Another good reason to buy a tablet that is not from Apple, I would have thought. There are others out there, folks.

lol....best of luck to em I reckon they're probably looking at a Stalinoid purge of the map app department right now.

I've been thinking long and hard about how Apple can spin this fiasco into a law-suit. That's their modus operandi. For instance, they've hinted that they own the word 'app' and may subsequently litigate against anyone who uses the word. However, I am absolutely sure that we Welsh have been using the word 'ap' long before Cupertino.

I'm sure it was not so much "the good of Apple users" as the good of Apple shareholders - in what way does it not benefit the consumer to make google maps better? None that I can see. Although, certainly no harm in more choices of maps and mapping systems.

CNN Money has interesting story on why Apple pulled Google Maps and why, in their opinion, it was a good idea. Apparently the decision was made by Steve Jobs, or so the article speculates, before he died. He reasoned, they think, that every time an Apple user accessed a Google Map--it had the unfortunate side-effect of making the Google app better--because Apple users provided search information like street. address. etc. which Google could later incorporate into its maps.

Why Apple pulled the plug on Google

So, for the good of Apple users everywhere it was deemed best to create a proprietary system--which, given enough years, will eventually rival Google.

not #iLost in Brooklyn http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/21/motorola-mobility-google-pokes-fun-at-apples-ios-6-maps-with-ilost-hashtag/

Apple has blamed the entire Maps fiasco on TomTom. But TomTom promptly responded that they only sold Apple bare maps. Apple supplied all the layers with the subsequent faulty information. I own an old TomTom complete with a Linux driven onscreen keyboard which predates the iPhone by years. I keep the maps up-to-date and it still functions properly. Oh, is it possible that Apple might have copied someone else's design? Naaa... They now own everything (according to nine California jurors) and have even patented the rectangle and rounded corners. I suppose it's legal because Euclid apparently failed to apply for the patent. Next thing we know they'll be claiming they own the word "app."

BTW, I own and use Windows 7, Linux, Android and iOS 5 (iPad). I use them because I have to in supporting my clients. However, like Ceri, Linux is my favorite but there are good and bad points in them all.

I will be sticking with Linux for the foreseeable future

CAVEAT: I am unapolegetically a FreeRange personality type. I've always considered it part of my Welshness. I am opposed to any system which guarantees total care, oversight and provision (read Operating System, Government, et al). "Free Range chickens" take great risks for which caged, cramped, drugged, and force-fed chickens will never have to expend a single moment of anxiety. Free Range chickens have to cope with predators of every type and they endure endless hours of scratching in the dirt for a meal--often to no avail. Free Range chickens must endure the burden of caring for their offspring. As a boy I often witnessed a mother hen frantically gather her brood beneath her wings then successfully stand down a predator many times her size. But, alas, her caged, cramped, drugged and force-fed counterparts never have to worry about any of these burdensome things. Everything is decided from on high--even the care and education of "the offspring" who are whisked away before they're even hatched. It is all so convenient. But when given the choice of freedom and security I have no doubt which bird is the happiest.

I feel the same way about Operating Systems. I want freedom to choose (read Open Source over proprietary). I am quite happy to be able to choose Google Maps on my Android phone or Linux Desktop. Or, if I so deem, I can choose something else. If none of it suits me--I can edit the source code and recompile the program.

The new Apple Maps app being forced on iOS6 users is a good illustration of what happens when the omniscience, omnipotent "gods" on the Olympus of Cupertino make decisions for you. Oh, and BTW, iOS6 has no YouTube app either because Steve Jobs' self-declared thermonuclear war against Open Source demands it for the good of all fanboys everywhere. Apple seems to think that its users are so stupid that they can't be be trusted to own or change a spare battery, that they can't be trusted to insert a simple microSD memory expansion card.