Apple’s decision to eliminate Google Maps from the latest version of its iPhone software was widely panned. Users complained that Apple’s proprietary Maps app was inaccurate in many cities and didn’t provide adequate directions for pedestrians or public-transit riders. But there’s reason to believe that Apple’s decision will be a profitable one for the company and benefit consumers in the long run. For Apple, the move makes sense. It was paying Google hefty fees to feature the Google application on its phones and foregoing lucrative advertising revenue that an in-house app could produce. For consumers, the decision will likely bring a new era of competition in the mobile mapping space. Google will soon release its iO6 mapping application, and as Apple works out the kinks in its mapping software (which already includes improvements over Google Maps, like turn-by-turn navigation), users can expect these two tech giants to have to continually improve their services in order to maintain a high base of users.