Do You Agree With This Service Response From Apple?

Posted on October 09, 2012 by Bruce Jones, Programming Director, Disney Institute
It’s no secret that Apple has been dominating the news this Fall—from the release of the iPhone 5 to patent infringement wars with Samsung. The latest firestorm for the technology giant has been the letdown of their new Maps app, meant to replace Google Maps, which was previously available on all iOS devices.

Launched on Sept. 21, the Maps app was quickly put to the test by eager early upgraders, only to be let down by the application, which many criticize as has having an “unfinished feel.”

A rare flub for Apple, the misstep did not go unnoticed by CEO Tim Cook, who released a statement just one week later:

"While were improving Maps, you can 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.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard."

The tech world may write this off as a disappointment, but for the quality service industry, we call it a response win.

What is your take—reply with your thoughts on how Apple handled this issue. What would you have done differently?




Posted in Quality Service | Tagged Quality Service, Service Recovery

2 Responses to Do You Agree With This Service Response From Apple?

  • carlo says:
    on October 09, 2012

    Indeed it was rare for apple to release such a major component of their IOS as prematurely as they did. However, Tim Cook and his team made a smart decision in providing the best alternative solution while their map app is getting fixed. The other school of thought will be that they will lose market share when users are sent to the competition. Apple knows and is vey secure in the fact that a majority of their users are committed to them based on the culture they have created. My guess is that users will take their recommendation and purchase another 99¢ map app, but will start using the Apple Map app as soon as it's updated. Why? Because Apple produces a superior product in almost everything they create.

  • Dexter says:
    on November 01, 2012

    Having used and developed location aware applications based on both iOS 5 and iOS 6 and using both mapping apps, my experience is that the problems with both had to do with content, as opposed to the application itself. I find the new maps app to be better integrated and easier to use than the Google based one. I also note that the satellite images were about equally out of date. For example, the current image of Cars Land at California Adventure is probably a year old, still showing the ride under construction. I've also been directed to restaurants that turned out to be over a mile away (in Plymouth MA) and sent via streets that are blocked off (Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. The real standout difference is in how easy or difficult it is to submit a correction. In iOS 6 Maps it's two intuitive clicks away. The route change I submitted regarding the way to the DFM was implemented by Apple in just a few days. I worked for Apple for ten years and Disney is the only other company I've found that shares their passion for perfection, continuous improvement and chasing the dream. (At Apple we were "Changing the world, one person at a time.")

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