Apple decided to replace Google Maps in iOS 6 with its own homegrown mapping service called Apple Maps. When iOS 6 was released in September 2012 and Apple Maps finally became available to users, it was chaos. The launch didn’t go smoothly at all, Apple Maps was plagued with issue from the start so much so that CEO Tim Cook had to issue a public apology. Moreover, it is believed that the Maps fiasco is what cost former iOS SVP Scott Forstall his job at Apple. Google provided an alternative by releasing Google Maps as a standalone app in the App Store. The latest data from comScore shows that contrary to popular belief, majority of U.S. iPhone users aren’t searching for an alternative, they’re all using Apple Maps.
According to comScore, more than 35 million iPhone owners in the U.S. used Apple Maps in September 2013. Only 6 million iPhone users used Google Maps instead, and 2 million of these users are those who either have not updated to iOS 6 or have iPhones that can not be updated to iOS 6. As a result of being replaced by Apple Maps, Google’s mapping service as lost almost 23 million mobile customers in the U.S., which is without a doubt one of the most lucrative markets out there. Google Maps usage across iPhone and Android in the U.S. stands at over 58.7 million as of September 2013.
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