Apple

Big, Big Surprise on Qantas Boeing 767 from Melbourne to Sydney

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Earlier this week I flew back from Melbourne to Sydney after attending the Vision 2014 International Low Vision Conference hosted by Vision Australia, where I was an Accessibility Ambassador on Apple’s iHouse interactive stand.
 
After getting to our seats, the person I was travelling with commented that the in-flight entertainment system was an iPad, and suggested that I try it out for accessibility.
 
Once the aircraft was up, up and away, I took the iPad out of the seat pocket in front of me and pressed the Home button 3 times wit

Blind Apple Engineer Speaks of the Passion and Dedication of Apple’s Accessibility Team

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Over the past day there has been much coverage online of a Mashable article featuring Jordyn Castor, a blind member of Apple’s Accessibility Team.

In the article, Castor speaks passionately about Apple’s deep commitment to accessibility and her own personal journey.

Bluetooth OnOff: the latest round in the Apple vs innovators game

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When I heard the news of the recently released $0.99 Bluetooth OnOff app, an application which allows iOS users to turn bluetooth on and off quickly without going to Settings/General/Bluetooth, some thoughts came to my mind. First and foremost, I hope Apple doesn't remove this app from the App Store as it's quite easier to alter a feature like Bluetooth this way without delving into Settings. I also hope to see the same official apps for the WiFi and the Airplane mode switch.

Cast Your Votes Now for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2013

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We are pleased and excited to announce that voting for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2013 is now open.
 
The shortlist for each Award has been compiled from the nominations that were submitted by members of our community.
 
Voting will close at midnight on 12 January 2014. You are not required to vote for each award. Only registered users of this site will be able to vote. So, if you are not registered and logged in, you will not see the voting form that follows the list of nominees below.

Comparing iOS Devices with Braille Notetakers

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Intro

Have you ever thought about making the switch from braille notetaker to iOS device? Are you unsure which one you should choose? Do you have both, and can't decide which one to invest in moving forward? I made the switch from a BrailleNote Apex to an iPhone, quite slowly and mostly by accident, and I'm here to tell you why a notetaker is the only way to go, and why that metal and glass frisbee in your hand is nothing but trouble. Then, I'll explain why you should ditch that outdated hunk of plastic they call a notetaker right away.

Could Apple Have Finally Squashed the Longstanding “Safari Not Responding” macOS Bug?

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I am thrilled to share some potentially great news - with the upcoming release of macOS Sonoma 14.2, Apple may finally have fixed the longstanding “Safari not responding” bug that causes repeated temporary freezes for many when using VoiceOver on a Mac.

Cross-Disability Communication Meets Apple Design: Can We Remain Connected?

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Today is the Eighth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This day has been set aside "to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities." This according to the above linked web page on GAAD.

Debunking Common Myths about VoiceOver on the Mac

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Intro

Macs have been fully accessible since 2005, but those who have never used one may still believe the myths about VoiceOver that have been around almost as long as VoiceOver itself. Even long-time users may be doing extra work, not even realizing that there are shortcuts or steps they can skip. I would like to take this opportunity to dispel these long-standing myths, and maybe make you more comfortable with the idea of switching to, or at least trying out, a Mac.

Detecting Accessibility Events: Apple Wants Websites to Know I’m a Screen Reader User, but How About Asking Me First

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A new feature for VoiceOver users called "Accessibility Events" was introduced in iOS 12.2 and macOS 10.14.4 without any announcement or documentation. I cannot find any info about this feature on Apple's website. Even the installed Help files say nothing about it, so far. The only information given is a short description label in the Mac Preferences and IOS settings, shown below. To the best of my knowledge, which is quite limited at this time, leaving it turned on allows webmasters and anyone else who cares to know to discover if you have VoiceOver running.

Does Your iPhone Speak Your Language? Tribulations of Owning An iDevice Without Persian support, And What Apple Can Do About It

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Epigram

'Hope' is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—
And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—
I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

Editorial Summary of Apple's "by Innovation Only" Event on September 10

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Intro

Apple has just concluded its annual September media event. This year's, which it titled "By Innovation Only", gave us new iPhones, the Series 5 Apple Watch, and more details on the company's new Apple Arcade and Apple TV Plus subscription services. Innovation, though, wasn't exactly the word I first thought of when I considered how to sum up the announcements. Don't get me wrong: the new iPhones have some great new features, and it will be interesting to see where the new subscription services go.

Everything That You Need to Know About iOS 8 Will Be On AppleVis On Release Day

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With the public release of iOS 8 now just two days away, we wanted to let you all know that we have lots of information and resources ready to share with you as soon as Apple makes its new version of iOS available for download.

This will include a number of Blog posts and Guides with information on what you will find in iOS 8, along with podcast demonstrations of some new and changed features.

Everything You Need to Know About iOS 7 will be on AppleVis on Release Day

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With the public release of iOS 7 now just a few days away, we wanted to let you all know that we have lots of information and resources ready to share on the AppleVis website as soon as Apple makes its new version of iOS available for download.
 
This includes a number of Blog posts and Guides which will provide information on what you will find in iOS 7, along with many podcast demonstrations of new and changed features.
 
Some of our Editorial Team have been involved in beta testing of iOS 7, so have been able to compile a list of existi

Features and Bugs of OS X Yosemite

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10.10.2 Update

The latest update to Yosemite, 10.10.2, is now live. It claims to fix wifi bugs and other assorted problems, including VoiceOver. With the exception of the two bugs encountered when typing in edit fields on webpages and the inability to play audio iMessages, I have to say that I've found nothing new or fixed in terms of VoiceOver, as much as I hate to write that. See the list of bugs at the bottom of this post. There is a note next to some of them, indicating if it is fixed or could not be tested/reproduced.

Five Apple Innovations that Impacted Accessibility

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If you’re like me, there’s no way you can resist reading an article with a title like 5 TECH STANDARDS APPLE MURDERED AND 5 MORE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK.

Giving the Home Button the Heave-Ho: Why No Physical Home Button Might Actually Be Okay

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Imagine There's No Button…

For years now, there have been rumblings that Apple may do away with a physical Home button in the next iPhone. So far, of course, this hasn't happened--that small circle has remained in place, and even been made to double as a fingerprint reader. For most users, this is just as well; the thought of an iPhone with no Home button causes discomfort and an immediate, negative reaction.

Goodbye to the Home Button, Hello to Face ID; What Might This Mean for Blind and Low Vision iPhone Users?

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With the announcement of Apple’s brand new iPhone X the blind and vision impaired community has been buzzing about one of the biggest changes to the iPhone, the removal of the Home button and the addition of Face ID. We have grown very comfortable with our familiar Home button. After all, it’s been a very consistent part of our smart phone that we use probably dozens of times a day to perform a variety of tasks since the iPhone 3GS. Change is scary and sometimes, especially when it comes to technology it can be far too easy to assume that we will be left out.

Hands-On with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Bigger is Better

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Today, Apple began selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in stores around the world. And, unlike past iPhone releases, consumers now have two devices from which to choose.

Help To Make The Next Version Of iOS Even More Accessible

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As much as we all love the level of accessibility that is available 'out of the box' with an iDevice, we probably all feel a sense of apprehension when a new update to iOS is released. We click the 'Update' button, silently hoping that accessibility problems from the previous version will have been fixed and that no major new problems will be introduced.

HomePod Can Now Recognize Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms and Send Notifications to Your iPhone Or iPad

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Apple's HomePod and HomePod mini smart speakers can now recognize the sound of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and send a notification alert to your iPhone or iPad.

The feature, known as Sound Recognition, was first announced in January 2023, alongside the launch of the second-generation HomePod. However, it required the revamped HomeKit architecture, which was released in November 2022 but then pulled in December. Following the release of macOS Ventura 13.3 and iOS 16.4, the new HomeKit architecture is available again, and Apple has enabled the Sound Recognition feature.