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Ironically, while the initial problem and police warning got a lot of press coverage, neither the fact that Apple fixed their directions by the very next day nor the fact that Google Maps has had an ongoing similar issue (Australian police also issued a warning for Google Maps this week, since it's routing traffic, including buses, down a one-way dirt track through the wilderness) have been reported very much.

I know the saying is that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can put on its shoes, but that applies to things like this as well, it would seem. Everyone is quick to latch onto issues with Apple Maps (which definitely do exist, don't get me wrong), while ignoring the fact that Google Maps had similar issues when it started and continues to have similar issues today. Google Maps is simply a more mature product that has less of these issues overall (which is why I still use it most of the time), but Apple Maps is already solid enough that none of the people I've talked to who use it on a regular basis have had any issues, nor can I remember having any problems, other than a few funky looking buildings when I tried out their 3D view on the day it launched.

Of course, the fact that Apple Maps strands people in the middle of nowhere may explain why I haven't been able to talk to the people who are having problems...

BA-DUM-tish

does anybody have any real proof that Google has manipulated results or forced other products to be tied to their search engine?

Well, the situation with the iOS mapping is somewhere between shady and "being evil".

http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/apple/why-did-apple-ditch-google-maps-in-ios-6-a-disagreement-over-voice-guided-directions-apparently/

That's what its called on Mac. There is no PC style delete which deletes in front of the cursor:

http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Keyboard.jpg

MS is not to be trusted? But somehow Google and Apple are paragons of virtue? Sure, it always pays to be skeptical of Microsoft, but no more so than any of the other major players in the phone wars.

They screwed the owners of their last two attempts - Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.

To compare, Apple's iPhone 3GS will get support for iOS 6 - and it was released more than 3 years ago.

So buying a Windows Phone falls into the category of "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".

It's in all the articles :(

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Skype-for-Windows-Phone-goes-out-of-beta-final-version-released_id29363
http://blog.gsmarena.com/skype-for-windows-phone-no-longer-in-beta/
http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/microsoft/windows-phone/skype-for-windows-phone-drops-beta-tag-but-still-wont-work-in-background/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/22/2967087/skype-for-windows-phone-version-1-0-final

They started off by starting to sue serious competition like crazy

This I can agree with. Apple has gone off the deep end suing competitors. At the same time, you can't ignore the fact that Google ripped off Apple at early stages in the game (http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/google/android/android-before-and-after-the-iphone/), and the new Samsung devices has an uncanny similarity to the iPad.

companies that were pushing out devices that were a genuine threat to their sales

None of these devices are a threat to Apple's sales. iPads are outselling every other device 8-to-1. The constant barrage of marketing and advertisements from their competitors doesn't seem to be having any effect.

this is really the point at which it seems clear Apple has accepted that it's hit or nearing it's peak based on innovative product based growth

This is really unbelievable. Do you really think Apple has to create a new type of iDevice every year? Did you follow Apple through the mid-00s? Apple has gone years without releasing new product categories and just updated existing ones until they were polished. The iDevices were a continuous work in progress. I'm sure plenty of the ideas in the pipeline were just physically impossible because the technology didn't exist at the time of creation (Retina Display, "every-band" radios, Siri). Even more importantly, the fact that Apple is still polishing their product, still releasing software updates for old devices, and is now focusing on financial stability instead of the latest pump-and-dump scheme, makes me appreciate them more as a company. If you've followed Apple throughout their history, this is nothing new and they have always operated this way.

Apples a bit late to the automobile integration game.

It's no secret that RIMs QNX car application platform *actually* powers over 20 million vehicles on the road. They've already taken integration to a whole new level:

QNX lets BlackBerry PlayBook become in-car controller

The QNX car app platform can power your vehicle’s in-car monitors, including the speedometer and the entertainment unit. [...] you can easily bring things like Pandora or even YouTube to you in-car entertainment unit as well as have realistic maps or song album covers overlaid next to your speedometer.
[...] The BlackBerry PlayBook can then be used to control the climate in the car and you can also get the media from the device over to your car’s entertainment unit with just a few clicks.
QNX also showed off how BlackBerry Traffic can be integrated into the in-car unit via Bluetooth and this provides live, turn-by-turn navigation with an emphasis on how long it will actually take you to get there

RIM's strong relationship with Porche is no secret either (see the Porche designed BlackBery 9981) Concept Porsche Shows Off RIM QNX

QNX shows off its versatility, powers OnStar accessories

Police are also starting to use RIM's in-vehicle technologies: Cop Conference Features BlackBerry PlayBook As Law Enforcement Tool Some details: Serving and Protectingwith a BlackBerry PlayBook

It keeps getting better New QNX Platform to Transform the Automotive Experience

You could say that less than impressed with Siri in the Mercedes after seeing what RIM is doing in the same arena with their technology.

Not Trolling. Not FUD.

Yes, it was idiotic, but it did happen.

http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Apple+Caught+Photoshopping+Galaxy+Tab+101+to+Look+Like+iPad+for+Lawsuit/article22459.htm

http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/apple/apple-could-have-given-faulty-evidence-in-euro-samsung-case/

http://pauloflaherty.com/2011/08/16/was-apple-caught-fudging-the-facts/

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/15/did-apple-alter-photos-of-the-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-in-its-inj/

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/apples-evidence-in-european-galaxy-tab-injunction-was-seriously-misleading-as-in-false/

do you need more?

Though I can't tell if the TechnoBuffalo gig is new, or was a side job while he was still at PhoneDog, but it looks like it was not a side job.

And Noah was once Editor-in-Chief at PhoneDog. I think they miss him. These divorces are often messy.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/blog/comparisons/tablet-throwdown-ipad-2-vs-the-xoom-playbook-and-touchpad/

I like how Apple has decided to yank the fragmentation argument right out from under all the iFanboys by not having 4.3 for early iphones and ipods. Now what do you guys have to bash over every Android story on here?