Trump has urged Apple to alter the name of Lake Ontario on its maps to Lake America, in a push that follows a similar change by Google for users in the United States.
The request places Apple at the centre of a naming dispute involving major digital map providers. The supplied material states that Google made the switch over the weekend for US-based users, meaning the altered label is being shown to people accessing its maps from within the United States.
Apple has now been pressed to make the same change on its own mapping platform. The material does not include any response from Apple or set out whether the company is considering the request.
Another US map provider, MapQuest, has taken a different position. It has said it will not rename Lake Ontario as Lake America on its service.
The development highlights how online map labels can become politically sensitive because they are used by large numbers of people and can differ depending on provider or location. Based on the latest supplied information, Google has already made the change for US users, MapQuest has rejected it, and Apple is being pushed to follow Google’s approach.
