UPDATE: As of this posting, many users have been able to successfully download Google Maps, but some are given a notice that the app is temporarily unavailable.

Apple approved a Google Maps app for download from the iTunes store late Thursday night, finally giving users an alternative to Apple's own in-house maps app. Apple's maps has been a point of contention since September, when the company kicked the Google-supported digital atlas off its platform. When users finally got their hands on Apple's version of maps, users found it to be sub-par.

The public outcry from the casual transit user and the directionally challenged alike were so loud that Tim Cook publicly apologized for the app saying, “We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.” Cook suggested users download apps like Bing, Mapquest, and Waze.

In late November, Apple fired Richard Williamson, product manager for Apple's Maps. The lack of transit directions and inaccurate search results drove many heavy users who were used to Google's accuracy to frustration.

For now, iPhone and iPad users who are fans of Google Maps can breathe a sign of relief, but conceding to vend a Google Maps app could be seen as a blow to Apple, which has been planning to unseat Google's app for a while now, possibly even since 2009.