Google still wants Apple to use its maps, Eric Schmidt says
The Apple Maps fiasco may have died down, but Google still wants its mapping program to be default on iOS, said Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.Schmidt, speaking today during an AllThingsD mobile conference, declined to say why Apple decided to go with its own mapping system rather than working with Google as it had in the past. But he said his company is still pushing Apple to use Google Maps as the primary navigation tool on iOS. Related stories:CNET's take on Google Maps for iOSGoogle's Eric Schmidt: Apple has learned maps are hardAndroid phones to top 1B by year's end, Eric Schmidt saysEric Schmidt: Motorola's new products are 'phenomenal'"We would still really like them to use our maps," Schmidt said. "It would be easy for them to take the app in the store and put it as their basic one."Schmidt didn't specify whether talks are ongoing.Apple and Google used to partner closely, but the relationship has frayed as Android vies with iOS for smartphone and tablet market share, and the companies accuse each other of stealing designs. In response to the growing tension, Apple decided to package its own mapping app with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 rather than rely on Google's long-used program. That decision faced a lot of problems, with Apple Maps misnaming cities, misplacing landmarks, and excluding mass transit directions.Google ultimately released a mapping application for iOS, but Apple's homegrown Maps remains default on the iPhone.
