Apple Reportedly Fires The Manager Directly In Charge Of The iOS 6 Maps Team

A report today from Bloomberg claims that Apple SVP Eddy Cue, who took over control of Maps from Scott Forstall when that senior executive and iOS architect departed the company, has fired Richard Williamson, a manager who oversaw the Maps team. The move is part of Apple’s continued efforts to right the faults consumers reacted negatively to in Maps, which also include seeking advice from mapping company TomTom with regards to correcting navigation and landmark data in the native iOS maps app according to the report.

The source of the information is said to be “people familiar with the move,” according to Bloomberg, which also reported that Cue intends to “build confidence in the program” as a way to give Apple more ammunition in the ongoing fight with Google. Google is readying its own separate maps app for Apple’s mobile OS, according to several recent reports.

Cue intends to replace Williamson with an entirely new management team overseeing Maps, the report says. We’ve heard in the past that Apple has been looking for ex-Google Maps talent to help improve its mapping services, and that could be a likely source for any replacement, though there’s no information about who will take over in the short term. I’d have to wonder whether Cue would seek out an internal replacement: given how poorly the initial launch went, it would make sense to start with a clean slate, and try to install a new leadership untouched by the mistakes of the past.

We’ve reached out to Apple for additional comment, though Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller wouldn’t comment on this specific report to Bloomberg, instead directing the publication to Tim Cook’s earlier statements about the company being dedicated to improving maps.