Samsung takes a dig at Apple Maps fiasco in Australia

Samsung has taken a dig at Apple Maps in Australia after it was reported that iOS users ended up getting lost by following instructions provided by the service.

In a guerrilla marketing stunt that CNET Australia found in Sydney, Samsung put up a setting complete with props to take a not-so-subtle jibe at Apple Maps’ woes in Australia. Reportedly, the Australian police warned travellers of using Apple’s troubled mapping software after several motorists got stuck in a snake-infested, desert corner of the country while using their iPhone for directions.

Taking a dig

Police in Southeast Victoria said they had been forced to rescue a number of motorists who were stuck for up to 24 hours “without food or water” after being directed to the arid Murray Sunset National Park instead of the tourist town of Mildura, 70 km (43 miles) away.

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Samsung put up an entire little setting with a muddied-up vehicle and tent along with other camping supplies. A sign next to the vehicle reads,"Oops, should have got a Samsung Galaxy S III. Get navigation you can trust."

Over the weekend, local Australian police had been urging citizens to ditch the app and rely on paper maps till the issue was fixed. This error was blamed, in part, on double listing in the national GPS database.

This is the latest in a line of jibes in the long standing feud between Samsung and Apple, most of which is being played out in courtrooms. A string of attacks and counterattacks later, US District Judge Lucy Koh told lawyers for the two electronics giants that it was time to make peace during a recent court hearing in San Jose.

Oops!

Last week, Judge Koh appeared ready to trim the $1 billion jury verdict Apple won over Samsung Electronics this summer. She said she would issue a series of rulings over the next several weeks to address the many legal issues raised at the hearing.

Samsung is seeking a new trial or a reduction of the verdict that resulted from a lawsuit Apple filed in 2011. Apple, on the other hand, urged the judge to add millions more to the award and permanently ban the US sales of eight Samsung smartphones a jury in August said illegally used Apple technology. 

Apple filed a second lawsuit earlier this year, alleging that Samsung’s newer products are unfairly using Apple’s technology. That’s set for trial in 2014. In addition, the two companies are locked in legal battles in several other countries.

Meanwhile, much to the relief of most Apple users, Google has released its Maps app for iOS. Google stated in a blog post that Google Maps is now available for the iPhone and it is rolling out across the world in the Apple App Store. Google claims that the app is designed from the ground up to combine the comprehensiveness and accuracy of Google Maps with an interface that makes finding what a user is looking for faster and easier.

With the legal battle also translating into pot-shots being taken outside the courtroom, we’ve braced ourselves for plenty mudslinging from either sides!