蘋果為地圖太爛致歉,可換別家用
Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, has said he is "extremely sorry for the frustration" users have found with its new mapping service, adding that if they are dissatisfied they can use rival products.
蘋果執行長蒂姆•庫克表示，使用者已經發現其新的地圖服務的錯誤，他 “對此非常抱歉”，補充說如果他們不滿意，可以使用競爭對手的產品。
The dramatic move by Cook follows growing complaints about the quality of the data offered by the new Maps app which was introduced with iOS 6, the newest version of the mobile software powering the iPhone and iPad.
這戲劇性的一幕發生在iOS 6系統的新地圖應用提供的資料質量遭到不斷抱怨之後，iOS 6是支援iPhone和iPad的移動軟體新版本。
"We are doing everything we can to make Maps better," Cook wrote in a letter posted on Apple's site – a method frequently used by Cook's predecessor Steve Jobs to issue messages when Apple was facing criticism.
“我們將採取一切可能的舉措，使地圖服務變得更好，”，庫克在蘋果網上的致歉信中寫道，——庫克的前任史蒂夫•喬布斯經常使用的方法，即當蘋果公司面臨批評時他就釋出資訊。
Apple has apologised in the past for errors – though sometimes grudgingly.
蘋果公司已經為過去的錯誤道歉 - 儘管有時並不情願。
Cook says in the letter that "we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, [satellite view] Flyover and vector-based maps [which store data in a single file rather than needing repeated downloads to work]. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up."
庫克在信中說：“我們希望向使用者提供更好的地圖服務，包括按方向導航、語音和俯瞰檢視(Flyover)功能，並引入向量地圖資料。為了做到這一點，我們從頭開始開發了新版地圖服務。”
Although iOS 6 was only released formally on 19 September, Cook says there are now more than 100m devices using it with the new Apple Maps, "with more and more joining us every day." He said that users "have already searched for nearly half a billion locations" and that such feedback will improve the quality.
庫克說，雖然iOS6在 9月19日才正式釋出，但目前已有超過1億部iOS裝置使用新版蘋果地圖，每天還有更多使用者加入。他說使用者已經搜尋了近5億個位置。這種反饋將提高產品質量。
Unusually, Cook recommends that users who are dissatisfied with Apple's offering should try rival services. These include apps by MapQuest, Waze and Microsoft's Bing, or maps from Google and Nokia via web browsers.
不同尋常的是，庫克建議對蘋果公司產品不滿意的使用者應該嘗試其競爭對手的服務。這些包括MapQuest、Waze和微軟必應的地圖應用，或來自谷歌和諾基亞網站上的地圖服務。
However, Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, indicated earlier this week that the search giant is not presently developing an app for iOS.
然而，谷歌執行董事長埃裡克•施密特表示，本週早些時候這家搜尋巨頭目前並沒有開發一種適用於iOS的應用程式。
''What were we going to do, force (Apple) to include the software?" Schmidt said in Tokyo on Monday, adding that Google has no plans at present to complete its iOS Google Maps app and submit it to Apple. That decision lies with Apple, Schmidt said.
“我們應該做的難道是迫使蘋果相容我們的軟體嗎？”施密特週一在東京表示，他補充說谷歌目前沒有計劃完成其iOS的谷歌地圖應用程式並把它交給蘋果。這一決定取決於蘋果。
''We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?" he added.
“我們認為如果蘋果運用我們的軟體這將會更好。但我知道什麼？“他補充說。
