Thanks, good info. And as discussed up thread, people can still use maps.google.com in the same manner that you mention (via a browser).

Unfortunately, as I mentioned upstream, though perhaps better than what Apple has provided as part of iOS 6, this is still a fairly poor solution in that so many iOS apps make direct calls to the Maps App (e.g. OpenTable, Yelp, etc.) for bringing up an address or location, that you really lose some of the elegant integration. Having to copy addresses, open up Safari, go to maps.google.com or m.maps.nokia.com, paste in the location, etc. is a real pain from a usability perspective.

I'm not an "Apple Fanboy" but have been a satisfied customer of their mobility (iPhone/iPad) products for several years now, but in my opinion, this Maps deal is a pretty material mistake in the user experience, which Apple generally implies is one of their highest priority.

It has definitely given me pause; I had intended to purchase iPhone 5 out of the gate. Honestly, LTE was all I really cared about (I really don't care about many of the other touted features) but at this point, having a net + for LTE, but a significant net -Maps, has given me complete pause.

For really the first time ever, there is a real possibility that I will consider an Android/Samsung phone for my next purchase.

Regards