Google said it wasn't started yet as they didn't expect Apple to toss them out yet. But there will be one coming.

That's not what this says: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/us-google-iphone-idUSBRE88O07U20120925

Read the quote not the headline.

"We have not done anything yet,"

Plus later in that day in response to reports it was actually underway but very early on.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/google-maps-for-iphone-ios6-ios-6_n_1916965.html

"We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world," a Google spokesperson wrote via email. "Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system."

and ...

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/09/google-may-have-an-ios-mapping-app-in-the-works-after-all/

Its coming. Every other primary Google services exists on iPhone and Google's entire profit line centers on users using google services and eventually seeing google's ads.

Google will release Maps for iOS and I'm sure they're busting their collective tails to release a standalone app ASAP. It would be idiotic for them not to do it.

Strongly recommend using Jasmine as a replacement for Youtube.

Between maps.google.com and third parties the maps app is easy to replace, too. Unless you find Street View to be an important feature (I actually never knew the old Maps had it until this Maps Flap).

On the other hand, there isn't anything outstandingly great in iOS6 and a lot of apps haven't updated for it yet, so no need to rush into updating. But a few months down the road all the apps will be targeting iOS 6 first and odd bugs will start showing up for people who are on older software. I'm already seeing "iOS6 required" here and there.

Google has already come out and said they have no plans to release a Maps app.  Unless they're going to charge for it, I don't see why it would be idiotic to do Apple (their competitor) a favor and release an app for iOS 6 after Apple removed the native app.  Is Apple idiotic for not releasing their first party apps in the Android Marketplace?

You realize that Maps is one of Google's main revenue sources, right? I haven't looked over Mountain View's financials recently but I'm almost certain it's a bigger revenue stream than Android itself.

It appears that Google is being cagey after being blind-sides by Apple's decision to drop Google support early.

It also appears that Apple is being bit on the butt for not being ready with a proper replacement in its effort to battle its rival.

Finally, if Apple were to reject a Google Maps app on competitive grounds, it would open itself up to anti-trust violiations (in my lay opinion). Thus exepect that app to fly through the process once it is ready (the same way the iPhone YouTube app did).

It's complicated, though, because all that iOS maps revenue was coming from Apple itself:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/06/09/apple-is-about-to-reduce-googles-revenues/

Here are the salient points:

- iOS accounted for half(!) of all Google Maps traffic.

- From 2008-2011, licensing of maps combined with search advertising on iOS accounted for four times as much Google revenue as Android (I'd guess that search was by far the larger of the two, since Google pays Apple for the privilige).

- Withdrawing those users from Google Maps cuts off a flow of data which Google could use to improve their maps and help build an advertising system (think location-aware sponsored sites).

That last point is how Google will probably monetize maps in the future. Apple isn't going to license it anymore, and Google's business doesn't like to charge the end user for anything that could be supported through ads and data mining. We might see a Google Maps app on iOS before the ads are ready just to retain users, but location-based advertising will be Google's long-term goal.