What I find interesting is this notion that we are rewarding or punishing a
company, as if it makes a major difference. The difference is actually five
years ago, we wouldn't be having this discussion at all. The fact we even have
access to a touch interface and we've come so far without having to pay
anything extra for it is still something that amazes me.
Also, in six months, the vast majority of the bugs in iOS 8 will be gone
and this whole discussion will be forgotten until people can complain about the
next upgrade. In reality, Microsoft, Google or any other company are no
different and I find it amusing that they re being seen as a better
alternative. At least the iPhone 4S can even run iOS 8. New versions of
Android aren't even supported on phones less than six months old, which is
probably why only 11 percent of Android users actually are running the latest
version of Android and while so may people are jumping from the Android
ecosystem to iOS. Stability and continuity make a big deal if you plan to hold
on to a phone for two years and still want to use the latest software. But,
there are options and choices, and that's what makes technology progress
further for us all.
Take Care
John D. Panarese
Director
Mac for the Blind
Tel, (631) 724-4479
Email, j...@macfortheblind.com
Website, http://www.macfortheblind.com
APPLE CERTIFIED SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL FOR MAC OSX 10.7 LION and 10.8 Mountain
Lion
AUTHORIZED APPLE STORE BUSINESS AFFILIATE
MAC and iOS VOICEOVER TRAINING AND SUPPORT
> On Oct 25, 2014, at 6:35 PM, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote:
>
> Rewarded? Oh, you mean, by buying more Apple goodies. I'd venture a guess
> that Microsoft and Google would suffer the same. Maybe not? Perhaps they are
> better?
>
> As I said before, I am running 8.1 and notice little difference. Maybe my
> own expectations are too low.
>
> From The Believer. . .
> . . . what if it were true?
> ancient.ali...@icloud.com
>
> On 10/25/2014 3:03 PM, Cheree Heppe wrote:
>> Drops in performance should not be rewarded, especially when they have done
>> better in earlier IOS releases.
>>
>> Sent from my IPhone 4S
>>
>> On 25 Oct 2014, at 12:56, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote:
>>
>> My take on this is this. Tim mentioned 'reasonable expectations'. Not only
>> do we need to keep our expectations to a level that is not UNreasonable, it
>> also means that when we encounter issues, we also keep them to a reasonable
>> level when seeking help. Expressing displeasure is reasonable if its
>> balanced with respect.
>>
>> If you had looked for a solution to the low quality of speech from the get
>> go, the outcome would have been much different and you probably would not
>> have reached the point you did and canceled your order. But its perfectly ok
>> to do that and go with another company. Its a free market.
>>
>> I went from 7.1.2 to 8.1 and am perfectly happy with it. So far the only
>> problem I have is Siri but that has little impact on my iPhone 5's
>> usability. In a perfect world we would have zero issues with accessibility
>> but then, in a perfect world, we would not need accessibility.
>>
>> From The Believer. . .
>> . . . what if it were true?
>> ancient.ali...@icloud.com
>>
>>> On 10/25/2014 12:06 PM, Cheree Heppe wrote:
>>> Got the voice enhancements now and this helped.
>>>
>>> Sent from my IPhone 4S
>>>
>>> On 25 Oct 2014, at 11:19, Tim Kilburn <kilbu...@me.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Cheri and All,
>>>
>>> In my opinion, you have made some inaccurate assertions here. The quality
>>> of the voices that you've expressed is likely due to your iDevice
>>> defaulting back to the low quality, non-enhanced version of the voices.
>>> Normal behaviour during the update process. If you download the enhanced
>>> version of your preferred voice, you'll find the quality is as good or
>>> better than it was in iOS 7. The download can be achieved in the Settings,
>>> General Accessibility, VoiceOver under the Speech section. Switching
>>> between voices is the same as it was in iOS 7 when your Language
>>> preferences are included in the Rotor, which is also configured in the same
>>> area outlined earlier. Regarding the descriptions of Wallpaper etc, I
>>> didn't notice this and it is disappointing from an accessibility point of
>>> view.
>>>
>>> Regarding yours and others opinions on Apple's commitment to accessibility,
>>> over-exaggeration and inaccurate accusations or assumptions usually don't
>>> go very far. For example, I had a co-worker that used to put in Work
>>> Orders to our Maintenance department saying that it was so cold in the room
>>> that things were freezing to the floor and other surfaces. Maintenance
>>> came over right away and determined that it was a few degrees colder than
>>> she liked. In future Work Orders, she was not given near the priority
>>> attention that she originally received due to her tendency for over-blowing
>>> a situation. While our desires for accessibility to be perfect and to
>>> never get broken in an update is fair, it's not likely going to be realized
>>> in all cases. Any OS, be it iOS, MacOS, Chrome-OS or even Windows is a
>>> complex, interdependent interaction between processes. Sometimes the
>>> fixing of one factor breaks another. Sometimes it takes a bit of work by
>>> the software engineers to figure out how
>
>> to make certain things work properly together. Even with beta-testers
>> galore, not every glitch is found out prior to release. This sort of thing
>> happens whether it's an accessibility feature or just a regular part of the
>> user experience.
>>>
>>> For example, tearing into Apple about them changing the look and feel of
>>> iTunes and claiming that they have broken accessibility is an inaccurate
>>> statement. The actual accessibility of iTunes hasn't changed at all, what
>>> has changed is how we access the various features. How easy it is for you
>>> to manage the changes is not a factor of accessibility, it may be a level
>>> of comfort or ease of use factor, but accessibility in the manner that VO
>>> users use the term has to do with elements being visible and/or usable.
>>> The device accessibility market is by no means particularly mature at this
>>> point in time, so, I'd venture to say that any device we put in our hands
>>> will have good and bad with respect to accessibility. Android this,
>>> Windows that, Apple thing-a-ma-bobber and whoever's talking
>>> which-a-macall-it all work to some respect but have limitations and/or
>>> frustrations. No point in dissing Apple, Google or windows for that
>>> matter, it's unproductive.
>>>
>>> So, after all this, I guess what I'm saying is continue submitting bug
>>> reports and feature requests, and, expect for them to be addressed but be
>>> reasonable.
>>> bug reports should be clear, expressing the facts of the issue, outlining
>>> how and where it occurs, certainly they can include how it affects your
>>> productivity but exaggeration and accusation need not be a part. Progress
>>> is occurring, will continue to occur and is necessary.
>>>
>>> That's my rant for the week. Have a good day all.
>>>
>>> Later...
>>>
>>> Tim Kilburn
>>> Fort McMurray, AB Canada
>>>
>>>> On Oct 25, 2014, at 9:19 AM, Cheree Heppe <che...@dogsc4me.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Cheree Heppe here:
>>>> Even with the problems listed over a wide range of applications, I updated
>>>> one of my iOS devices last night. If what I am learning about 8.1 is
>>>> symptomatic, I think blind users can kiss good Apple access good-bye.
>>>> One area: I remember getting my first iPhone and, in extreme skepticism
>>>> and with the half-done, JAWS and PC based accessibility as a precursor
>>>> experience, decided to find out whether the Wallpapers section gave
>>>> access, or merely lip service to Universal Design.
>>>> How amazed and delight I felt when each photo featured an artistic and
>>>> pleasing description of the photo. The description didnt just say photo
>>>> dot png or stick in woods dot whatever, these descriptions went that extra
>>>> step that separates accessibility wannabees from practitioners of
>>>> Universal Design.
>>>> In 8.1, I opened the Brightness and Wallpapers section on my iPad 2.
>>>> Every photo gave those hald done, cursury, non-descriptive labels
>>>> characterized by no info, ugly word choice to mirror the photo and the png
>>>> ending, just to make sure anybody who cant see the png knows this isnt for
>>>> them.
>>>> It is my intention to cancel my order for an upgraded iPhone 6 and not to
>>>> upgrade to iOS 8 point anything.
>>>> The voices on iOS 8 point whatever sound modified. They sound artificial
>>>> and there is no longer the ease of switching between voices. Switching
>>>> between voices has now become a secret process, or, at least, unavailable
>>>> to me, a blind user.
>>>> My thoughts, but, I am leaning toward making a change before the whole
>>>> archology goes south.
>>>>
>>>> Sad and very disappointed. Aple has had access to some really discerning,
>>>> brilliant blind users who could give really cogent advice in the best user
>>>> mode. I guess that isnt who is being listened to.
>>>>
>>>> Careless, sloppy, inattention to detail. Disregard for user specific
>>>> needs.
>>>>
>>>> Very sad.
>>>>
>>>> Bye-bye.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Cheree Heppe
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my IPhone 4S
>>>>
>>>> On 25 Oct 2014, at 1:26, venky...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Its disappointing to know that the issues are not fixed in 8.1.
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>>> On 23-Oct-2014, at 4:34 am, Jessica Moss <junglebookfa...@gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I had those same issues with my 4S, which I unfortunately didn't realize
>>>>> I was going to before I updated it, due to the fact that it's an older
>>>>> phone, and actually had no idea you could downgrade again, so you did the
>>>>> right thing doing that, sense you were going to have a rough time of it
>>>>> unless you plan on upgrading your phone any time soon.
>>>>>> On Oct 22, 2014, at 1:31 AM, Venkatesh Potluri <venky...@gmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi list,
>>>>>> I am using a 16GB iPhone 4S. I updated to iOs 8 and had a lot of
>>>>>> issues so had to downgrade back to 7.1. My phone got a lot slower,
>>>>>> apps like whatsapp and messenger kept constantly crashing and VO
>>>>>> randomly restarts it self. i had many accidental touches, accidental
>>>>>> calls, etc. I wish to know if these issues have been resolved in 8.1.
>>>>>> Another major reason for me wanting to upgrade is the Flecksy
>>>>>> keyboard. How good is it? I read that there are still problems using
>>>>>> it. are there any show stopper bugs? Is the Looktel money reader
>>>>>> working fine in 8.1?
>>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>> Venkatesh Potluri
>>>>>>
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