Along the way, Cupertino has made its fair share of memorable gaffes too.
Here are some of the more notable mistakes.
By December the company’s plan to scan photos was removed from itsChild Safetyannouncement.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
But this time around there’s a new icon and app in town: Apple Maps.
Apple Maps certainly made a splash when it was first unleashed.
Things got so bad that Apple CEO Tim Cook issued apublic apology.
Apple
Apple Maps did introduce some improvements over the previous Maps app, which was powered by Google.
Turn-by-turn directions were new and welcome, helping many ditch cumbersome dedicated GPS units in favor of a smartphone.
Unfortunately, turn-by-turn isn’t too useful if it’s possible for you to’t rely on directions.
(There was at least a web version of Google Maps.)
Fortunately, Apple Maps grew up into a genuinely useful mapping tool.
It’s worth giving it another go if you’ve previously written it off.
This led many developers toconsider using Dropbox over iCloudto sync app data.
Back then iCloud was far more closed off.
Like Maps, iCloud has matured a lot since it was first introduced.
By January, Appleinformed developersthat the issue was fixed.
Unfortunately, iOS 7 focused mostly on design and not necessarily on productivity.
Some even complained that the new animations andparallax background effectscaused motion sickness.
The new look proved divisive and glitchy or laggy UI elements did little to win many over.
It wouldn’t be fair to write iOS 7 off entirely.
Apple made strides with some new features.
These includedControl Centerfor quickly accessing tweaks,AirDropfor wirelessfile transfer, and the first iteration of CarPlay.
It’s an Apple-vetted method of distributing software, and it comes with many of the same prerequisites.
Over the years, many developers have complained about the restrictive nature of Apple’s Mac storefront.
But at least Apple’s restrictions maintain a high quality of software on the Mac App Store, right?
Things have improved somewhat since 2017, but the store isn’t perfect.
Games in particular still leave a lot to be desired.
We’d recommend buying games onSteamoritch.ioinstead.
Two Failed Social Networks for Music
Remember iTunes Ping?
What about Apple Music Connect?
Ping closed down in 2012, right around the time when many such networks were growing exponentially.
Baked into iTunes, Ping was a fiddly mess to use.
It lacked proper Facebook integration, and when sharing music with friends you were limited to scant 90-second samples.
Apple Music Connect wasn’t much better.
Connect gave artists control over pages, just as Ping did before it, but uptake was poor.
Still, at least Apple’s not calling it a social connection anymore.
Apple’s longstanding indifference to gaming in the non-mobile sense of the word is a big missed opportunity.
But a huge portion of the industry flatly ignores the Mac.
Despite these problems, Apple still has a commanding share of the industry.
