Hi Group,
Since this editorial involves primarily Safari browser and since there
are other browsers such as Firefox that can be used on the Mac, has
anyone tried Firefox on a Mac or perhaps any other browser?
On 10/8/2023 7:35 PM, Sieghard Weitzel wrote:
I love my iPhone and even my Apple TV, but while I tried Voiceover on
a MAC a little, it is not a system I would want to deal with on a
day-to-day bases.
Maybe that is because I have been using Jaws at first with DOS in 1989
and since the mid 90’s with Windows, but I can’t even imagine what
such a bug would do to me now when my retail business runs on a
web-based point of fsale and accounting platform and I virtually use
Chrome (or sometimes Edge) along with Excel and Outlook literally all
day long.
Of course I don’t claim that Windows 11 with the latest version of a
Chromium-based web browser or Firefox and Jaws 2023 and for a while
now Jaws 2024 in Beta is perfect, but it’s very rare that Windows,
Chrome or Jaws crashes when I use our point of sale, Lightspeed Retail
and I often go the entire week without having to reboot my computer.
On Saturday evenings we usually turn all the computers at my store off
since we are closed Sundays, but once they get turned on Monday
morning they stay on until Saturday evening.
Best regards,
Sieghard
*From:*[email protected] <[email protected]> *On Behalf
Of *janet gross
*Sent:* Sunday, October 8, 2023 4:27 PM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* We Deserve Better from Apple Why I Can No Longer Recommend
a Mac to Fellow Blind Computer Users.
Hello Everyone,
Here is an interesting article I just thought some of you might like
to read.
https://www.applevis.com/blog/we-deserve-better-apple-why-i-can-no-longer-recommend-mac-fellow-blind-computer-users
We Deserve Better from Apple: Why I Can No Longer Recommend a Mac to
Fellow Blind Computer Users
As many of you will know from personal experience, there is a
longstanding issue with VoiceOver on Mac where Safari will frequently
become unresponsive with VoiceOver repeatedly announcing the message
“Safari not responding.” 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. However, far too often, the user is
unable to switch away from Safari or turn VoiceOver off, instead
having to simply wait for their Mac to become responsive again.
This “Safari not responding” behaviour when using VoiceOver
dramatically impacts productivity and overall usability of Macs for
blind and low vision users. Furthermore, it appears that the issue
extends beyond just Safari - many other common applications that
utilise Apple's WebKit browser engine can also be affected by the “not
responding” problem.
It is also important to point out this issue occurs regardless of the
specification level of the Mac - it has been widely experienced on the
latest Apple silicon-equipped Macs with 16GB or more of RAM, so even
owners of top-tier new Mac hardware still face this crippling
VoiceOver bug.
This critical problem has persisted for years across multiple MacOS
versions without a permanent fix from Apple. Given the longevity and
level of disruption caused by this bug across Safari and other
applications, I can unfortunately no longer in good faith recommend
Macs to anyone who relies on using VoiceOver. The impact of this bug
when performing routine, and often critical, tasks in Safari and other
applications simply makes macOS an unreliable and frustrating platform.
Macs have traditionally been popular within the blind community, and
they offer some great accessibility features. However, frankly, Apple
should be utterly ashamed that they have let this issue persist for so
long without a permanent fix. It's a failing that raises serious
questions about the company's frequently stated commitment to
accessibility. There can be no doubt that if sighted users were to
experience something similar, that it would receive significant media
coverage and that Apple's response would be fast.
I believe we need to escalate out urging of Apple to prioritise and
permanently solve the “Safari not responding” bug that has plagued
VoiceOver users for far too long. To this end, I encourage those of
you who use VoiceOver on Mac to directly contact Apple's accessibility
team at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> to
share your own personal experiences with and frustrations about the
“Safari not responding” issue. It is important we continue putting
direct, polite pressure on Apple to prioritise resolving this problem.
Please be constructive in expressing your concerns. Consider also
copying Apple CEO Tim Cook on your email by using his publicly shared
email address [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> to ensure he
sees the direct impact this ongoing bug is having on Apple's blind and
low vision customers.
I want to emphasise that the “Safari not responding” bug is far from
the only issue effecting VoiceOver users on Mac. As our recent post on
problems in macOS Sonoma and the replies outline,
<https://www.applevis.com/blog/macos-sonoma-new-features-changes-improvements-bugs-blind-low-vision-users>
there are numerous other VoiceOver frustrations and failures impacting
users. However, it has become a yardstick by which Apple's overall
performance on and commitment to accessibility is being judged. It is
a yardstick against which Apple has failed for some considerable time.
I know many of you share my frustration. I welcome your perspectives
and discussion in the comments. Collectively, we need to apply
consumer pressure by being vocal about this issue and not purchasing
new Macs until the “Safari not responding” issue is fixed once and for
all. Apple simply must do better and restore our trust that Macs
provide a stable and fully accessible experience for its blind and low
vision customers.
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news and updates
regarding the blindness assistive technology space
Email: [email protected]
WWW.DavidGoldfield.com <http://www.davidgoldfield.com/>
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