Google has
released its Maps app for the iPhone, in the wake of complaints about Apple's
software.
Apple controversially replaced the search giant's mapping service with its own when it released its latest handset, the iPhone 5.
The move was widely criticised after numerous mistakes
were found in Apple Maps's search results.
Google's app introduces functions previously restricted to
Android devices.
One analyst said it would prove popular, but added that
Nokia still posed a challenge.
The Finnish company recently launched its own free maps
app for the iPhone.
Apple's
mapping nightmare
When Apple announced in June that it was launching its own
maps app - using licensed data and its own software - developers cheered.
But soon after it launched in September, the complaints
began.
The UK's historic town Stratford-upon-Avon was missing, a
farm in Dublin had been labelled as an airport and Hong Kong's Queen's Pier
boat terminal was in the wrong location.
Satellite images were sometimes blurry or only showed
cloud cover, and the much-vaunted Flyover facility had created surreal views of
landmarks including the Brooklyn Bridge and Hoover Dam.
Facing growing criticism, Apple boss Tim Cook penned an
apology acknowledging users' frustration.
It did not seem to dampen early iPhones sales, but the
affair was linked to the high-profile ousting of iOS software chief Scott
Forstall, who had reportedly refused to sign the apology himself.
Mr Cook recently acknowledged that the firm had
"screwed up", but promised Apple had a "huge plan" to
improve the app.
Apple's early Flyover images of the Brooklyn Bridge were mocked
on the Amazing iOS6 Maps blog
The firms are motivated in part by a desire to gather data
automatically generated by handsets using their respective software, as well as
users' own feedback.
This allows them to fine-tune their services and improve the
accuracy of features such as traffic status updates.
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