John, As someone who would love to switch from Windows to a Mac and who has just got a 30gb ipod for Christmas I have found the discussion over the past few days re Itunes and the forthcoming I phone very interesting and enlightening. As I said in my post a few days ago about the accessibility of Itunes I would love to switch to a Mac but do not feel at present that with VO and Tiger I would have the same level of functionality and usability of a pc / notebook from a Mac that I currently get from my Win XP machine running Jaws. I repeat I would love to switch to a Mac for a range of reasons but it quite simply baffles me that why VO has been around so long and yet still it doesn't worth with Itunes which after all is already an integral part of the Mac system and with the likes of the Ipod and I phone will only be more so and not less. True I could probably use other programs to manage mp3's, audible books etc but what about the many pod casts I do / watt to subscribe to that are Itunes only and why shouldn't I be able to use Itunes if I want to especially if I've gone to the expense of getting a Mac. Ok so for those of you who've been on the list for some time now the debate re Itunes etc might be well worn and rather tedious but as a nubie to this list and as someone who's watching keenly from the sidelines it's good to read the debate and see what's already been covered and what's new. I am not anti-Apple nor do I wish to be but I do equally know of a number within the vi community certainly here in the UK who are actively discouraging people from giving Apple any of their hard earned cash until they sort themselves out with full, and yes I mean full, accessibility of all but the more specialised of applications, and most definitely as a basepoint those that come preloaded with Tiger. After all whilst I fully accept that I need to buy an additional screen reader with my windows machine to gain access to anything once I have my screen reader I can do a lot with it and have access to a lot more applications, not least of all MS Office. Ok so I may be highlighting my ignorance of these issues and you may think I've no right to comment if I don't even own a Mac but as I said a few posts ago I did have a Mac 15 years ago which I used with OutSpoken to get me through my first degree and I loved it - it was only when my sight deteriorated and I entered the world of further study and work that I found myself needing to go Windows and have been using it with Jaws since. Anyway keep the discussion going, I may well join in the email / snail mail campaign, anyone want to post the text of their letter to use as a template, yeah this is probs a bit lazy but anything that saves a bit of duplication of time & effort is worth it I say!! All the best, Phil
Message: 7 Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:34:55 -0500 From: John Denning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: New phone To: General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS X by the blind <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Yes we have gotten side tracked with the discussion of phones in general. I put it to you why I and others will want to use the iPhone, and why I like my iPod. One the iPhone is SUPER COOL. It really looks sexier than any button laden phone I have ever seen. It's right off of Start Trek TNG. It is the only phone I've sen that when you are using it for surfing the web it is totally a browser, not a tiny window of a browser on a phone. it looks like using the Mac, not a phone. I love the looks. And can't wait until I can try it out. Our discussion here needs to focus on accessibility of apple products in general. Most Mac users are fans of many apple products, not just the Mac. I think in months and years to come that is going to be even more true. I was ridiculed here in the past for saying I am concerned at apple's lack of followup on Accessibility. I was assured that people here KNOW there is this huge commitment by apple. I don't want to get into a flame war, that isn't productive. I know some feel it's not productive pointing out concerns. But frankly I am concerned. Yes I will still wait anxiously for Leopard. And I hope the dreams that have been expressed here are true. But I don't think it's a good idea to sit too quietly by waiting for some minor consideration. New innovative products are being released and no sign of their usefulness to blind individuals. I am not advocating a hate campaign. I never was. But we do need to be recognized as a valid market segment. Have any of you VO users asked yourself what you would do , or how would you feel if Leopard is released and the only new feature in VO is the new voice and no improvements anywhere else? On Jan 11, 2007, at 1:41 PM, Jacob Schmude wrote: > And, for the record, I think this discussion has gotten a bit side- > tracked. > >
