Report: Bad Planning Means Many New Maps App Features Are Left Out Of iOS 8
by Joe White
June 9, 2014
Apple's Maps app hasn't received much in the way of new features, enhanced functionality, or notable performance improvements in iOS 8, despite previous reports claiming that this would be the case. Now, we're hearing that the "failure of project managers" is one of several reasons why the iOS 8 Maps app isn't as big a leap forward as we'd originally hoped.
The news comes in an article from TechCrunch, which cites information provided by an unnamed source. "There were multiple improvements that didn’t make it into iOS 8," this source explains. It's believed that these included the long-rumored "more reliable" user experience, additional points of interest, and even public transit information.
According to one of TechCrunch's tipsters, bad planning is one reason the iOS 8 Maps app failed to launch in its anticipated form. The source said:
Many developers left the company, no map improvements planned for iOS 8 release were finished in time. Mostly it was failure of project managers and engineering project managers, tasks were very badly planned, developers had to switch multiple times from project to project.TechCrunch adds more information provided by its other source, who notes:
I would say that planning, project management and internal politics issues were a much more significant contributor to the failure to complete projects than developers leaving the group.Given that Apple's Maps app didn't get off to the best start when it first launched in 2012, it's disappointing to hear that personnel issues are holding the application back from further improving. Though improvements to the Maps application are appearing for Chinese iOS device users with iOS 8, and while 3-D flyover support is in the process of reaching more towns and cities across the globe, it's clear the app still has a long way to go before it becomes a truly powerful piece of mobile software. In the meantime, Google Maps for iOS offers an alternative maps experience for iOS devices. A jailbreak tweak can even set Google's application as the default maps app on iOS. We'll keep you updated with further information on the Maps app as we receive it. In the meantime, see: Oceanhouse Media Launches A Mini-Sale On The App Store For Father’s Day, SteelSeries Unveils ‘Stratus XL,’ A Bigger Controller For iOS Gamers, and Apple Informs Developers Of New App Store Price Changes In South Africa.