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Comment by bdfh42 | Hacker News Reader

This is not just an "end user" problem it is a developer problem. Our "hyper local" app looks (and is) terrible on iOS6 but runs just fine on iOS5 (with Google mapping).

iOS was the choice for the lead mobile platform but with iOS6 take up levels running high we may have to switch to Android to be able to demonstrate all of our ideas.

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Looks terrible? I don't think the look of the new maps is under much criticism. I thought the general consensus was "pretty but not as functional"?

Although the app's lack of proper search and laughable location plotting, my chief issue with the new Maps is the aesthetic, which I consider to be unequivocally inferior to Google Maps.

I swing the other way, I think it looks much better in many ways. I much prefer the typography and a few other design touches.

I agree. The new Maps looks really nice, it just isn't very useful. IMO it's a great example of form over function.

It's unusably terrible for some people (like me). Apparently I now live on the moon: http://cl.ly/image/3q3v262G3P2s

I find it harder to read. In particular, it's a lot harder to distinguish icons for useful things like train/tube stations from icons I don't care about like wine bars.

Yeah, I tend to disagree, mainly for the many reasons pointed out in this fantastic article: http://geoit.posterous.com/41latitude-google-maps-label-read... .

I do believe that vector graphics are far superior to GMaps' tiles.

Wouldn't you have noticed that three months ago when you downloaded the beta after WWDC? If you were displeased, you could have worked around MapKit. Sure, you shouldn't have to, but I wouldn't blame Apple for making your app "terrible" when you've had plenty of time to make it not that way.

As a developer, you can include whatever map tiles you want in your application - if Apple Maps are bad for you, you can just switch to Google or Bing or whatever. Don't blame or abandon the platform for what is within your capability to change.

I'm pretty sure that will cost both money (likely prohibitive) and significant developer time.

And switching to Android wouldn't?

That's not how I interpreted the original post. To me it read that they are switching their lead platform to Android rather than their product.

In the situation described, the mapping was switched out beneath a developer without them even updating their software. Yes you can work around it but I don't blame someone for thinking that sucks.

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