple’s mapping team, gets the ax from Eddy Cue, who takes over the team.
Apple says it spent unspecified “billions” on its updated Apple Maps app.
Cupertino’s revelation about the Apple Maps expenditures came amid answers to questions from the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which is currently carrying out antitrust probes into Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Apple is almost done with its quest to revamp Apple Maps across the United States. In its latest update, Apple rolled out its revamped Apple Maps app in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Midwest.
Locations covered by the update include Washington, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and more.
October 29, 2012: Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS software, is ousted from the company after the disastrous Apple Maps launch.
Apple divvies up the roles previously handled by Forstall, who once seemed on a path to the top, among other high-level execs. Jony Ive assumes leadership of the Human Interface team. Craig Federighi becomes head of iOS software. Eddy Cue takes control of Maps and Siri. And Bob Mansfield “unretires” to lead a new technology group.
What’s it like when Apple buys your startup? According to David Hodge, founder of mapping app Embark, the answer is: stressful.
Apple bought Embark back in 2013 as part of its efforts to grow its mapping services. Embark focused on building free transit apps to help people navigate public transportation. In a new series of tweets, Hodge reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the Apple acquisition.
