iOS6 Maps: they're not THAT bad

For quite some time now, I've been using iOS6; over all, it's a slight improvement on iOS5. It's not a big change, but there are a few new features I've come to use everyday. It's fast, looks great on iPhone 5 and certainly makes a great mobile operating system. 

But, there's one thing about it that everyone is talking about more than everything else:

Maps

It's interesting that Maps on mobile devices has become one of the most important features of any phone. Even more interesting is the fact that including Maps on the first iPhone was a last-minute decision (http://9to5mac.com/2012/09/28/including-maps-on-the-original-iphone-was-a-last-minute-decision/). 

Apple's new maps are iOS6 exclusive, and offer some new features that haven't been seen on iOS before: namely, turn-by-turn navigation, flyover, and Yelp integration. 

These maps excel where most maps don't: they look great! Unfortunately, where maps need to excel - accuracy, and reliability - Apple fails: sometimes tremendously. The use of vector based graphics make imagery fast, pleasant to look at, and they consume far less data than other mapping services. However, accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. Some people have noted that their home is in the middle of a river, or their closest cafe is in New York (for someone living in Sydney, it's not that useful). Something adding irony to the arena of criticism is the location of Apple's flagship Sydney store:

The apparent location ofApple's Sydney Store (the purple pin is the actual location)

Flyover

I've spent a lot of time visiting many cities around the world with Flyover. It's obvious that Apple has spent a lot of time and effort on these 3D maps of hundreds of cities around the world. Here's a few good screenshots:

CBD, Sydney

Empire State Building, New York

Houses of Parliament, London 

CBD, Sydney

One that isn't so great:

Western Distributor, Sydney

Turn-byTurn Navigation
It has been reported that the reason Apple ditched Google Maps was that Google refused to make turn-by-turn navigation available to Apple. Apple's version seems to work well. Other than directing me down the wrong way of a one-way street, I haven't had any problems with it.

Directions from Sydney to Chatswood.

Yelp Integration
It's nice to see local businesses on these maps, and their contact cards flow nicely; providing reviews, photos, and contact methods, all unified into one place. 

A contact card for a local cafe

Conclusion 
In the end, Apple has made a genuine attempt to make a beautiful, accurate mapping service, in some cases, they succeed; in others, they don't. 

Personally, I think that for a first attempt, Apple has done an authentic job. With a lot of work and effort, Apple can once again call these maps the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.

Before and after the Maps disaster