Apple Maps flaw could be deadly, warn Australian police

By Nick Thompson, CNN

(CNN) -- Inaccurate, inconvenient, ill-conceived ... now add "potentially life-threatening" to the list of words being used to describe flaws in Apple's much maligned maps app.

Police in Mildura, Australia are warning drivers to be careful about using Apple Maps to find the city, which the app has placed more than 40 miles (70 kilometers) away in the Outback.

Calling it a "potentially life-threatening issue," police say the mapping system lists Mildura, a city of 30,000 people, as being in the middle of Murray-Sunset National Park.

Full story: http://edition.cnn.c...flaw/index.html

-- CNN 2012-12-11

They could find their way in, but couldn't find their way out? These poor souls are more than lost; they use a cellphone map ap to tell them where to go, how to get there?

They will forever be clueless and lost.

Will they get a signal in the Outback?

Maybe it's just me, but I always "check" the route independently/separately before blindly following any directions . . .

Sounds similar to a lot of the people in the UK that found themselves driving into the sea after following some GPS directions . . . if they are that stupid, or inattentive to the road conditions and positioning etc they shouldn't be on the road at all lol

Or... They could be suing Apple for zillions of dollars for putting them at risk.

I've even yelled at my dashboard GPS when it's told me to take wrong turns, be in the wrong lane, etc. Probably says more about my state (tired) than the GPS.

Still, I've seen paper maps with glaring errors in my travels. Don't even get me started about the bum directions I've gotten when I asked at gas stations...

So I've got a lot of empathy for the folks that found themselves out in the middle of FSE (Fish Shack, Egypt, a suburb of BFE) based on information they trusted. It could have easily been me.

Sadly, can't claim to be an infallible genius in the same league as many TV posters...

Edited December 11, 201213 yr by impulse

Apple did fire the head of the project due to the foul ups but it seems they should just deactivate it until the new developer gets up to speed and debugs it.

Half Thailand is using speednavi maps and databases on their GPS, nobody seems to bother that phone numbers in that database are pointing to places hundreds of kilometers away from even the area code they were issued in.

Oh, darling, the road sign says Mildura to the right..

Nah, my iPad app says I have to drive into this lake to get to the centre of town.

Half Thailand is using speednavi maps and databases on their GPS, nobody seems to bother that phone numbers in that database are pointing to places hundreds of kilometers away from even the area code they were issued in.

Well the first problem is the idiotic concept of using a telephone number to find a location.

Aside from that, Speednavi is a horrible GPS. Stupid user interface, terrible choice of routes, can't find coordinates based on intersections, can't save your current location, etc. Probably comes from the weird way Asians think, and Korean's trying to interpret how a Thai would look for something. I regret having bought mine.

People have been able to find (or avoid) Mildura on their own since the town was founded 120 years ago. It's only at the crossroads of two major highways.

When people get in trouble through relying on phone apps rather than common sense, you're seeing Darwin's Law in action.

Or... They could be suing Apple for zillions of dollars for putting them at risk.

I've even yelled at my dashboard GPS when it's told me to take wrong turns, be in the wrong lane, etc. Probably says more about my state (tired) than the GPS.

Still, I've seen paper maps with glaring errors in my travels. Don't even get me started about the bum directions I've gotten when I asked at gas stations...

So I've got a lot of empathy for the folks that found themselves out in the middle of FSE (Fish Shack, Egypt, a suburb of BFE) based on information they trusted. It could have easily been me.

Sadly, can't claim to be an infallible genius in the same league as many TV posters...

Havn't you read the 157 pages of fine print everyone must agree to before even getting into the iPhone for the first time? I Imagine somewhere in there they have denied all responsibilty..

P.S. My first post ever to the board.. no longer a virgin. suppose I should look for the presentation thread...

Welcome to the Board!

Or... They could be suing Apple for zillions of dollars for putting them at risk.

I've even yelled at my dashboard GPS when it's told me to take wrong turns, be in the wrong lane, etc. Probably says more about my state (tired) than the GPS.

Still, I've seen paper maps with glaring errors in my travels. Don't even get me started about the bum directions I've gotten when I asked at gas stations...

So I've got a lot of empathy for the folks that found themselves out in the middle of FSE (Fish Shack, Egypt, a suburb of BFE) based on information they trusted. It could have easily been me.

Sadly, can't claim to be an infallible genius in the same league as many TV posters...

Havn't you read the 157 pages of fine print everyone must agree to before even getting into the iPhone for the first time? I Imagine somewhere in there they have denied all responsibilty..

While it's true that their EULA is probably pretty well written, and they do have great litigation attorneys, there are legal venues around the world where none of that means squat. I suppose if you lost your favorite pic's of a girlfriend because of a flaw in their system, they'd be pretty safe. But if you were to be severely injured because one of them blew up in your hand, or melted down and caught your house on fire, they'd be on the hook.

Getting lost and dying of dehydration because you trusted their maps would, I suspect, fall somewhere in between. Then it's up to your lawyer. Given some of the crazy settlements that make the headlines occasionally, I think they'd be a little nervous.

Use a map of the area, a small hand held compass, know the location you start out at. Find this on the map , find out your destination on the map. survey your most practical route, read road signs etc.

You will never get lost.

OR, use a GPS with coordinates only with true north indication AND a map. With a compass for back up.