Ah yes, I definitely remember what Sharp did. The Talking Time was the first Sharp talking clock. It was a marvel of accessibility for one of the first talking clocks. Within a few years, a very large number of blind people wanted them. By that time, Sharp was no longer selling them. In fact, the NFB convinced Sharp to do one more manufacturing run which the NFB then sold for the next couple years.
When sharp was asked why they would discontinue such a popular clock, the answer was, the clock was Sharp's least popular device. It only sold a few hundred thousand when it was supposed to sell a few million. The same was true for the excellent Sharp EL640 talking calculator. Panasonic created a wonderful talking clock radio shortly after the excellent Sharp products. Again, Panasonic did not receive the general market sales they predicted for the product, so they discontinued it. It was mainly only blind people who were purchasing it. A similar thing happened in the mid 90's with Zenith and a talking programmable VCR. I do have many more examples, including talking pagers, talking juicers, a general market talking microwave, a couple general market talking digital radios, and so forth. In all cases, when only blind people purchase the products, and the products are priced for general market, companies lose lots of money and pull the devices. David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA Email: [email protected] Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 Sent from my iPhone > On 20 Oct 2014, at 12:09, Pamela Francis <[email protected]> wrote: > > In the answer to a couple of your questions, ask for a company making their > products usable by the disabled, do you or do you not remember what sharp did > for us with talking clocks and calculators? Do you also know that Panasonic > makes optional talking caller ID in its cordless phones? For years swans > foods offered all of their catalogs in braille along with their cooking > directions as one could also read on their boxes. It is not unreasonable or > pompous to expect to be treated the same as anyone else in the same store > paying the same money for the same product. If you consider that pompous, you > must be living with your parents who do everything for you. I do not. I've > lived away from my family since 1974, then married, raise two children and > have four grandchildren. I've been through the times where we didn't as much > as have digital readings on elevators or braille on hotel room doors. I > travel anywhere I want to go, do anything I want to do. I do not expect > special treatment. I ask for what I need. > > Pam Francis > > On Oct 19, 2014, at 5:10 PM, The Believer <[email protected]> wrote: > > That is a first. The general public now dictates what the disabled public > gets? Apple develops products for the mainstream market...and they also have > enabled these same products to be usable by the disabled. Can amy other > comppany claim that? > > We all can walk into any Apple store along with the sighted general public > and buy the same products they do and use the same products alongside them. > > And if we have an issue with our product, we can walk into any Apple store > or cal their toll free number and get the same assistance. > > Why should we expect any different treatment? Because we are blind? That, > IMO, is shortsightedness and perhaps even pompous. It certainly will not get > one very far. > > No one is glossing over anything. On the other hand, some are over the top > downright unreasonable. > > From The Believer. . . > . . . what if it were true? > [email protected] > >> On 10/19/2014 2:02 PM, Pamela Francis wrote: >> Hi, >> I'm normally not one to complain for the sake of complaining. I am a >> realist. I know that we as a market are a minority within Apple's customer >> base. I will give them credit where it's due. They did take the lead in >> accessibility. However, mainstream society has caught on to the fact that >> Apple products are accessible to blind people. That in itself is a double >> edge sword. None of us want to be put into a corner and told what is good >> for us by our cited peers. we want general society to except what we can >> use on its own merit showing them we can use products that they can use. >> there are still those who think that Apple products are simply all we can >> use. It's an all or nothing statement within the cited community as much as >> it is within our community. If that same statement is made with an aside a >> community, no one gripes. However if we say anything, we're complaining. >> Apple has become aware of what the cited community believes it's capable of >> doing for us, therefore they have > become lackadaisical forcing us to settle for whatever they throw at us, as > it has been within Windows another third-party screen readers. If I go in to > the grocery store and purchase what is supposed to be a complete packaged > product, get it home find out it isn't, take it back to the store; am I > complaining because I can't see? I don't think so. >> What I'm getting at by this rant is if there is a given feature supported by >> a given manufacturer that is designed for us or any other accessibility >> community, it should be fully featured and attended to with the same fervor >> as is done for the majority of its customer base. The fact that they >> maintain an accessibility line within itself on its face is a good thing. >> However, if those people truly have no say as to how things are done, are >> they there only for lipservice? I'm not willing to walk into a store, pay >> the same price for a product that my cited peers do and not have a right to >> complain about its functionality whether it's for me or for my cited peers. >> We as a blind community for too many years have been told we had to settle >> for second place. In many cases prior to the Internet we didn't have a means >> to communicate with people are issues, therefore we were forced to settle. >> That is no longer the case. To those who choose to regale the things that >> Apple does without being w > illing to admit apples faults, you are hurting all of us. Take that for what > it's worth. >> >> Pam Francis >> >> On Oct 19, 2014, at 2:23 PM, The Believer <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I did not have a disastrous experience. I had just gotten a new Macbook >> with Mountain Lion and Mavericks came out shortly after that. And history >> repeats itself today with Yosemite. >> >> There were many complaints about Mavericks. Meanwhile, I worked with ML, >> trying to forget Windows. Finally I upgraded to Mavericks about a month ago! >> (smiles) >> >> I am still learning to use the Mac but it may not take me as long to move >> to Yosemite. Maybe a month? I will install iOS 8 at the same time but not >> intil both are better behaved. >> >> From The Believer. . . >> . . . what if it were true? >> [email protected] >> >>> On 10/19/2014 12:15 PM, Christine Grassman wrote: >>> I agree. While I would stop short of placing Apple on a pedestal, as no >>> one or company is worthy of that level of responsibility, I am realistic >>> about the varying preferences and needs of a customer base consisting of >>> millions of people, and I am steadfastly grateful for Apple and its >>> integral part in allowing me to complete the essential tasks of my job and >>> to enjoy much of what my sighted peers enjoy on a reasonably equitable >>> playing field out of the box. >>> I intend to write to Apple as someone who continues to appreciate its >>> devices and software a great deal, and urge it not to forget little me and >>> those like me. >>> I think any "absolutist" or all-or-nothing statements do no good. >>> I decided after a disastrous experience with Mavericks when it was first >>> released that I would never again update immediately after a first release. >>> I am anxious to avail myself of continuity, hand off, iBooks, and answering >>> calls on my MacBook, but I can wait. I know for a fact that a VoiceOver >>> lag will bother me in the extreme, and the very first thing I did was read >>> Applevis's article on the bugs, even though I had no intention of updating >>> right away. I am currently content, and I await Yosemite's evolution. >>> Christine > > -- > 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.
