Everybody is now talking that Apple messed up with iOS6 Maps - moving out Google Maps and replacing them by an Apple-owned app. And they are right - the number of flaws in that feature transformed Apple (for the first time ever) in joke material (everybody heard of the new airports that popped up around the world).
But the fact is that Apple needed to launch its own maps - and for a very simple reason. Maps are at the core of consumer experience in mobile business. As the article that I am linking below puts it, "maps are where the physical intersects the digital" in the mobile market. Consumers actively look for maps that allow them to interact with the real world around them - and they will keep doing so, as companies are able to expand features and information based on geo-location. An important dimension to that will be indoor mapping, that will actually allow navigating through shopping malls, museums, stores,...
Thus, and though already crucial, maps are becoming more and more a core application to future development of consumer experiences. And a company that wants to lead consumer experiences and lifes cannot stay away from it. It is as simple as so.
