It’s been a curious thing, wondering why Apple dropped Google Maps in iOS 6 in favour of its own, half-baked mapping system. According to AllThingsD, the answer could be pretty simple: turn-by-turn voice navigation.
According to AllThingsD’s sources, basically, the deal with Google never included turn-by-turn, even though Android has had that feature for years. It put the iPhone at a huge disadvantage in that regard, and Apple couldn’t stomach Google calling the shots.
There was a chance things could have been worked out on turn-by-turn, but only if Apple gave up some control of iOS to Google, like what went into the feature set of iOS Maps. Obviously, that was never going to happen.
Clearly the decision to change over from Google Maps was a little more complicated than just voice navigation, but AllThingsD’s sources make it clear that it was the main detail:
“There were a number of issues inflaming negotiations, but voice navigation was the biggest,” one source familiar with Apple and Google’s negotiations told AllThingsD. “Ultimately, it was a deal-breaker.”
So there you go. Apple has crappy maps because it couldn’t stand not having a killer feature. [AllThingsD]