Top tech blunders of 2012
In a year that saw consolidation around several electronics ecosystems (think Apple), 2012 also had its share of missteps (think Apple, again). In the pages that follow, we chronicle the year’s most notable corporate delays, false steps, miscalculations and screw-ups.
They say there is no experience without suffering. Let’s hope those who goofed in 2012 learn from their mistakes.
Apple loses its way on maps
The engine of the “iEconomy” was already taking a beating over reports of labor abuses at its leading manufacturing partner, Foxconn, when the roll out of the iPhone 5 in the fall was overshadowed by a map-app fiasco. Under new CEO Tim Cook, Apple decided to ditch a reliable Google maps system for a poorly designed and inadequately tested version that led users astray and became the butt of talk-show jokes. The consumer electronics giants apologized profusely and vowed to fix the iPhone’s map app, but reports were still trickling in at year’s end of lost, confused and angry users.
Lesson: Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, even if you are the biggest corporation on Earth.
A bum steer?
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Will maps snafu hurt Apple?
TAG:Technology Blunders Blunders Apple Google HP Sharp EUV Freescale A123 Autonomy WSTS AMD RIM Nokia Qualcomm
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