Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has taken a pot shot at Apple, claiming they should have stuck with Google’s popular mapping application instead of trying to do their “own thing”.Schmidt, who was in Tokyo for the launch of his company’s Nexus 7 tablet, declined to rule out a future possible deal with Apple if the Company wants to drop their new offering, which is struggling to deliver the right mapping information to millions of new owners of the iPhone 5.

He told the Wall Street Journal that his company remains in regular contact with Apple on a range of issues. Google supplied Google Maps for the iPhone until the version that hit stores at the end of last week, which racked up sales of five million in its first three days.

As some Apple fans continue to bemoan the mapping switch around, the clamour highlights the increasingly complex relationship between players in the hottest segment of the electronics industry. As increasing numbers of software makers move to sell their own hardware, companies that were once simply commercial partners are increasingly becoming competitors.

Schmidt said Apple would first need to approve Google Maps for use in its updated iPhone operating system.

Schmidt added “We’ve been in touch with them for a long time [about Google Maps], and we talk to them every day.”  However, he declined to explain the nature of talks between Apple and Google, describing Apple as a “huge Internet search partner.”

“In my opinion it would have been better to retain our maps,” he said. “It’s their decision; I’ll let them describe it.”