In September, a major update of Apple's iOS software for iPhones and iPads (iOS6) replaced the devices' long-standing Google Maps application with Apple's self-made Maps service. However, the new app soon caused outrage among iDevice users around the world due to the low quality of the maps.
In Japan, where addresses are rather complicated, people had become highly accustomed to Google Maps' detailed direction-search function and Apple Maps has been a significant downgrade from what Japanese smartphones users expect from such a service.
Such mishaps as the duplication of the disputed Senkaku Islands and the inclusion of a train station bizarrely called Pachinko Gundam have been widely reported, but there are many other Japan-specific problems. These include major landmarks being located up to 400 meters from their actual position; maps that are not up-to-date (for example, am/pm convenience stores are still marked despite the chain being taken over by Family Mart in 2009); new roads and buildings are missing (including the absence of the huge new Shibuya Hikarie complex in Tokyo's Shibuya shopping district); the 3-D mode shows distorted shapes for well-known points of interest such as Tokyo Tower; and some place names are shown in Korean or Chinese instead of Japanese.