The app wasn't removed from people's iPhone (I still have it on mine, for example); it was removed from the App Store—likely at the request of the developer.
Bluetooth headsets are effectively a punchline. Google Glass—in its current form—is even worse. Until that enormous blob hanging out in front of the wearer can completely fade into the frame this will be nothing more than a geek curiosity.
I think Google has excellent engineers, and very poor self-restraint. This product is at least 2 generations away from what it needs to be, but instead of working on it in the labs quietly and diligently until its ready, they trot it out proudly. Beta obsessed indeed.
I've never understood the argument against bluetooth headsets. I live in a major city and see them all the time. I wouldn't wear one while sitting at a meal with someone, but neither do I see the sense in holding a phone to my head while walking or working with my hands when I can just as easily use a headset.
They're a tool used by people who favor function over form. I have never met anyone yet who has a coherent argument against them that doesn't boil down to "I am jealous and must try to change the world to believe that those people deserve mockery". It is a rather sad form of bullying.
And for what it's worth, I don't and have never used a bluetooth headset simply because I don't like talking on the phone. But if I did talk on the phone a lot, I wouldn't be so desperately concerned what random nobodies think about it.
I agree with you regarding Elon's motivation, but I think Elon's reason for talking about the circling 0.6 miles wasn't to claim that it was a meaningful distance/fuel issue, but rather that it was evidence of Broder's true motivation.
I feel the same way about people forced to go through life with the same name as two million other people. I think, "How sad it must be that you're just another Dan or Tenzin or Mohamed..." If only some greater power would step in and limit the number of repetitions of the same name. Let's say average name density can't exceed 1%. If parents can't be bothered to create a good name they shouldn't create a new life.
Your implication is that Google was surprised by what happened and so wasn't prepared with their own app. This strikes me as implausible. Apple's purchases of mapping companies was well publicized, as was it's slow break-up with Google. So if we're allocating blame for Google not being ready, I'm going to go ahead and lay that at Google's feet.
If we're talking about blame for Apple Maps being sub-par, obviously that's Apple's fault.
In reading the comments generally I feel like there's two main groups being affected here: small businesses and small groups (families, geeks, whatever).
The first group—small businesses—can of course afford $50/user/year, even if they would rather not spend it.
The second group—enthusiasts—even if they could afford it, likely cannot justify $50/user/year. I personally have a custom email hosted by Google for a small group of my friends, and I know that there is NO WAY any of us would pay $50 each per year. The price would need to be an order of magnitude lower for us to consider it. (Yes, I know that for the moment we're grandfathered in.)
Seems like there should be a way for Google to distinguish between the two groups based on services needed and then price two tiers accordingly. For example, offer a Small Group Plan at $5/user/year with a limit of 10 users & no phone support; and another Small Business Plan that offers up to 50 users, limited phone support & whatever else help small businesses for a higher price.
