TORONTO – Despite being bullied by tech blogs and frustrated users, Apple Maps came out on top in 2012.
According to a report by Nielson, which studied the top digital trends of the year, Apple Maps averaged over 32 million unique users a month in 2012, beating the Facebook application by over 4 million users.
Apple replaced the longstanding Google Maps app with its own version, released with its new iOS operating system, iOS 6, in September.
The report studied data from January through October, meaning data provided for Apple Maps was based on just two months of usage. But in only two months, it still had the highest monthly use average of all apps for the entire year.
Frustration over lack of transit directions and poor traffic notifications were common complaints heard by iOS users when Apple Maps was released; however, it was the more bizarre mistakes made in the app – such as the relocation of towns and landmarks – that took the Internet by storm.
Some of the more glaring mistakes included a made-up airport, car routes that directed users over major bodies of water and into the middle of the Australian outback, instead of towns.
Apple CEO Tim Cook later released a statement apologizing for Apple Maps and urged users to use an alternate until fixes became available.
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