Apple recently announced that the forthcoming version of its operating system - the iOS 6 - will include the company's own new Maps app, which has been developed from the ground up; and that its upcoming handsets, to be released in fall, will no longer carry Google Maps.

Despite the fact that the strategic move by Apple to come up with its own Maps app appears to be quite a good one on paper, as it will allow the company to have a direct control over its own mapping future, experts are of the opinion that Apple's iOS Maps app is woefully behind the times.

According to experts, not only is Apple a late entrant to the mapping arena which already has several established players, the company also apparently needs to modernize its Maps product because it lacks a horde of features which are presently being offered by third-party iOS apps.

That Apple was looking to foray into the Maps arena with its own mapping platform was quite evident for quite some time now, especially after the company acquired has, in the last three-year period - acquired a number of different mapping-related startups such as Placebase, Poly9, and C3 Technologies.

However, noting the Apple has a lot of catching up to do with the other available Maps apps, Gartner analyst Brian Blau told Wired: "Mapping products from other companies are fairly advanced and have been around for a long time."