APPLE CEO TIM Cook has apologised to customers for the many mistakes in the recently-launched Apple Maps.

In an open letter to customers, Cook said that Apple had fallen short on its commitment to customers with the app which was unveiled last week as part of Apple’s latest operating system but was found to be riddled with errors.

“We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better,” Cook said.

Cook suggested that customers download other maps from the App Store or else add Google Maps to their home screen while the problems with Apple Maps are being repaired.

Users reported many problems with the app including fictional place names, inaccurate directions, and missing areas.  Apple Maps included a non-existant airport on Dublin’s southside, among its glitches. It also renamed the Dublin suburb of Coolock to ‘Coolcock’, placed Cork city on Dublin’s southside and relocated Dublin Zoo to Dublin city centre.

Cook said that Apple will “keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to [Apple's] incredibly high standard”.

The letter in full:

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO

Oh dear: Apple Maps has made some pretty big mistakes in its Ireland maps >

Read: ‘Alan Shatter concerned over fake Apple airport’ Statement of the Day >

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