Not happy with Apple’s new iOS6 maps? Miss the old Google Maps that you used to have built in? Looks like you may be out of luck for the\u00a0foreseeable\u00a0future.\u00a0According to Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, Maps\u00a0won’t come to the App Store anytime soon.<\/p>\n
The Google Maps application that came baked into previous versions was removed from the new iPhone and iPad OS in favor of Apple’s own offering. However, the problem with this plan is that unlike Google’s years of background and research in maps that make its searches and directions so accurate, Apple has literally no experience in this. The resulting Apple Maps application has been rather disappointing, to say the least. With the outcry of users complaining about missing or otherwise inaccurate information<\/a>, CEO Tim Cook himself has issued an apology<\/a> and even suggested third-party alternatives.<\/p>\n “What\u00a0 The question is, why did Apple decide to meddle in something like this in the first place? The official answer has something to do with licensing data for turn-by-turn directions. Apple has decided to license map data from Dutch-based Tom Tom to be able to offer spoken GPS directions, something Google wasn’t willing to do.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Google Maps isn’t the only product that has been removed from the pre-installed list on iPhones and iPads. YouTube, another Google product, is glaringly\u00a0absent\u00a0as well. It’s no secret that there has been a lot of tension between Apple and Google lately, particularly in the patent courts. Therefore, the decision for Apple to be more\u00a0independent\u00a0should come as no surprise, with the map licensing fiasco serving as a\u00a0convenient\u00a0excuse. Thankfully, Google has at least made its YouTube app available as a third-party download in Google Play app store in time for the iOS 6 launch.<\/p>\n But what about maps?<\/p>\n Schmidt says that there aren’t any plans to bring Google Maps as a third-party download and puts the blame for the app’s omission squarely on Apple, saying it’s ultimately that company’s call.<\/p>\n “We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know,” Schmidt told reporters in Tokyo.<\/p>\n#<\/s>apple\u00a0has done with\u00a0#<\/s>iOS6\u00a0maps is like planning a mission to outer space and NOT TALKING TO NASA,” tweeted comedian\u00a0Baratunde Thurston, in reference to the many complaints<\/a>.<\/p>\n