It seems like criticism for Apple’s Maps app has died down in recent months. What was once the favorite topic of critics and naysayers has been replaced with talk of iPhone 5 part order cuts and the company’s floundering stock.
But that doesn’t mean that the Maps app is up to snuff yet, and Apple knows it. That’s why it’s been working hard to improve the software and, according to new job listings, is making a major hiring push for its Maps team…
As noted by AppleBitch, Apple has posted a number of new job listings this week, calling for software engineers whose specific focus will be improving the iOS Maps app. We’re not sure how many exactly, but we’ve spotted at least ten.
Here’s the description from one of the new job postings:
“The Maps team is looking for a proactive and motivated software engineer to focus on Apple’s turn-by-turn navigation experience. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of developing high quality, robust and maintainable software. You are excited by maps and navigation, and are passionate about developing an intuitive and polished user experience. As an engineer on the Maps Navigation team, you will be responsible for implementing new and innovative navigation features, fixing problems and enhancing performance. You will work closely with other engineers on the Maps and other iOS teams to develop a complete solution, supporting user interface needs and determining data requirements.”
It’s not at all surprising that Apple is looking to beef up its mapping efforts. The company has taken an enormous amount of heat from both users and critics over the app, which replaced the reliable Google Maps in iOS 6 last September.
And the issue goes further than customer complaints. Tim Cook felt so strongly about Maps’ shortcomings that he issued a public apology for the app, and he has since fired two executives from the project, including iOS SVP Scott Forstall.
It’ll be interesting to see what Apple does with Maps from here. Now that Google Maps is in the App Store, there doesn’t seem to be as much urgency to fix all of its issues at once. We should get an idea of what’s next at WWDC this summer.