Apple had snafus under Steve Jobs—antenna-gate, MobileMe, the frequently obtuse Siri. Its latest snafu, a faulty maps application installed on the new version of the iPhone, isn't a testament to the inferiority of Apple's current management. The snafu will be easily rectified by, if nothing else, Google releasing and Apple approving a version of the Google Maps app for the iPhone 5.

For entirely different reasons, though, the map mess demonstrates why circumstances are turning against Apple's current business model. Simply, content is king again. However much it might benefit Apple's business model to force users to patronize its own maps app, the company won't get far in trying to deny them Google's far superior app. Apple for a while managed to tame the power of content and make it subservient, but that day is coming to an end.