Google has not submitted a new Maps app for iOS, says Schmidt (updated)
Before Eric Schmidt left Google’s Nexus 7 event in Tokyo today, he passed some bad news on to the iPhone users in attendance. When asked if Google had in fact submitted a new native Google Maps for App Store approval, Schmidt denied the rumor, saying, “we have not done anything yet,” reports Reuters. Apple’s decision to replace Google Maps with its own mapping service in the recently-released iOS 6 has proved awkward, with many users complaining of missing information, inaccurate labeling, and problems with the new 3D Flyover mode. While The Loop threw cold water on the idea last week, many users hoped that a replacement for the missing Google Maps app was in the works.
Update: Reuters has softened the tone of its original report which is now disputed by Bloomberg. Bloomberg says that Schmidt declined to say whether Google submitted its Maps app for Apple approval. Instead it quotes him saying, "We haven’t done anything yet with Google Maps," adding that Apple would "have to approve it. It’s their choice." The updated Reuters piece now quotes the Google chairman saying that Google and Apple are in constant communication at "all kinds of levels," while appearing to say that the decision to remove Google Maps from iOS was Apple's alone. "We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" Schmidt said in Tokyo. "What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It's their call."
:x
