News

Apple's Maps manager Richard Williamson was fired after flaws in the mapping software "hurt" the iPhone 5, according to Bloomberg. Senior Vice President Eddy Cue fired Williamson, who oversaw the Apple Maps development, on Tuesday. Unnamed sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg Cue is planning to “install a new leadership team” to oversee the Maps application, and is seeking advice from outside mapping-technology experts TomTom NV.

Apple has been criticized for ditching Google Maps for its own inferior mapping software. The Maps debacle didn't hurt iPhone 5 sales, but it did force Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue a rare apology for an Apple product. The Apple Maps mess also prompted Nokia and Google to create rival mapping apps to be used with iOS devices. Nokia's HERE app is already available for download, while Google is expected to unveil its map application in the near future.

Google Voice users will be happy to know the iOS app has been updated to fully support iOS 6. Even more exciting for iPhone 5 owners is the expansion of the Google Voice interface to utilize the enlarged iPhone 5 display. We're not sure why Google waited over two months to deploy the update, but we're glad they did.

Google Voice is free on the App Store, and provides users with access to their account and voicemail messages with transcription. Free text messaging to US phones and low rates on international calls are all part of the service, along with a Google Voice number used to make calls. Currently only US residents can use Google Voice.

Good news for those of you looking to buy an iPhone 5 during this holiday season. Apple has come closer to catching up with demand, and shipping times listed on their online store have dropped to just one week. This is down from the previous estimate of two weeks.

Delivery times are the same for all wireless carriers, both the black and white iPhone 5 and all models from 16GB up to 64GB storage. Even though one week may seem like a long time, right after pre-ordering sold out on launch day Apple was taking up to a month to fill orders.

One of the better deals has arrived with ZAGG's Cyber Monday 2-Day Sale. Almost everything in the ZAGG online store is 50% off on Monday and Tuesday November 26-27. This includes the highly recommended invisibleSHIELD iPhone screen and body protector.

The savings doesn't stop there, with additional accessories for any iOS or mobile device including iFrogz Cases, iFrogz Headphones, and ZAGGsparq portable battery chargers all 50% off. If you have an iPad or other tablet, the ZAGGkeys PRO and other keyboard cases are 20% off normal price. ZAGG routinely gets great reviews for its products, which complement any iOS device.

After a delay last month, Apple is likely to release iTunes 11 before the end of November. This is according to a report in MacRumors that confirms the software launch will take place within the next few days. Apparently labels have been asked by Apple to submit photos and galleries of their artists.

iTunes 11 will feature a redesigned music store layout, which is where Apple could feature the new artist images. Feiyr, a German music distribution service, sent an email to their artists requesting new art for the upcoming iTunes update. Their message stated that iTunes was coming within days and pointed artists to the Promotion section of their website to submit images.