Google Maps returned to iOS in the form of a third-party app less than a week ago and we’ve now learned that the search giant’s app was downloaded more than 10 million times in just 48 hours. If numbers alone are any indication, Apple users have sorely missed Google Maps on their portable devices.
Senior vice president of commerce and local at Google, Jeff Huber, revealed the news recently as a post on his Google+ page. He noted that Google was excited for the positive reception of Google Maps for iPhone around the world and further congratulated the maps team for their passion and hard work on this release and previous launches spanning the past seven years.
If you recall, Google’s native mapping application got the boot earlier this year in iOS 6 and was replaced with Cupertino’s admittedly lacking Apple Maps. Google Maps had been a staple of the iPhone since the first handset launched way back in 2007. But much like Apple is doing with Samsung on the hardware side, they were aiming to be less dependent on Google seeing as they are now their main rival in the mobile OS scene.
Apple’s offering was plagued from day one with incorrect directions, missing places on maps and other bugs that led most to have a poor overall experience. This resulted in a public outcry from consumers and tech journalists alike. Apple CEO publically apologized for the fiasco just a week after the iPhone 5 launched, saying his company had fallen short in delivering the best mapping experience possible.
