Apple fires man in charge of bungled Maps app

Apple has fired the man in charge of its Maps application after the software caused huge embarrassment for the iPhone-maker and resulted in the CEO having to make a public apology.

Richard Williamson, who oversaw the mapping software was axed at the behest of Eddy Cue, senior vice president at Apple, according to Bloomberg.

Although in-house engineers have been working to fix problems, Cue has reportedly reached out to seek help from TomTom to speed up the process.

Apple has yet to name a successor to Williamson.

The Apple Maps software was made available with the iOS 6 update and replaced Google Maps as the default navigation tool. However, the system was plagued with glitches most notably misplacing key landmarks and giving inaccurate directions.

Apple Maps quickly became the butt of jokes on social media sites such as Twitter and this forced the firm to make a public apology, much like it had to with the infamous antannaegate saga.

Tim Cook posted an open letter on the firm's website, noting that Apple had fallen short of its usual "high standard".

"We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better," he said.

The move could cause concern for investors as Cook has already triggered a massive management shakeup. Scott Forstall, a long-time lieutenant of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was asked to leave following years of friction with other top executives.

Forstall also refused to take responsibility for the bungled Apple Maps software and did not sign a public apology, which Cook ended up signing himself.

Apple also noted that it was going to part company with John Browett, despite him being with the firm just seven months. Browett was hired as the company's retail chief after serving as CEO of UK electronics retailer Dixons.