I wanted to give the Mac a try, and I liked the iOS syncing. In 2011 I got a Mac Mini, and my only regret is not getting a Macbook straight away so I could take it with me. I find the Mac more convenient, stable, and usable. However, if you do a lot with MS Office for productivity, you may miss some features of Jaws (like Text Analyzer). Don't get me wrong - iWork is very accessible. It just takes a bit longer to do some tasks, though other things are easier, and some advanced screen reader features are absent.
The OS has odd little things in it you might find frustrating, such as the inability to re-order the columns in Mail. You are going to hear the conversation count, sender, subject, attachment status, preview, and unread status, in that order. Once you get used to them it isn't bad, but these are the sorts of things that can hang on for quite a while, no matter how often you email Apple. I recommend the Pros and Cons of the Mac article on www.applevis.com, but be warned, some people think it is too biased towards Apple. On Apr 5, 2014, at 7:08 PM, Pamela Francis <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello, > I thought of another thought provoking and conceivably decision-making reason > as to why one should or should not change to the Mac. > Go in to any electronics store that sells windows laptops. You will find > their prices a little more impulsive and easier to stomach than you would > when thinking of your purchase for a Mac. However, the trade-off is the > support you get from both the Apple Store and their telephone customer > support. Apple has a dedicated accessibility line with reps who are trained > in the use of VoiceOver and how to help a visually impaired person workaround > an issue. There is also a basic voiceover tutorial built into the OS. I paid > for the one to one training upon my first Mac purchase. That might be good > for most cited users, in my opinion, the trainers are not as well-informed in > the store as the help one can get from lists such as this or their telephone > representatives. In the closest Apple Store to me, there are no > accommodations made for those who need a quieter environment to work with > voiceover. One must compete with the den of the store and any other people in > a class or on the sales floor. Don't waste your money on one to one training > as a blind person. By all means, purchase AppleCare. It Pays for itself > within the three years you have it. The Genius Bar within the Apple Store is > also a very good resource and good support if you have computer issues that > are not voice over related. One does not get this kind of person-to-person > support by Microsoft when purchasing a Microsoft product. You pay little more > for the Mac, yet when comparing it to what you get with Windows, you get what > you pay for. > > Pam Francis > > On Apr 5, 2014, at 4:47 PM, Devin Prater <[email protected]> wrote: > > I totally agree with the last point. I don't think Microsoft has added a real > feature to Windows in, many years. I've been using Windows since, uh, 4th > grade? Third? And nothing is truly different. Yeah yeah, you got the start > screen and the charm bar and all, but they're really just superficial things. > Apple updates all components of their OS. They add new apps and services and > improve old ones. And goodness, don't get me started on Apple's Office suite. > Lets just say? Even though I got my mac two years ago, I downloaded Office > 09, upgraded to 14, and um, how can you beat FREE? Plus, Apple's iOS devices > sync perfectly with the mac, and while Windows boasts flexibility, Apple > boasts secure, pretty darn flexible in my opinion, and easy! Oh and add fast > tothat too. And the braille support on all Apple devices, blows anything > Windows has out of the water. Why? Because accessibility is built right in. > The only bad thing about the mac, is that truly not many people have jumped > in. I know of only a few blind programmers on the mac. Alex, make us some > games, would you? :-) Its not like college is that hard, lol. I'll expect an > accessible version of super mario 64 by next year. :-) But yeah, not many > games for mac. But while I'm sitting here going on about that, I'll say that > when I used my windows laptop, I honestly didn't play that many games. I > really don't remember what I used it for. Oh right, skype, because it had a > mic and webcam built in. But yeah, its not that hard to get an iOS app to > make your iDevices act as a webcam and mic for a mac. :-) > > > Sent from my iPod > > On Apr 5, 2014, at 16:05, Pamela Francis <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hello, >> I switched to the Mac almost 3 years ago for several reasons. I was tired of >> the SMA upgrades for windows based screen readers. I still own a Windows 7 >> machine, and would use it if I had to, yet fortunately I don't see that >> being the case to this point. There were too many conflicts with Windows >> programs and the basic Windows operating system. >> Also, my mother had passed away. I needed a channel for my feelings along >> with the reason to keep learning. I am not sorry. The Mac experience was >> definitely different. There are still things I don't know. However it's a >> continuous reason to learn. Windows stagnates, the Mac experience does not. >> >> Pam Francis >> >> On Apr 5, 2014, at 3:24 PM, Ray Foret Jr <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> 1. I switched because windows 7 was about to come out and I thought to >> myself, >> "If I've got to learn a whole new operating system and screen reader, >> why not give the Mac a serious look instead of window-eyes or staying with >> JAWS?" >> >> 2. For me, switching to the Mac was one of the best decitions I ever ever >> made. I would not even think of going back to clunky crashy windows. >> >> 3. No regrets at all about switching to the Mac. Go back to PC? What? >> You kidding me? >> >> >> Sent from my Mac, the only computer with full accessibility for the blind >> built-in! >> >> Sincerely, >> The Constantly Barefooted Ray, still a very happy Mac and Iphone 5 user! >> >> On Apr 5, 2014, at 3:11 PM, Scott Duck <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Hi, >>> As I have said, I am thinking about switching to the Mac and have been >>> trying to gather more information about it. To that end, I have been >>> asking specific questions. I will continue to do that but I would like >>> some general feedback from people who have made the switch from Windows to >>> the Mac. Why did you switch In the first place? Having switched, do you >>> feel that it was the right choice for you? Do any of you regret having >>> switched or have you even gone back to the PC? >>> Thanks, >>> Scott Duck >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Have a great day, Alex Hall [email protected] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
