Everybody With A Maps App Is Piling On Apple

It’s a marketing tactic that’s about as old as time itself: When a competitor stumbles, you turn it into opportunity for self-promotion.

That’s certainly been the case since the Apple Maps app stumbled out of the gate a week ago on iOS 6.

Bing is the latest competitor to call for attention. The company published a new blog post today touting its Bing App for iOS — not because it has any new features, but because “you may be holding a brand new smartphone and wondering which apps have the essential search and mapping functionality you need.”

Bing wants everyone to know that its existing app has things like walking, driving and public transit directions — one of main things missing in the new Apple Maps app — not to mention local search options and other things that have been the subject of complaints in Apple Maps.

Of course, the big question remains what Google will do about trying to get a standalone Google Maps app on iOS. While we all wait for that to play out, Google let its Motorola division take a potshot at Apple Maps with this “iLost” ad.

Google has also posted no fewer than five new map-related updates on its Lat Long blog — including things like better map search syncing on Android devices, underwater “Street View” images in Google Maps and more. (Touché!)

Then there’s Garmin, that just announced yesterday that it’s adding Google Street View — non-existent in Apple Maps — to the majority of its iOS apps. (Take that, Apple!)

And let’s not forget Foursquare, which only needed two days after iOS 6’s launch to tout its iOS app in a blog post entitled, The Perfect Map. (Fighting words!)

Clearly, piling on is this week’s Big Thing. Apple has given its competitors a proverbial inch, and they’re trying to take a yard.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee joined Third Door Media as a writer/reporter/editor in September 2008. He served as Editor-In-Chief from January 2013 until his departure in July 2017. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee.