As for them knowing how bad parts of the maps were, that is actually debatable. Did you hear anyone in the press complaining about Apple Maps during the beta? It wasn’t anything like what you are hearing now. Maybe they weren’t using them, or maybe they just mailed in their impressions without real testing. I used the beta for three months, and never had trouble, and I’m still not having any. But I realize that many others are.

That notwithstanding, the developer beta group just wasn’t big enough to find the problems, assuming they were really even out there using the app like I was. Also, since Apple is an American company, I don’t think it is a surprise that there are fewer issues with the US maps, and much bigger problems in many foreign countries. They should have had an army out there checking the mapping and POI info worldwide during the beta period, but they obviously didn’t. THAT was their biggest failure. If they tested with a small group, based here in the US, I can see how they could have been lulled into a false sense of security. The app itself works great. The Siri integration works great. According to many user reports (not reactionary tech press or linkbaiters), the map data is solid in a lot of US cities. So, it would be very easy for a small testing group to pass off on the app as good when there is really a ton more checking that is really necessary.

I’m not giving Apple a pass, by the way. They should have hired the people and done the checking themselves, in advance. I’m just saying that I can understand how this may have been more of a blindside to them, than an intentional shafting of users.

Agreed.. It is not as if they don’t have the ‘older’ Google Maps app they could push to the iPhones immediately.

The responsible approach would be to put google maps back on.
Letting egos battle as they are (and I mean Apple and Google) they should have just not released Apple Maps. I don’t believe that they were surprised that the map results are spotty.