Even woz is a tad disappointed with maps
http://www.bgr.com/2012/09/24/ios-6-maps-criticism-steve-wozniak-disappointed/
There's no where to go but up from here.
Apple had to release it sometime, and I imagine no matter what they released or when, even if it was objectively superior to Google's offerings (it isn't in its current state, just saying if it were) it would still be bashed. They probably pulled the trigger knowing you can't please everyone, and decided they will build from there.
If I were Apple I would have released an open beta first, but perhaps they didn't want to renew their contract with Google, and were out of time.
As for street view, I don't use it. Did twice when I first got the iPhone (OG), to look up some of my old apartments, for nostalgic reasons. Sucks that it is a feature regression, as I think those should be minimized, but I doubt Google would have licensed the images to Apple and not the whole mapping package.