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Apple Makesa Wrong Turn As Users Blast Map Switch
Apple Inc.'s move to replace Google Inc.'s mapping softwarewith its own on its mobile devices sparked a world-wideconsumer backlash, marking a rare strategic blunder by acompany more accustomed to rave reviews from users.
As Apple prepped its stores for the first sales of the iPhone 5 onFriday, the company faced vociferous complaints from consumers over the mapping application itreleased this week, which replaces the Google maps that have been part of the iPhone since thedevice's 2007 release. The new maps come installed on the iPhone 5, and will be seen by otherusers who upgrade their iPhones and iPads to the company's latest iOS 6 mobile operatingsystem.
The criticism poured in world-wide as users of the new maps found misplaced labels for businessesand landmarks, cities with missing roads and erroneous features like a fractured river in Ann Arbor, Mich. Searches for certain terms, such as 'Haneda Airport' in Tokyo, returned no results.
Complaints of the application came amid praise for the new iPhone and mobile software asconsumers and bloggers took to dozens of websites─including Facebook, Twitter and a newlycreated blog sarcastically called 'The Amazing iOS 6 Maps'─to circulate screen shots of the mappingerrors and comparing them to Google's service.
But more than an embarrassment, the misstep highlights Apple's challenge as it takes on Googleand others with Web services.
While the two Silicon Valley companies were once on good terms, they began encroaching on oneanother's turf in recent years and are now fighting to take the lead in the fast-growing mobilesoftware and device market. Google today makes Android mobile software, which competes withApple's mobile operating system.
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苹果(Apple Inc.)在其移动设备中用自己研发的地图程序取代了谷歌(Google Inc.)的地图软件的做法引发全球消费者的强烈反响，标志着这家已经习惯听到用户溢美之词的公司出现了一个罕见的战略失误。
就在苹果的零售门店积极为本周五开售iPhone 5做准备的同时，该公司也面临消费者对其本周发布的地图应用程序的强烈抱怨。苹果地图取代了自2007年iPhone面世以来就预装的谷歌地图。iPhone 5将预装新的苹果地图，而将iPhone和iPad升级到苹果最新iOS 6移动操作系统的用户见到的也将是苹果地图。
来自世界各地的批评如潮水般涌来，因为使用新地图的用户发现了种种问题，比如要找的店铺和标志性建筑被放错了位置标签；在地图中找不到很多城市的道路；出现错误的地理特征，比如地图显示美国密歇根州安娜堡市(Ann Arbor)出现了一条断流的河；搜寻某些地点──比如东京“羽田机场”(Haneda Airport)──却没有结果。
就在外界称赞新iPhone和苹果手机软件的同时，用户对苹果地图的抱怨也不绝于耳。消费者和博客作者在数十个网站上传显示苹果地图种种错误的截屏，并将苹果地图和谷歌地图进行对比。这些网站包括Facebook、Twitter以及一个刚刚建立的、专门讽刺苹果地图的博客，名叫“神奇的iOS 6地图”(The Amazing iOS 6 Maps)。
但失误带给苹果的不仅仅是尴尬，也凸显了苹果在网络服务领域同谷歌和其它对手展开竞争时所面临的挑战。
尽管苹果和谷歌这两家硅谷公司曾经关系和睦，但近年来他们开始涉足对方的业务领域，如今又在快速增长的移动操作系统和设备市场展开激烈竞争，以期获得领头地位。谷歌如今主推同苹果手机操作系统竞争的安卓(Android)系统。 |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:54:53