Dec 12
29
Google Launches Native Maps For iOS
Finally, the app we’ve all been waiting for (I know I’m a little late): Google Maps! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Apple and Google broke off their partnership a year early and that starting with iOS 6, Apple no longer has Google apps pre-installed. First, Google released the YouTube app, just before the iPhone 5 went on sale. Many people were disappointed that Google Maps was not available at launch. Wait no more: Google Maps and YouTube are now the top apps in the App Store. (I was one of those people who waited because of Google Maps. I was still rockin’ my 3GS!)
The one thing I still don’t like is that Apple locks down the default apps for various actions. This is all too reminiscent of the old Microsoft anti-trust lawsuit and the European Union competition case over Internet Explorer being bundled together with Windows as the default browser. As a result of those cases, Windows now supports setting a default browser other than Internet Explorer and the world is a better place for it. Apple needs to allow a default browser, default email, and a default maps handler (and even a default phone application, but that is not as vital) to be set in the iOS settings. I would even condone a stricter app approval process for apps that wish to be identified as default action handlers. I understand they’re trying to protect their empire, but I believe the iOS community will be better for it.