Anyone with iOS 6 likely has their own Apple Maps horror story, but has the new mapping “solution” ever left you fearing for your life? In Australia, police have begun cautioning people to avoid using Apple Maps after the service recently led a series of travelers straight into the scorching maw of the desert.
The travelers had been searching for the tourist-friendly town of Mildura, which Apple Maps locates squarely in the heart of Murray-Sunset National Park. Unfortunately, Mildura is actually 70 kilometers away.
Getting lost is frustrating in itself, but getting stranded in Murray-Sunset could be deadly. Victoria Police News puts things in context.
“Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees C [115 F], making this a potentially life threatening issue.”
Australia’s ABC news has the story of one traveler who followed Siri’s map directions into oblivion, as if a Siren were calling her out to sea. She and a friend had been on their way to a wedding when they got lost for five hours in the park.
“We had no water, we had nothing to eat,” she said.
In another instance, a man looking for Mildura was guided deep into Murray-Sunset by Apple Maps when his car broke down. Since there is no cellphone service in the park, he had to walk for 24 hours before he could call for help.
“…It took him 24-hours to get to a point where he had phone coverage and then we came and rescued him,” a policeman told News.com.au. “This is a direct result of this map application.”
Ouch. It’s going to take more than the adorkable antics of Zooey Deschanel to soothe those burns.
phoenix
Source:
http://thephoenixmag.com/news-police-intervene-after-apple-maps-leaves-multiple-australians-stranded-in-the-desert/