I Admire Tim Cook

TechPinas Founder Notes: "Of Intangibles"

We all fall short of people's expectations sometimes, but it takes a big person to own up to it and to actually do something to be better the next time.

In a move totally uncharacteristic of Apple (or at least, of the company's former CEO), Tim Cook recently issued an open letter to all iOS device owners stating that the Cupertino company is 'extremely sorry' for the frustration caused by the shortcomings of its new Maps application and made a promise that they'll keep working non-stop until Maps meets their clients' lofty expectations while offering various alternatives - even those by competing companies - for the time being.

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple's CEO

You know what, I have yet to be wowed by Tim Cook when it comes to delivering Keynote presentations or to giving interviews and frankly, I don't think he'll ever come close to Steve Jobs in those departments. But after reading this letter, I can honestly say that I Now have at least one solid reason to believe that Apple's current CEO is just as admirable.