For the last five years Apple has always had apart of Google on their devices with Google Maps and the YouTube app. By now, we have all heard the news about iOS 6 ditching Google Maps and the YouTube built-in app. This comes to a disappointment as many people use the YouTube app to access their YouTube channel, but others believe this is a good thing for a new start. This should not come as a surprise as Apple and Google became fierce competitors since both of them are the top 2 operating systems for mobile devices.
Maps is a huge business in the mobile device world and Apple does not want to allow Google to promote it’s Android operating system on their devices. In 2007 when Apple and Google’s “relationship” first started they were almost like a team instead of competitors, but now Apple is deciding that the maps app is just to big of a necessity to allow Google to be the vendor of it. If you have seen the iOS 6 maps demo video then I think you will have probably come to appreciate the boot Apple gave Google Maps as the new map app, definitely has Apple written all over it. Apple’s soon to come stock maps app is well designed, easy to navigate, up-to-date features, turn-by-turn voice guidance and best of all, Sky View. I have been running iOS 6 beta versions for almost 2 months now and I can honestly say that I have not used my car’s GPS one time in the last month as this new maps app is such an ease to use.
I believe with Apple booting the YouTube app, this is a great opportunity for Google to create an astonishing YouTube app which I hope will incorporate more features for users to engage with the YouTube community better. With the release of iOS 6 beta 4 the YouTube app has been taken out so we will just have to use the browser version of YouTube which is quite similar to the stock YouTube app until we get an app in the app store.
Now that Apple is setting a high standard here with their new maps app I am patiently waiting to see what Google is planning on doing here in the future with Google Maps. How often do you use your phone’s stock maps applications? Do you feel that Apple made a good decision to go on their own?
