Apple has today released macOS 11 Big Sur to the public. As usual, we wonât cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend that you read this in-depth review by MacStories.
macOS
The New Features, Changes, Improvements, and Bugs in macOS 11 Big Sur for Blind and Low Vision Users
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Apple has today released macOS 12 Monterey to the public. As usual, we wonât cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend that you read this in-depth review by MacStories.
The New Features, Changes, Improvements, and Bugs in macOS 13 Ventura for Blind and Low Vision Users
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Apple has today released macOS 13 Ventura to the public. As usual, we wonât cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend this in-depth review by MacStories.
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Apple has today released macOS 10.15 Catalina to the public. As usual, we wonât cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend that you read this indepth review of Catalina by Mac Stories.
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Hello, High Sierra
Today, Apple released the macOS 10.13 âHigh Sierraâ update. As usual, I wonât cover the mainstream features for the most part, concentrating instead on accessibility.
Please remember to check the section about bugs to see if itâs worth upgrading. Thereâs no harm in holding off a few weeks or months to let Apple address a problem you may find too disruptive to deal with. In particular, users of the âmostâ punctuation setting should know that this setting has been removed, leaving just ânoneâ, âsomeâ, or âallâ.
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Hello AppleVis community. It's been some time since I blogged. Other writing tasks have occupied my time. But the real reason I haven't blogged is because bugs are getting me down.
I could remain silent about the bugs as I've been doing for the past seven months. Or I could post a rant on the forum. But ultimately, I decided to approach the topic with some seasonal levity. So if you can read this blog as constructive criticism and humor, then join me on a merry sleigh ride through the Twelve Bugs of Christmas.
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I absolutely love working this way! I am sitting in my living room comfy chair and happily writing my first AppleVis blog. All the computer I need is right here. My iPhone 5S is in my shirt pocket, my Apple ear pods are where they belong, and my Logitech Bluetooth Keys-To-Go keyboard is cool and light on my lap. Except for taking my guide dog outside for another break, I cannot think of a single good reason to get up.
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To Mac or Not To Mac? That is the question for many of us visually impaired computer users.
Having been a long time member of the AppleVis community and a long time commentor, I was very excited when the AppleVis Editorial Team was looking to bring on some new members.
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"VoiceOver is On." Accessing Life with Adaptive Technology.
A Picky Old-School Techie.
Many options available on Mac and iOS can be processor intensive causing not only battery drain, but slowing down VoiceOver's response time over all. Choosing the ones that are best suited for my needs and turning off the ones that are not, can help. It can save battery life and give my device less to do, allowing it to pay quicker attention to me. :-)
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If youâve read my previous blogs, you know I enjoy deep dives into non-intuitive user interfacesâDiscord, GarageBand, and Google Docs, to name a few. Documenting these beasts comes with some peril. Software is mutable. After I post my detailed description of (fill-in-the-complicated-app-of-your-choice), a new improved version of the software renders my article obsolete.
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On April 29, 2005, Apple Inc. introduced Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Included in Mac OS X Tiger's list of features was the VoiceOver screen reader. VoiceOver was not Apple's first foray into assistive technology: Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar introduced Universal Access which provided customizations to the operating system for those with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities. In fact, Mac OS X Universal Access was influenced by similar technologies which were bundled with the classic Mac OS (Mac OS 9 and earlier).
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How Will Apple Finish Out 2015?
With Apple's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference now just days away, a lot of people are wondering what new shinies we'll see. Will there be a new Apple TV? Yet another update to some Mac or other? A better iPad Mini? What will iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 bring to the table? Will Apple continue its headlong rush into dazzling new features at the expense of quality, or will it slow down and start refining what it has already done?
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As many of you will know from personal experience, there is a longstanding issue with VoiceOver on Mac where Safari may become unresponsive with VoiceOver repeatedly announcing the message âSafari not responding.â When this issue occurs, the user's Mac may become unusable for up to several minutes at a time. Sometimes it can be resolved by switching away from Safari. Sometimes restarting VoiceOver can resolve the issue.
Weâre Making it Easier For You To Keep Up-To-Date With The Status Of Accessibility On iOS And OS X
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We are pleased and excited to be opening the doors today on a completely new area on AppleVis, one that we hope will help to keep you up-to-date on the current status of accessibility on iOS and OS X.
As AppleVis has grown and evolved over the past 5 years, weâre aware that itâs become increasingly more difficult to keep track of what accessibility-related problems have been reported and discussed on here.
So, to make this easier, we are pleased to announce the launch of The AppleVis Accessibility Bug Database.
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You say potato and I say potato, and yes, I know VoiceOver read both of those the same way, so you will have to imagine the commonly used expression. Being a VoiceOver user on the iPhone and Mac since 2009, I have become very familiar with the word accessibility and the hash tag #A11Y.
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Today, Apple released OS X 10.11 El Capitan, a free update that will run on any Mac which supports Yosemite. Apple addressed some bugs in this release, as well as including a lot of new features in VoiceOver, and we think you'll really enjoy these updates and improvements. If you find any we missed, especially regarding braille or Zoom--which none of us have the capability to test--please leave a comment and let us know.
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In 2008, despite my failing eyesight, my Windows laptop with ZoomText empowered me to operate my own software development business. I had partnered with Bob, a Mac user. We both had prior Unix experience. With Windows, Mac, and Unix covered, we were a cross-platform development powerhouse.
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Since it's launch was announced last month, I had been keen to spend some hands-on time with Apple's latest MacBook Pro.
I was curious to find out just how much thinner, lighter and faster it would be compared to my current MacBook Pro; and to test the âimprovedâ keyboard and larger trackpad. But, what I most wanted to try was the Touch Bar; the multi-touch enabled display which has replaced the physical function keys on all but one model in the 2016 MacBook Pro range.
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Below is a list of the major highlights from today's WWDC keynote, compiled from the twitter feed of AppleVis Editorial Team member Michael Hansen. Other sources include the live blogs from Macworld, 9 to 5 Mac, and Mac Rumors.
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WWDC 2020: New Software and Fresh Chips
As usual in June, Apple has recently concluded the opening presentation of WWDC. This year brought us version 14 of iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, as well as watchOS 7 and macOS 11. Yes, macOS 11, not 10.16. The final announcement wasn't just about software, though, but hardware: Apple is moving its entire Mac lineup to custom chips it will be designing itself, and it's starting the process this year. Maybe that's why macOS got a whole new number?