Apple's got to fix iOS 6 Maps, and it better do it soon. The company's wild celebration of the iPhone 5’s initial sales has been blunted by the gleeful mocking of one of iOS 6’s most important new features. There seems to be something of a consensus out there in Apple Land: To put it bluntly, its new Maps stink. What's Cupertino's solution? Recruit map gurus, of course, starting with experts from Google, whose maps the company discarded during their increasingly bitter tiff. Reports say Apple's trying to lure away Googlers who worked on its mapping product. Many are said to be interested. Some gossip: One open position, which some speculate is for a product development manager, will pay at least $85,000, plus moving expenses. Apple is advertising for at least 10 map-related jobs right now.

A Crisis in Cupertino?

iPhone users worldwide are having a marvelous time pointing out Maps’ many flaws, whether it’s locating gas stations on top of skyscrapers, erasing major universities from the face of the Earth or transforming the Brooklyn Bridge into the scariest looking roller coaster of all time. On top of that, some analysts are hyping these mistakes as representing an existential crisis for Apple. Would Steve Jobs have let this happen? Has Apple given up on perfection? Is this the moment when Samsung, Google and Microsoft should go in for the kill? It won’t be easy for Apple to play catch-up in a competition with Google over maps, but Apple knows it needs its own mapping resources going forward no matter what. As pundits often note, “It’s just software,” and it’s sure to be fixed in time (or else the ghost of Steve Jobs will haunt the dreams of iOS 6’s developers, if he isn’t already).

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