"Longer term, we believe this apology will help Apple further its brand of trust with customers, and it is only a matter of time before the company delivers a great map experience," White wrote.

Rick agreed, but put it very differently.

"Apple customers are savvy and forgiving," Rick said. "They realize that mapping the world is long-term drudgery, and as we saw with Siri and Lightning, neither half-baked products nor gouging will dampen their fervor."

By "gouging," Rick was referring to complaints that Apple has not included an adapter for the new "Lightning" connector on the iPhone 5 with each new smartphone. Instead, Apple will charge customers $19 to $39 for various Lightning adapters and cables.

White also went further than most in characterizing Apple's move.