So WWDC happened last week, and everyone's obsessing over Siri improvements and the new iPad something-or-other, but the thing that actually got under my skin was watching Apple quietly blow up one of the best mobile experiences we've got: Google Maps on iPhone.
Here's what happened: iOS 6 is ditching Google Maps entirely. Like, completely gone. In its place, Apple's putting their own mapping application. Cupertino's own thing. And they're calling it "Apple Maps," which is the kind of thrilling name that tells you exactly nothing.
I understand the business argument. I really do. Google Maps is good because Google owns all this data, runs the servers, and has been obsessively perfecting route finding and transit data since before the iPhone existed. For Apple to keep relying on Google for maps means watching a competitor own a critical part of the iPhone experience. Every time someone looks up directions, they're using Google infrastructure. Every search, every saved place, every tiny data point gets fed back to Google. From Apple's perspective, that's intolerable. Plus there's the whole China problem: Google pulled out of mainland China in 2010, which creates mapping gaps Google can't easily fix.
So I get why they want out. What I don't get is the confidence that they're ready. Apple says they've built their own thing. They're using satellite imagery, vector-based rendering, 3D views. Sounds impressive. But here's the thing nobody's saying out loud: Google took eight years to make Maps this good. Eight years of iteration, user feedback, constant tweaking. Apple's had... what, a couple years max? And I'm supposed to believe they've matched Google's transit data, which requires actual relationships with transit authorities in dozens of countries?
The demos at WWDC looked slick. Of course they did. Apple could make a root canal look elegant with the right lighting and a Steve Jobs voiceover. But I want real-world performance. I want to know that when I'm in a city I've never been to before and I need to get somewhere, the app won't send me down a street that doesn't exist or fail to show me that the bus I want runs every 20 minutes, not every 40.
What really bugs me—and maybe I'm being paranoid here—is that this is exactly the kind of move that justifies people's complaints about Apple locking you into their ecosystem. If you want Maps, you're using Apple Maps. You can't switch it. There's no setting for "always use Google Maps for navigation." You tap a link, you get Apple Maps. You ask Siri for directions, you get Apple Maps. On Android, you can choose. You can use Google Maps, Apple Maps, Nokia's thing, whatever. On iPhone starting this fall, you get what Tim Cook decided is good for you.
I'm not saying Apple Maps will be terrible. Maybe they've pulled off something incredible. But I'm also not betting my travel plans on that assumption on day one. I'll probably be opening Safari and using Google Maps through a web app like some kind of caveman for the first few months until I trust Apple's data.
The real cost here isn't really about maps though. It's about the idea that one company, because it owns a platform, gets to replace infrastructure you relied on without giving you a way out. Google did something similar with Reader, and everyone lost their minds. This feels bigger because maps are more essential. You use Reader if you want to. You use Maps when you're navigating a city at 7 AM and you've got 10 minutes to get somewhere.
I've been using iPhones since the 3G came out. I like them. The hardware's excellent, the software usually just works, and I've never felt like I wasted my money. But stuff like this makes me a little less sure that Apple's optimizing for me as a user and a little more sure they're optimizing for Apple.
Maybe I'm overreacting. In six months Maps will be fine and I'll feel silly for worrying. But until then, I'll be gripping my iPhone 4S with the version of iOS 5 that still has the Google Maps that works, because change for the sake of control isn't always progress.