Last year Apple was subjected to widespread criticism after it dropped Google Maps from its products in favour of a new in-house mapping app which included a number of inaccuracies and errors.
Apple CEO Tim Cook apologised for the poor user experience, saying the firm was “extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”
He also suggested that in the meantime users “try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.”
Poor reception to the new app overshadowed coverage of the iPhone 5.
The new acquisition is expected to help Apple close the gap with Google which remains the most popular online and mobile map provider.