By Tony Field
Apple's iPhone 5 will officially go on sale at midnight, but its launch has been plagued by problems with its upgraded iOS 6 operating system.
Despite the problems, a hardy few were queuing this afternoon to be among the first in New Zealand to get their hands on the new phone.
Behind the scenes Apple is working to fix the problems plaguing its new mapping system, a system that thinks the Auckland rail station is located in the habour and that Bondi Beach has moved to the city.
“Tim Cook from Apple is very worried, he's hiring as many Google Maps guys as he can get his hands on, it's going to take some time for Apple to really solve this mapping problem,” says technology commentator Steve Simms.
And as 3 News reporters around the country found out today, there are lots of errors.
Apple had been using Google Maps, but it was anxious to replace the product supplied by its arch rival with one of its own.
“[They are] totally rushing it out there, getting a coffee before it’s boiled,” says Mr Simms.
For anyone using the new Apple operating system who can't be without Google maps, it is still accessible through the web browser, and there is still the hope that reports of a new Google app for the iPhone and iOS 6 will turn out to be true.
3 News