If you're getting mocked for loving Apple Maps, here's your reminder that people once thought the iPhone was stupid too
- People have just discovered that Apple Maps has a loyal fanbase, and is actually quite good.
- But die-hard Google Maps users won't stop reminding them of how bad the app was at its 2012 launch.
Earlier this week The Wall Street Journal published one of the most divisive articles you can imagine: a deep-dive into Apple Maps – and the people who love them.
It's hard to compete with a product as beloved as Google Maps, which literally helped open up our world.
But that's what Apple did in 2012 when it released its own version, and it went horribly wrong. The app was so bad that Tim Cook had to apologize and encourage people to use Google Maps instead.
But more than a decade on, the accuracy is now way better and there are a bunch of cool additional features, like 3D street view and offline maps, the Journal reported.
But not everyone agrees. A furious debate has broken out on Twitter, pitting Apple Maps lovers against Google Maps die-hards, who are mocking them for their choices in what feels like 2023's version of the Mac vs. PC meme-discourse of the 2000s.
But here's the thing with Apple products: early derision or even functionality issues seemingly have nothing to do with their ultimate success.
When the first Apple Watch launched in 2015, loads of people thought no one would want it. The media outlet Business of Apps estimates they've made the company at least $14 billion a year since then — yet some people still argue they're "useless."
Even further back, you may remember the "but can you swim with it" jokes about the iPad's name, not to mention people pondering why they needed an "oversized iPhone" anyway. In 2011, the year after it was announced, Apple sold more than 58 million iPads. The iPhone only sold 11.6 million in its first year.
Speaking of the iPhone, it may offer the best example of them all. When Steve Jobs announced the Apple smartphone in 2007, Microsoft's CEO said there was "no chance" it'd become widely popular.
Tech journalists thought it would bomb, and argued the touchscreen was stupid — their fingers, accustomed to analog phone keyboards, kept bashing the wrong letters. Steve Jobs' response? "Your thumbs will learn."
It can't be too surprising that some thumbs are learning to love a new map app as well.