With the launch of iOS 6, Tim Cook and his team removed Google Maps as the iPhone’s default navigation app and replaced it with the homegrown Apple Maps. This featured vector maps, turn-by-turn spoken directions, and 3D renderings. And it didn’t work.

This is Day 17 of 30 Days of iPhone, a look at the moments that shaped the smartphone era .

A Rushed Attempt To Break Google

In the days after Apple Maps launched, the community was vocal in calling out errors and issues such as incorrect routes, distorted satellite imagery, misplaced landmarks, and missing public transit information.

In a rush to break Google’s dominance in mapping and routing, Apple rushed its in-house replacement service to meet a deadline rather than wait until it was mature enough to stand on its own. Tim Cook was forced to write not only an apology , but to recommend using Google Maps, MapQuest, or Nokia Maps while Apple strove to improve Apple Maps:

“At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers, and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”

Finding The Value In Apple Maps’ Problems

This was an awkward moment for Tim Cook, but internal management changes at Apple, along with increased investment in Apple’s online data infrastructure, gave Cook a chance to reshape Apple in a way that would let software and services flourish.

Yet it remains a blot on Apple’s history books. Even as Tim Cook stepped down as CEO this month, Apple Maps was still on his mind , as he called it his “First really big mistake.”

This is Day 17 of 30 Days of iPhone. Yesterday, we looked at the profitable introduction of the Lightning port .