I think "why did they ship the new maps app before it was ready?" is the most interesting question about this whole debacle. I don't think they actually gather

I think "why did they ship the new maps app before it was ready?" is the most interesting question about this whole debacle. I don't think they actually gather user-generated map content via iOS maps, so (1) doesn't make much sense to me. (2) strikes me as weird reasoning. If there's a good argument that Apple needs their own maps, enough to justify the acquisitions, it doesn't seem likely that the project would get dropped. I don't think (3) makes sense: they cut out critical functionality like public transit in directions. I don't see a reason to ship something which reduces useful features unless there was a very compelling reason. I think the most likely reason was actually pressure of some kind from Google's side.