I keep running into annoying little problems with iOS6.  No deal-breakers but still.

(image from here)

First off, if this is a topic of interest to you, then you’ve probably already read elsewhere that Apple’s new Maps application (which replaces Google Maps) seriously sucks.  (And if this is not a topic of interest to you, then you probably stopped reading by now.)

First of all, they released it with key cities in the US and Europe fully fleshed out but Asia isn’t really done yet.  You can get the usual road maps and satellite maps but not with the richness of detail that Google’s maps have.

The search in the map function is BRAIN DEAD.  When you type in an address, Google could figure out I’m in Hong Kong and give me Hong Kong search results first.  With Apple’s Maps app, it gives me zero results for Hong Kong, lots of results in the U.S.  So I have to type in “Hong Kong” each time – still no little list to choose from but so far it has taken me to the right spot once I hit “enter.”

Now, there’s a sort of half-baked solution to this.  Bring up Google maps in Safari and you’ll be asked if you want to add this as a button to your home screen.  Sure, why not?  So you have the button looking like an app, you tap the button and it opens Safari and brings you right to Google Maps.  EXCEPT that Google Maps doesn’t have permission to use Location Services, even if Safari does, and there’s no way that I can see to enable it.  So it can’t interact with the iPhone’s GPS, can’t show you your location, can’t track your movements.

UPDATE:  @aublumberg helped me find the solution.  First I had to reset all location warnings on the phone.  Still didn’t work.  Then I rebooted the phone.  This time when I brought up Google Maps in Safari via the icon on the home screen, Safari and then Google asked for permission to use my location, which I granted, and now it’s working fine.

Also, all day long today, when I was on Hong Kong island, every time I checked Apple maps, the map was flipped around, with South on top and North on the bottom.

Also, the map for Wanchai is really weird. Zoom in to a certain amount and it shows you car parks, which is helpful. But that’s the only detail you get aside from street names – car parks.   Zoom in all the way and you’ll get hotels.  And every construction contracting company.  Really.  The corner of Luard and Jaffe has Sunrise Interior Design and Decoration Ltd. and E-stone Contracting Company.  No bars. No restaurants. No shops.

Let’s go over to Central.  Of course, there’s the Apple store.  In the wrong location.  Let’s see what’s in the area of Des Voeux Road near Pottinger Street.  There’s Yu M Susan Dr Dental Surg.  There’s Cantalever Investment Co.  That’s it.   Oh wait.  There’s Queen’s Theatre.  Which was torn down years ago.  It is seriously bizarre and unforgivably useless.

My next beef is with the much-publicized new Passbook app.  You bring it up for the first time and you get a little screen explaining how this is a nice little place to keep your boarding passes, movie tickets, store discount cards and coupons all in one spot.  At the bottom is a link to take you to the section of the app store for the companies that are cooperating with this.  For me, the page doesn’t load (and I’m signed into iTunes with a U.S. account).

No matter because Gizmodo has put together a list of what is there so far and it’s all but useless for most of the world.  Here’s the complete list:

• Fandango Movies
• Live Nation
• Lufthansa
• MLB.com At Bat
• Sephora to Go
• Ticketmaster
• Walgreens
• Mlb.com At the Ballpark
• Target
• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Shop Your Way
• Belly Card

Wow.  Certainly seems as if this was launched before it was ready.

(Still waiting for the Passbook page in the apps store to load.)

I suppose I should just be happy that the upgrade went smoothly and that my phone didn’t get borked in the process.  But the Google Maps thing really bugs me because I used it a hell of a lot.   I’m sure Apple will improve it in time.  Maybe in a year from now it will be the best map application ever.  But why launch it now, when it’s the worst?  What happened to Apple’s fanatical quality control and attention to detail?