Defending the maps app as "a few months old" does not excuse the fact that it is not as good as the app it replaced. I'm sure it will improve in the future and may lead to improvements in all map apps as a result of increased competition.
I didn't defend the maps app in that way; I was defending the immaturity of the map data.
The app, as I said, is superior in my opinion to the Google Maps app. It zooms better, loads faster, looks better, has better layout, is prettier, and has turn-by-turn directions and 3D features that were absent in the Google Maps app. Remember that the app and its functionality is completely separate from the database it points to. None of the map data is stored in the app.
In a, probably unintended, way, I believe you've nailed the nail on its head: Apple excels at making aesthetic beautiful stuff, which looks good and feels good. But maps are about details and accuracy, otherwise they're useless.
(I've never used Apple Maps.)