Are Users Partially to Blame For the Apple Maps Fiasco?

It has been a while since Apple unveiled its own custom-created Maps application. This new development allowed Apple to free themselves from the grip of their rival Google, whom the company relied on for iDevice maps information prior to the release of iOS 6. But ask practically anyone on the street about the company’s new journey into map-making and they’ll probably give you a plethora of reasons why the service is just downright “broken.” Apple has been struggling for months now to extinguish the flames that have risen over this tech faux pas and we have even seen some internal changes to the employment roster as a result of the fiasco.

But some are now suggesting that the fault for the maps mess may not entirely lie on Apple. In fact, they’re suggesting that you, the user, may be partially to blame. So why the sudden switch in finger pointing? The answer lies in how Yelp! operates its restaurant location service. Apple currently uses full Yelp! integration to help locate businesses. The issue with this is that Yelp! relies heavily on users to pinpoint exact locations for eateries and the like.

Unlike Google Maps, which asks businesses to confirm their exact locations, Yelp! leaves the task of confirmation completely in the hands of users. This can cause some serious headaches, as one individual may see a location in a different spot than another. The end result has some restaurants showing up in areas that are across the street or even across town from their actual physical locations.

It’s for this reason that analysts are suggesting that many take a little bit of their maps-based rage away from Apple and place it towards the Yelps! user base. But that may not be an easy pill for some to swallow considering that they didn’t “break the maps app” in the first place.

Apple has stated that the Maps app should start to develop into a more accurate tool when more individuals give information regarding locations, but that may not be a suitable solution for smaller towns or areas that don’t have such a large Yelp! user base. Hopefully the company can develop a better way to solve this glaring issue which has been the subject of a lot of ridicule ever since iOS 6 was released.