Yes, apps specifically for the blind are targeting a tiny market. When organisations try to get businesses to include features for those with low vision or blindness, they use misleading facts to inflate the numbers so businesses will hopefully take the needs of the blind into consideration and act on those needs.
The American Foundation for the Blind claims 15 million people in the US have vision problems, though only 1.6 million are blind. This claim caused me to think that total blindness was 1.6 million people, and legal low vision was 15 million people. When I fully researched these numbers, what I learned was completely different, and paints a much starker picture about blindness. Internationally, blindness refers to visual acuity of 3/60 (20/400 US terminology) in the better eye after corrections. Someone with this level of visual acuity can read large print, see facial expressions, and visually recognise most objects. Blind people at this level of visual acuity will most likely never, or almost never use this app. This level of vision is 0.5% of the world population, or one out of every 200 people. It is estimated that approximately 0.1% to 0.2%, three hundred thousand to six hundred thousand, people in the US have almost no vision, and should be learning braille. The 0.2% includes light and shadow perception, and some gross object perception. It is somewhere between this level and the previous discussed level that the cut-off for people who will use this app is most likely located. In other words, somewhere between one out of every 200 people, and one out of every 1000 people would regularly use this app, and the number is much closer to the one of every one thousand people. For details on the other visual level, read on. In the US only, legal blindness has been set at 20/200 (6/60 using international measurement terminology) in the better eye after corrections. This is approximately 2.5 million people in the US, or 0.6% of the world population. Approximately one out of every 166 people meets the criteria for US legal blindness. These numbers are so small that the AFB has chosen a different number to quote, and further confuse the issue. Low vision covers vision where some impact on daily life can occur. In the US, visual acuity less than 20/60 (6/18 using international standards) after corrections, is the standard cut-off level for acquiring a driver's license. AFB, in there quote of 15 million Americans have vision loss that impacts daily functioning, is using this level of visual acuity. At 20%, one in five Americans has vision low enough that they cannot drive a car in most states. David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA Email: [email protected] Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 Sent from my iPhone > On 11 Nov 2013, at 7:03, Christopher Chaltain <[email protected]> wrote: > > There are plenty of business models where paying a one time fee goes towards > supporting an ongoing service. I paid a one time fee for DVD Audio Extractor > and now I get updates and support for life. You can purchase TiVo for life > with a one time fee. I paid a one time fee for my iPhone and now I get > updates to IOS for no charge. I don't use this MLB app, but I'm not sure > there aren't ongoing costs, such as support, upgrades, licensing fees and so > on. > > I suspect that it's a combination of the high cost of image recognition > combined with the relatively low volume of sales such an app targeted at the > blind would generate. > >> On 11/10/2013 11:14 AM, Steve wrote: >> I wish someone would put a stop to this insanity. This is a free market, >> you folks have a choice. Pay the price, or don't use a very useful app. >> Only a few people seem to understand that the developer has to pay the >> people that recognize the images on a per-image basis. Therefore, paying a >> one=-time fee for the app has nothing to do with a reasonable pricing model >> in this case. It is not the same as paying for a season's access on MLB >> where there are no ongoing costs once you pay for the app. >> >> Also, I take issue with another comment about other developers taking the >> blind into consideration in their image recognition program. As far as I >> can tell, that particular program requires the assistance of a sighted >> person to set up a database, so this is in no way at all comparable to what >> Tap Tap See is doing. >> >> Of course, your other option is VizWiz, but it is all dependent on the type >> of quality response you get and how long you are willing to wait before >> getting a response from volunteers. >> >> As economist Milton Friedman famously said "There ain't no such thing as a >> free lunch". >> >> Personally, I don't use Tap Tap See that often, so I am going to be paying >> for 100 pictures because it is responsive and generally accurate. I do hope >> they can add either some checkboxes or a textbox to help us tailor the >> response we get from the Terks. >> >> Steve >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Peter Logan >> To: Vi Phone >> Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 8:35 AM >> Subject: Tap Tap See >> >> It saddens me that the developers have decided to move to what I consider to >> be price gouging, just my opinion. It also amazes me that this community >> doesn’t seem to mind this time. However, wen the Seeing Eye GPS came out >> with their model many on this list were outraged. >> >> Am I in no way asking for something to be free, however if you are a heavy >> user of the product and go with the monthly subscription, you will be paying >> $120/year, as far as I know that would be the highest price of any blindness >> specific app. I would have rather they just go with a $4.99 or even $6.99 >> price for the app and call it good. My most used app, MLB At Bat only cost >> $19.99/year and I use that multiple times every day. I would have rather >> seen a yearly subscription in that range. >> >> Hopefully they will reconsider the pricing model in the future. It is an >> awesome product, however I believe it could be priced better. >> >> Thanks for listening. >> >> >> Peter >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google Group. >> >> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >> >> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> >> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google Group. >> >> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >> >> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> >> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > Christopher (CJ) > chaltain at Gmail > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > > Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. > > Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > > Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing > [email protected]. > > Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing > [email protected]. > > More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing [email protected]. Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
