Apple is getting another taste of how quickly support can fade and opinions can change directions like a flag in the wind.
Apple, possibly over its own arrogance, slipped pretty badly this year with the release of Apple Maps. The decision has tarnished Apple's reputation to design great products, and has damage the company's perception in public as well as the financial community. The fact that market research firm Ovum announced that it has chosen the company as its 2012 Wireless Turkey Awards winner could be considered the icing on the cake.
From the announcement: "[…] from our shortlist of seven finalists, the overall winner in the 2012 Wireless Turkey Awards was Apple Maps for its ability to get such an important service so incredibly wrong. […] That Apple could get its maps app so wrong means that the Apple Maps fiasco takes this years 'prize'. As Apple and Google bluffed over why Apple had to drop Google Maps from its latest smartphones, Apple’s efforts to go it alone became a major source of embarrassment."
It is unlikely that Apple will care, but this report may be another indication that Apple's distortion field is faltering. Much of Apple's success is based on the loyalty of consumer and industry groups to the company. If Apple was a startup, we would conclude that the company's honeymoon period may be over. However, Apple has gone through a phase of hype twice in its history, and has crumbled once. Apple will need a blockbuster product to win back the confidence from analysts.
