Google Maps

As owners of older iPhone hardware are painfully aware, the iOS 6 update is limited on A4 devices including the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. Some of the features that iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 users enjoy include turn-by-turn navigation and 3D Flyover maps in major cities. Well now thanks to a new jailbreak tweak you can unlock full iOS 6 maps capability on a jailbroken iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS.

Apple made iOS 6 available on these older devices, however the company intentionally limits some features to keep performance optimized. That being said, iPhone 3GS users who are interested in turn-by-turn directions are turning this feature on at their own risk. Sluggish performance could occur because the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 hardware is significantly more powerful than the iPhone 4 and 3GS. Even though you can run iOS 6 maps on your device with this tweak, it could be slow or use up too much memory to function.

Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the iOS 6 Maps mess in an open letter to Apple customers on Friday. Even more surprising, Cook suggested unhappy iOS users download map apps from Apple competitors like Bing, MapQuest, Waze and Google.

Apple Maps has been widely ridiculed for featuring inaccurate information, mislabeled landmarks and other mistakes. Apple has said its new service will improve over time, but until then disappointed users are stuck using alternatives like Google's web app.

In the world of smartphones customer satisfaction normally rises with each new OS update. The iPhone went from an average customer rating of 6.93 to an average of 7.7 when iOS 5 was launched. However, Apple has seen its first slip with customer satisfaction with the launch of iOS 6. According to the mobile research group On Device (via Cult of Mac), Apple's rating slightly dipped to 7.65 from 7.75. The slight decline in customer satisfaction is most likely due to disappointment over Apple's new Maps app. Good thing for Apple that Google is rumored to be working on a new app for the iPhone and iPad.

On Tuesday, Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said Google had made no move towards creatig a Maps app for the App Store. However, unnamed inside sources told the New York Times a different story, claiming Google is indeed in the process of developing a maps application for iOS devices. The app will hopefully be ready by the end of this year. But why the delay? Google had no problem replacing the booted stock YouTube app with a new standalone app a few days before iOS 6 was released.

Google is in no rush to create a standalone Maps app for the Apple App Store, said Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Apple replaced the Google Maps app with its own mapping service with the launch of iOS 6. iPhone 5 owners and users who upgraded their devices have complained that Apple's new map service features too many geographical errors, and is missing many of the Google Maps features that so many iOS users enjoyed.

Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told a small group of reporters in Tokyo that he can't force Apple to use Google's mapping services.

"We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" said Schmidt. "What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."

The early reviews are in, and Apple has some work to do on its new iOS 6 Maps application. Highly-touted features such as turn-by-turn directions are no doubt an upgrade, however there are other things that will be missed by fans of Google Maps. As pretty as those 3D Flyover graphics may look, basic functionality is said to have suffered, especially overseas.

Apple replaced the Google-based back end of the Maps application with its own alongside the launch of iOS 6. One big complaint from users in urban areas is the lack of transit directions. Instead of detailing options to take public transit, the new Maps simply offers a list of third-party transit apps installed on your device.