It's time to finally fix Apple Maps

There's new iPhone software on the horizon, but unlike previous years, Apple will reportedly focus on refining and optimizing its mobile ecosystem rather than adding a ton of new features.

Let's hope Apple's two-year-old Maps app is on that shortlist of fixes.

People are hugely dependent on maps apps, like the ones made by Apple and Google. The iPhone relied on Google Maps for that functionality until late 2012, when Apple booted the built-in Google Maps app in favor of its own new app. And boy, did that go wrong.

The first iteration of Apple Maps was a nightmare for users. There were countless bugs and comical inaccuracies that directed traffic into rivers and onto airport runways - CEO Tim Cook quickly issued a public apology and Apple fired the manager responsible for Maps in iOS 6, as well as longtime iOS chief Scott Forstall, in one big management shakeup.

It's been over two years and Apple has slowly improved its Maps app thanks to heaps of user feedback - data suggests people are returning to the service as a result - but Google Maps still has Apple beat in a few big ways: It offers directions and times for public transportation, it shows you real-time traffic information so you can make quick decisions on the road, and it lets you see the surrounding area using Street View.

Apple's been quietly building its Maps arsenal, which suggests there's a big fix coming: Roughly one-third of all the companies it bought in 2013 built mapping and navigation solutions, highlighted by a two-month spending spree where it bought Locationary (crowdsourced location data for local businesses), HopStop (aggregated data from hundreds of transit agencies for commuting via public transportation), and Embark (collected transportation routes for all major cities).

A few apps like Safari and Find My Friends won't let you use any other maps app besides Apple Maps, but Apple Maps will play an even more vital role in future Apple products: On the Apple Watch, it will help people get around while walking, biking, driving, or taking a bus or train - it only works for walking right now. It will even help you find specific stores in malls thanks to indoor maps.

But Apple Maps will play an even bigger role in the rumored Apple Car, reportedly coming in 2020, which is said to be all-electric and potentially even self-driving. Trusting a car to navigate itself will require people have faith in the mapping software.

As of right now, though, Apple still can't direct you using public transportation. Apple Maps still suggests you download and use other maps apps for that stuff. But at some point, Apple Maps will catch up to its competitors and be an ideal app for all commuters. When that happens - and hopefully it's this year - it will be interesting to see how the mapping incumbents improve their own platforms to keep Apple at bay.