It was a good move on Apple's part to move away from Google's map platform, however they didn't handle it well.

They should have played it out very low key, probably by making clear it was a first step and beta like Siri when it was announced.

The data Apple has licensed is pretty good. With the exception of missing NavTeq data, it's got more bases covered than Google did long after they started. However, like Google before them, they haven't done a terrific job integrating the multiple sources of data and gluing everything up together, including refinement of their routing engine.

Google still has sub-par routing and distance calculation, and IMO, it's not nearly as refined or accurate as TomTom's platform.

Apple has TomTom map data, but they obviously don't license their navigation platform.

It's also especially odd that with all the data licensed that their satellite coverage is so spotty and inconsistent. Google doesn't have its own satellites taking pictures and all their imagery is also licensed. It shouldn't take Apple very long to match the quality here if they're willing to continue spending money on the problem.

Even if I had an iPhone 5 however, I'd still stick to third-party software for navigation. No matter how much money Apple spends on improving their data and integration, there just no way they're ever going to integrate all the features many people want. Their built-in offerings historically tend to be lacking in some way or other. It's going to hurt sales for other apps long-term, but right now, it's a chance for TomTom, Navigon, Garmin, CoPilot, etc. to keep cashing in.