Dangerous Apple Maps Now (Half) Fixed: Australian Police

By Khurram Aziz | Dec 11, 2012 01:35 PM EST

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Apple is said to have fixed a glitch in its Maps app that was leading motorists to potentially life threatening situations in the Australian outback, according to police in the state of Victoria.

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However, the fix is only applicable for motorists approaching the city of Mildura from South Australia - those coming into town from Melbourne are still misdirected into the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park.

The flaw in Apple's Maps App, one of many that have dogged the navigation software since its release in September, was highlighted by Mildura police earlier in the week after several motorists were stranded in the middle of the national park in scorching temperatures.

"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees, making this a potentially life threatening issue," said the police in a press release issued to media outlets. "Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception." 

The glitch, which hit headlines across the world, prompted Apple to act swiftly and correct the error overnight. However, the flaw seems to have only been half fixed.

Mildura police inspector Simon Clemence told The Australian that the malfunctioning app now appeared to put Mildura "in the right place" for travelers coming from South Australia.

"But if you're coming from Melbourne it still puts Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park," he said. "They have half-fixed the problem.

"So, it would appear that the only people that are going to get lost in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park now are people from Melbourne. People from Adelaide will find their way to Mildura just fine!"

Apple's Maps App is perhaps the most maligned software the Cupertino company has ever produced. It was the default maps software that came with the latest iPhone 5 and the updated iOS 6 operating system after the company dropped Google Maps from its App Store.

But the inaccuracies in the software resulted in widespread discontent among iPhone owners and eventually led to a public apology from Apple CEO Tim Cook and the sacking of iOS Software chief Scott Forstall.

Meanwhile, Google is in the final stages of testing a revamped version of its Google Maps which the company hopes to submit to Apple for inclusion in the iOS Apps Store.

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