Victoria Police say a glitch in Apple's new iPhone mapping
system is putting lives at risk by sending motorists into
isolated parkland.
Over the past month, officers in the far northwestern
Victorian town of Mildura have had to rescue five motorists
who followed directions from their iPhones operating on the
new iOS6 system but were led more than 70km off-course.
Motorists had intended to drive to Mildura but ended up lost
in isolated and dangerous terrain inside Murray-Sunset
National Park.
Some of the motorists who were left stranded waited up to 24
hours without food or water and had to walk long distances to
get phone reception, police said.
Victoria Police issued a warning today about the potentially
life-threatening situation.
"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply
within the park and temperatures can reach as high as 46
degrees," a police statement said.
The Mildura mapping flaw is one of many complaints users have
levelled against Apple since the company's software update
and new mapping application made its debut earlier this year.
In September, Apple chief executive Tim Cook apologised for
the string of problems with its maps application and
recommended users rely on other maps instead.
"We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused
our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps
better," Mr Cook's open letter said.
A local Apple spokesperson said the map app has an icon that
enables people to report problems.
Victoria Police has notified Apple of the problem.
Anyone travelling to Mildura or other locations within
Victoria is being urged by police to rely on other forms of
mapping until the error is fixed.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.