You know what they say: it’s all fun and games until somebody gets stranded in the blistering heat without water because of wrong directions. For many Australians using Apple maps, that situation became all too true recently.
Samsung, heads to two cities down under to set up camp to strike yet another blow against their rival Apple, shortly after multiple reports of motorists traveling in Australia were wrongly directed by their iPhones.
For their campaign against wrong directions, and to ensure people know about their superior Navigon software, the smartphone manufacturer parks a blue Volkswagen Van that is all packed up at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne next to a sign reading “Oops, should have got a Samsung Galaxy SIII. Get Navigation you can trust”. For a similar stunt at Sydney’s Australia Square, a Nissan Patrol 4WD that is covered in mud with a tent pitched next to it has the same sign nearby. Luckily the SUV is supplied with camping gear.
Several motorists in Australia attempting to use Apple maps to head to Mildura, instead were directed to a point in the middle of Murray-Sunset National Park. Many of the unlucky motorists have found themselves stranded up to twenty four hours without food and water before being rescued by police. Often, they were forced to walk long distances before getting reception for their iPhones.
The issue has been so bad lately that Mildura Police are urging motorists not to rely on the Apple maps on phones operating on the iOS 6 system. They’ve run tests to confirm that the mapping system does indeed list the city of Mildura as being in the middle of the National Park. The actual location of Mildura is over 40 miles (about 70 km) northeast of the park.
Police are especially concerned because the National Park has no ready water supply, with temperatures reaching as high as 114 degrees Fahrenheit, or 46 degrees Celsius.
Police have issued a statements saying they’ve “contacted Apple in relation to the issue and hope the matter is rectified promptly to ensure the safety of motorists travelling to Mildura. Anyone travelling to Mildura or other locations within Victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified.”
We suggest using Google Maps from this point on, or listening to the advice Samsung gives about upgrading to a Galaxy S3.