Gene, I think you overestimate what one can buy 
If Apple would allow a decision on what mapping-Backend should be used (Apple or Google) most users would choose Google because it has the better Data right now.
How does Apple get better? by Bug-Reports with which they are certainly showered right now. They absolutely need a critical mass of users to update the maps or their maps WILL stagnate and lag behind. You can not buy that crowdknowledge with any money in the world.
In search it is similar: Google logs, which of the results I chose and if I came back to redo the search. This makes Google the #1 in "Best Search Results" while Bing may have the technology but they just seem to not get the critical mass of users to finetune the system (especially outside the USA).
We know the contract with Google was due within half a year so Apple took a bad situation (their own Product was not ready for prime-time yet) and turned it into a mild public-relations "Problem"..... Was it? The Media wants its "Gate" with every iPhone release and "Mapgate" seems like a PR-Managers dream: The Media got to talk about the iPhone for another week, then Tim Cook apologizes and in 6 Month he will brag how much the Maps-App has improved.
-> Talking Point on how much Apple tries to become the best and how much they love their customers and how they have the coolest customers
Hey, maybe that was the Master-Plan for Maps in the first place?
On another thought:
its interesting how the really well known Google Services rely heavy upon crowdsourcing, which generates Data that can not be bought and makes it really hard to compete with Google:
Youtube (User-generated Videos)
Search (User behavior)
Maps (User Input)
If Apple would allow a decision on what mapping-Backend should be used (Apple or Google) most users would choose Google because it has the better Data right now.
How does Apple get better? by Bug-Reports with which they are certainly showered right now. They absolutely need a critical mass of users to update the maps or their maps WILL stagnate and lag behind. You can not buy that crowdknowledge with any money in the world.
In search it is similar: Google logs, which of the results I chose and if I came back to redo the search. This makes Google the #1 in "Best Search Results" while Bing may have the technology but they just seem to not get the critical mass of users to finetune the system (especially outside the USA).
We know the contract with Google was due within half a year so Apple took a bad situation (their own Product was not ready for prime-time yet) and turned it into a mild public-relations "Problem"..... Was it? The Media wants its "Gate" with every iPhone release and "Mapgate" seems like a PR-Managers dream: The Media got to talk about the iPhone for another week, then Tim Cook apologizes and in 6 Month he will brag how much the Maps-App has improved.
-> Talking Point on how much Apple tries to become the best and how much they love their customers and how they have the coolest customers
Hey, maybe that was the Master-Plan for Maps in the first place?
On another thought:
its interesting how the really well known Google Services rely heavy upon crowdsourcing, which generates Data that can not be bought and makes it really hard to compete with Google:
Youtube (User-generated Videos)
Search (User behavior)
Maps (User Input)
