My thoughts exactly. I think the people who read AT reviews fall into two categories: people who work for AT companies/departments and people already using AT who are not likely to switch but enjoy keeping up with the technology conversations.
Most purchasing decisions happen almost entirely apart from the users of AT who rarely are even asked for input. An odd phenomena though, is the growth of VO and people who seem new to computing or new to participating in discussions about such. Whenever a new person joins any of the three Apple related lists to which I subscribe, I make certain of taking notice of their name. Some are people I've known for years from lots of different lists. A whole lot, maybe even most, seem new to technology lists (I doubt too many are entirely new to computing as finding a list, getting signed up, etc. isn't obvious to the novice). I know that Apple stores are offering VO training because (I'm guessing) the local Lighthouse or other agencies aren't serving the Mac market. I'm working on a very large proposal for a really huge project that includes a lot of questions about populations and numbers of users on different AT with a variety of different disabilities. The only information I can get about Mac users with vision impairment comes from surveys which have the self selection problem (a lot of people do not fill out surveys) which may over or under-estimate MacinBlinks as we've no scientificly gathered data. Lighthouse and other training centers don't count Macintosh users as they do not train them so, as far as that class of NGO goes, we do not really exist. As millions of Macs have shipped since the first VO, we've no clue how many blinks are using them, how they are being used, etc. I would estimate, though, from my entirely unscientific survey of names on mailing lists that Mac is hitting a previously unserved population and doing so well enough for the users to spend time on lists helping each other out. I do not, however, know how many people are on these lists - the JAWS list has over 900 users last I looked and the Apple oriented seem to have a lot fewer. Of course, pointing back to the top of the message, if Mac is being used by tons of real novices, then we have no way to get a census of VO use. Ah... tangled webs and the like... cdh To wit: cdh On Oct 2, 2009, at 5:56 PM, Chris Blouch wrote: > Apple has played the 'let the best technology win in the long run' > game for a while. Maybe that's why they have about 5% market share. > Most people don't care and just get what their network recommend. So > those already leaning towards Apple will cite antagonism and those > leaning away will consider it affirmation. Neither will move much > based on one review. > > CB > > Cameron wrote: >> >> Hi. It's depressing to think about the potential number of people >> who after >> reading that awful so called review, will not end up giving the mac >> platform >> a shot. With all the work apple has done, and continues to do in >> terms of >> out of the box accessibility, this is quite unfair. >> >> Cameron. >> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >> [mailto:macvisionar...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Rich Ring >> Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 7:06 AM >> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >> >> >> I agree, but political entities, whether they are governments, >> political >> parties, or the NFB don't tend to admit to their mistakes. >> Unfortunate, but >> true. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "kaare dehard" <kaare.deh...@gmail.com> >> To: <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >> Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 7:54 PM >> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >> >> >> >> I think your right rich, however, their attempt to do this is rather >> sad since it would be easier to just admit that they are human like >> the rest of us, that an error was made, and then not repeat this. >> That >> certainly would have gone some ways to repairing damaged credibility. >> On 2009-09-30, at 7:14 PM, Rich Ring wrote: >> >> >>> I believe that what you're seeing here is that they're trying to >>> make up for >>> the grave error they made with the Mac without in fact quite >>> admitting they >>> were wrong. You have to read between the lines a bit, but this is >>> what I >>> firmly believe. >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "ben mustill-rose" <bmustillr...@gmail.com> >>> To: <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >>> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 6:34 PM >>> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >>> >>> >>> >>> I do find it rather funny that they slammed a program that ran on a >>> device with a full sized qwerty keyboard yet there all over the >>> iphone >>> with its touch screen. >>> >>> O well - step in the right direction anyway. >>> >>> On 26/09/2009, Kevin Gibbs <kevj...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> You have to ask the sighted friend to turn it on in preferences, I >>>> think. >>>> K. >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>> [mailto:macvisionar...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jean-Philippe >>>> Rykiel >>>> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 5:30 PM >>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >>>> >>>> >>>> Dear Chris, >>>> a friend of mine has one of these. Can you simply tell me how to >>>> turn v o >>>> on >>>> and off on his device so I can give it a try. >>>> Cheers, >>>> JPR >>>> http://myspace.com/jeanphilipperykiel >>>> >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Chris Blouch <mailto:cblo...@aol.com> >>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 12:05 AM >>>> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >>>> >>>> It's called voiceover and as something that makes a device >>>> accessible via >>>> speech and controls, it is voiceover, but with a different voice >>>> (not >>>> Alex) >>>> and a phone-specific set of gestures instead of keyboard controls. >>>> That >>>> said, it's included on every iPhone 3GS and the newer iPod Touch. >>>> Previous >>>> models didn't have the hardware performance to run this so there is >>>> no >>>> upgrade to get VO on the older devices. >>>> >>>> CB >>>> >>>> Jean-Philippe Rykiel wrote: >>>> >>>> Sorry for a very down-to-earth question, but does the IPhone come >>>> with V O >>>> as well? >>>> JPR >>>> http://myspace.com/jeanphilipperykiel >>>> >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Chris Blouch <mailto:cblo...@aol.com> >>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:48 PM >>>> Subject: Re: iPhone honored by NFB >>>> >>>> >>>> Some have difficulty comprehending what is new and, by definition, >>>> not >>>> well understood. So they define the new in terms of what's known >>>> from >>>> the past, but when something is a revolution rather than an >>>> evolution >>>> the comparisons fail. Some will lodge those failures as the fault >>>> of >>>> what was being measured and dismiss it as being flawed. Others, >>>> more >>>> rarely, will correctly realize that the measurement framework has >>>> failed >>>> and reevaluate their worldview. The NFB has been measuring sharks >>>> for a >>>> long while and Apple brought in an leopard. It will take time for >>>> the >>>> definition of 'good' to be redefined. >>>> >>>> CB >>>> >>>> william lomas wrote: >>>> >>>>> they can soon praise the iPhone yet slam the mac? >>>>> hyppocrits >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> -- >>> Kind regards, BEN. >>> >>> email: bmustillr...@gmail.com >>> msn: benmustillr...@hotmail.com >>> web: http://www.bmr.me.uk (under construction) >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
