That analysis sounds like nonsense. His options #1 and #3 are a false and (and misleading) dichotomy. (#1 being continue as is, and #3 being cut the cord) Of

That analysis sounds like nonsense. His options #1 and #3 are a false and (and misleading) dichotomy. (#1 being continue as is, and #3 being cut the cord) Of course apple wants to ship its own mapping stuff once it can. But there's no reason it can't continue as-is until their own stuff is done. So Gruber's claiming some kind obviousness here which is based entirely on the fiction that there was no middle ground. Based on his analysis of decisions made by people he can't even name and certainly doesn't know, he so confident in this that he insinuates that Google (and of course Apple) would have come to the same conclusion, thus that Google is lying about being suprised. I think that's reading waaaayy to much into all this. Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Of course google expected apple to do this at some point. The surprising part is that they did it so early, when their own stuff is hardly done, when the alternative (wait a little longer) has so few apparent downsides.