I agree its a real problem. I don't think it's a minor issue, but it has some attributes that reduce its severity with regards to choosing an appropriate public

I agree its a real problem. I don't think it's a minor issue, but it has some attributes that reduce its severity with regards to choosing an appropriate public response by Apple: - It's likely rare. Either people catch the mistake early (as you mentioned) or the algorithm actually works. - It's correctable. Sometimes you can eyeball the map, sometimes you can see how it messed up and work around it. Sometimes you know better and "override" it by driving the way that you know. Ultimately you can ask someone or pull up google. - It's unclear where you direct your anger to. When your phone drops calls, you blame AT&T. If it's the hardware, you blame Apple. If there is an error in the map, who do you blame? Us techie's realize the details, but do most people know who authored the maps? If people understood it was Google before they might still think it's Google's fault now. If the algorithm gives you the wrong directions, do you blame apple or the "stupid computer"? It seems like there is less of an emotional anger towards Apple, the company, when this error occurs (excluding those of us who understand the intricacies of what parties are involved for what types of error.) A big dynamic here is that people were used to a certain level of quality from Google. Did they know it was Google? Do they know who is to blame for the step backwards? I'm certainly curious what specifics prompted this response. Cook has never been in charge before and speaking from experience it's always incredibly tempting to want to make a public statement and backtrack when the mob is yelling at your door, but despite common advice it's not always the right decision for the company.