Google Maps

Apple iOS 6 users, rejoice. It looks like Google Maps is back. Well, not really. An iOS developer in Tokyo has made an app called ClassicMap that looks a lot like the Maps app of old. The app uses Google Maps, shows you your location, lets you zoom in and out, and even drop pins. Perfect, right? Not quite. Top 10 gems in iOS 6 Although ClassicMap appears to give us the Maps app used for the first iPhone through the iPhone 4S, it's missing too many key features to be worth using.

Following up on Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook's apology for the under-performing Maps app, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant has reportedly been tapping its retail store staff to help improve the software. Earlier this week, MacRumors reported that Apple had enlisted employees at select Apple stores to help the company identify inaccuracies within the app, which was rolled out with Apple's new iOS 6 mobile operating system. At one of the participating stores, a team of 10 employees has been put to the task, according to MacRumors.

Amid the furor over its new Maps app, Apple has deleted the description that it is the "most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever. " The change, first noted by German website  iDaily.de , follows last week's rare move by Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, who apologized to users of the new app that came with an operating system upgrade. Though the new Maps is pretty to look at, Apple essentially admitted that the app is nowhere near being the most "powerful mapping service ever" when Cook sent out an apology letter, in which he said Maps failed to live up to the standard Apple has for its products.

Happy Birthday, Google! Has it been 14 years already? Indeed it has been. In the time it would take to raise a teenager with a mouthful of braces, Google has managed to single-handedly transform our culture. We use it to research our business competitors, settle bar bets, bookmark recipes, check our email, plot driving routes, see if we can find our own front door on Google Maps, flip through images of Justin Bieber or set up alerts for the latest Kim Kardashian news. And so much more.

The rift between Apple and Google over a map app grew wider Tuesday as Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said Apple device users shouldn't expect the company to offer them a Google Maps app anytime soon.  Apple dropped Google's app and replaced it with its own in the latest operating system, iOS 6, that it released last Wednesday. That meant the new iPhone 5 also did not include the Google Map. It had been a feature on the iPhone since the smartphone first launched in 2007. The Apple Maps app offers new features to iPhone users, including 3-D maps, advanced live traffic updates and voice navigation, but it doesn't support directions for public transportation and its maps app doesn't appear to be as accurate as Google's in some areas.

The iPhone 5 has finally arrived. We just picked one up at Radio Shack and also got one in the mail. Join the Times' Michelle Maltais and me as we unbox our new iPhone 5s and get a first look. LIVE IPHONE 5 UNBOXING: Join us at 2 p.m. We've got one of each color scheme: White and silver, and black and slate, so join us as we delve into the new devices. ALSO: What's this? Media turns on Apple, rails against new Maps app What's the holdup on a new Google Maps app for Apple iOS 6?

Americans have spent nearly $6 billion on iPhone repairs since Apple first launched the phone in 2007, according to a new study. SquareTrade, which offers device warranties, recently conducted a study surveying more than 2,000 iPhone owners. The study looked at various factors, including "cost of repairs, replacements and insurance deductibles for cracked, dropped, pummeled, kicked, and water-damaged iPhones. " PHOTOS: iPhone frenzy means lines, high-fives around world From there, the company concluded that since June 2007 until last month, the total cost of repairs has added up to $5.9 billion.

Apple has been taking it on the chin for what has widely been perceived as a failure of its homegrown Maps feature that replaced Google Maps in iOS 6. The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg wrote  that the Maps app is the biggest drawback of the new iPhone, which only runs iOS 6, and that it a step backward from the Google Maps that came with previous version of iOS. PC Mag ran a story outlining six different ways that Google Maps...

It's no secret that the biggest failure of iOS 6 has been Apple's decision to replace Google Maps with its own app. The app, which came with the new operating software, has a cool 3-D Flyover feature, but in general it's much worse than its Google predecessor. The new app provides inaccurate maps that sometimes place businesses in the middle of rivers , poor-quality satellite images that are not helpful and less information than Google Maps. On top of that, the 3-D Flyover feature barely works and often provides horrible results ( look at what it does to the Hoover dam )

So you've updated to iOS 6. That's cool. But do you know what's new? Here are some of our favorites. Sync Notes Not only does iOS 6 bring a bevy of new features, but it also activates a bunch of features on Mountain Lion, the operating system for Mac computers. One of those is the ability to sync your Notes across all your Apple devices. Now when you write a note on your iPhone, you can access and edit it on your Mac, iPad, and on iCloud.com. Facebook Integration IOS 6 is also bringing Facebook integration to your mobile Apple devices.