Absolutely. I'm not trying to discourage people from having a look and judging for themselves.
I think that an iPad would make more sense for me if I wasn't going to use an iPhone. If you like Symbian or Windows Mobile for a phone, then the iPad would give you a good way to get in on the iPhone apps and other benefits. A Touch really wouldn't do that, since it doesn't have 3G data or GPS. Bryan -----Original Message----- From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionar...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of marie Howarth Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 10:41 AM To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: Returning my iPad The truth is, the iPhone isn't for everyone, the mac isn't for everyone and the iPad is no exception to that rule. I have to say, I still am going to purchase the iPad when it comes to the UK. I think everyone should think about what everyone has said in regards to any products but ultimately make their own decisions. On 5 May 2010, at 13:42, Donna Goodin wrote: > I second all this. I hadn't planned on purchasing an iPad, but appreciated > reading your review, Brian. Very nicely done. > Best, > Donna > On May 5, 2010, at 2:55 AM, Ricardo Walker wrote: > >> Very good review, >> >> It is nice to read some of the drawbacks of a VO user on an iPad. It >> was well thought out and every displeasure was expanded upon. I hope even >> the people who disagree with the review don't go postal on us. Pleas. lol. >> I hope someone can put together their disagreements in a logical, >> respectful, and concise manor. I think the list would benefit greatly from >> such a post instead of a emotion filled rant. lol On May 5, 2010, at 1:23 >> AM, Bryan Smart wrote: >> >>> OK. So, I've had my iPad Wi-Fi+3G for less than a week, and I've already >>> decided not to keep it. There is so much of a euphoric glow on some of the >>> lists about the wonderfulness of this device. I'm the type of person that >>> is always eager to investigate new technologies and ways of working, and so >>> expected that I'd agree with the generally positive reception. I don't. >>> >>> I have experience with the iPhone, and, other than the fact that it is >>> slower to operate than a device with buttons, and that the battery life is >>> terrible when compared to most mobile phones, I thought that it was an >>> impressive piece of tech with an advanced approach to user interaction. >>> >>> I was excited about the iPad, and expected it to bring everything from an >>> iPhone, only improved. First, the iPad would have a larger screen, so it >>> should be possible to more easily move my finger directly to the position >>> of known controls in order to speed up the operation. Also, the iPad would >>> have a significantly larger battery than the iPhone, so I could spend hours >>> using apps, even wireless apps, without having to worry about draining the >>> power away. >>> >>> The only universally great thing that I can say about the iPad is that the >>> battery is spectacular. With the screen brightness set to low, it runs for >>> a very long time. I've spent hours streaming movies via Netflix over 3G, >>> and the battery just keeps on going. >>> >>> Unfortunately, that's where it all ends. It isn't that I think that the >>> tech behind the iPad is necessarily bad. If you want this experience, >>> though, as a blind person, you're better off with an iPhone. >>> >>> Why? Well, let's compare the iPad to the iPhone 3GS. >>> >>> The iPad has a larger screen. If you're sighted, this is great for watching >>> video. Watching movies on a tiny phone screen has got to be an eye strain. >>> Blind people don't watch movies, and we can listen to them just fine on an >>> iPad or iPhone speaker. >>> >>> I thought that the larger screen would help with VoiceOver, but, actually, >>> it makes things worse. When you work an iPhone, placing your finger at >>> different positions on the screen only requires wrist movement. The iPad >>> screen is huge when compared to the iPhone, and you must move your entire >>> arm in order to navigate the screen. This can become tiring after hours of >>> computing, because your arm can rarely rest on anything. If you don't hold >>> your arm up, with your fingers angled down, you're likely to bump the >>> screen with part of your wrist or forearm, causing VoiceOver's focus to >>> jump to some random position on the screen. This is particularly >>> frustrating because there is so much content on an iPad screen. If you >>> navigate through controls by swiping, you'll be swiping and swiping and >>> swiping and swiping to get to where you'd like. Of course, you can directly >>> explore with your finger, but I've noticed that, in several places (like >>> the App Store and Safari), tapping somewhere doesn't necessarily mean that >>> swiping will continue from that point. In many places, I'll tap at a point >>> on the screen, but, when I start swiping, VoiceOver will always start from >>> the top of the screen. So, in those situations, if you accidentally touch >>> the screen with some other skin while swiping, or if VoiceOver mistakenly >>> interprets a swipe as a tap, then you'll lose your place, and need to start >>> from the top of the screen. In the App Store in particular, I've swiped >>> myself to frustration. >>> >>> The size of the screen is also not convenient for holding the iPad like you >>> would the iPhone. It must rest on your lap or a table. And, with me pushing >>> and tapping on it with both hands, I've had some situations where it has >>> nearly slid off of my lap. With the screen being made of glass, that is not >>> a great thought to ponder. So, I think that the screen size is not only >>> wasted on blind users, but is also a drawback. >>> >>> The on-screen keyboard is a bit nicer to use on a large screen. However, >>> the touch-typing mode makes even one-handed typing on a small screen a >>> breeze. Besides that, the larger screen meant that a lot more arm motion >>> was required to type on an iPad. I tried the two-handed typing approach in >>> landscape mode, but find that, no matter how well you place your hands, >>> typing is very mistake prone. For anyone that finds it hard to type for >>> extended periods of time on the iPhone, you can use the iPad keyboard dock >>> with it when the next iPhone OS comes out. >>> >>> VoiceOver is worse on the iPad. I'll just put my flame retardant suit on >>> right now for the hordes of people that will respond and tell me how I'm >>> wrong, how wonderful it is, and how it must be me. Well, I've used an >>> iPhone extensively, and I've used the touch gestures on my MacBook Pro a >>> lot, so I think that I'm pretty familiar with how everything is supposed to >>> work. On the iPad, for gestures to work, I must over-act them. On my >>> MacBook or iPhone, a little flick of my finger is enough to indicate that >>> I'd like to move to the next item. On the iPad, I must make a huge swipe, >>> extending a few inches. Small flicks will work, sometimes, but VoiceOver is >>> very likely to just interpret the flick as a tap, and jump my focus. As >>> I've said before, given how huge the screen is, and how the control order >>> is broken in several important places, this is extremely frustrating. >>> Having to make huge swipes means that my whole arm is involved, and swiping >>> and swiping and swiping with your whole arm will really make your forearm >>> sore after a few hours. Sometimes, the screen won't even register that I >>> touched or swiped. The iPhone screen seems much more sensitive. >>> >>> The speech glitches at high speed. At 90% or above, Samantha can't say >>> "search", and other words, without chopping off the ends. >>> >>> And, my largest complaint about VoiceOver on the iPad. It doesn't >>> recognize, in most cases, when the screen updates. This seems to be most >>> noticeable on screens that use HTML/web content. Say that you are in the >>> App Store, or Safari, and you tap a link. You know that a new page/screen >>> must have loaded. Sometimes you'll hear the audio cue indicating that the >>> load completed, sometimes not. However, most always, if you start swiping, >>> you'll realize that you're reviewing material from the old page. You must >>> tap somewhere on the screen for VoiceOver to realize that, in fact, the >>> screen has changed. This is annoying for purposes of situation and >>> orientation. >>> >>> Here is how it should work. You double-tap a control. You wait. You hear >>> the completed audio cue, and VoiceOver speaks the first item on the screen >>> (which now has focus). Now, you can either start swiping through controls, >>> explore the screen with your finger, or two-finger-swipe down to start >>> reading the screen. >>> >>> This is how it works, though. You double-tap a control. You wait, and wait >>> and wait. You don't get any feedback about what is happening, so you start >>> exploring the screen with your finger. If the screen hasn't finished >>> loading yet, then VoiceOver will either repeatedly click at you, or else >>> you'll hear absolutely nothing (because VoiceOver is frozen up). Once the >>> screen finishes loading, all of that tapping and touching that you did >>> while VoiceOver was frozen will be suddenly processed, and VoiceOver will >>> start going crazy with clicking and speaking fragments. Now, you aren't >>> sure where you are, so you must four-finger-swipe up to get to the >>> beginning of the screen, then start exploring. >>> >>> Another way that this can work out is that you double-tap a control, and >>> VoiceOver will say something (supposedly the first control on the new >>> screen "cancel button selected", or similar). When you start swiping, >>> though, you'll hear the contents from the last screen. So, you first tap >>> somewhere on the screen to force VoiceOver to realize that the contents >>> have changed, then four-finger-swipe up to go to the beginning of the >>> screen, then, finally, start exploring. >>> >>> Honestly, this is ridiculous. It is hard to believe that Apple couldn't >>> catch such a problem. I guess that web support had minimal testing. Lots of >>> apps use imbedded web content, though, so this happens in all sorts of apps >>> from Wonder Radio to Net Flix. >>> >>> As a final VoiceOver thought, I've noticed that the iPad is experiencing a >>> problem that the iPhone had early on in its life. For those of you with an >>> iPad, lock the screen. Now, put your ear up next to the speaker. Hear that >>> hiss. Now, put your iPad down for 5 minutes and come back. Still hear that >>> hiss? That is the sound of your iPad's audio hardware constantly running >>> and draining your battery. So, while the iPad's battery life is impressive >>> in a continuous run (like watching movies back to back), it sucks in a >>> similar way to the iPhone where you'll go to sleep with a full battery, and >>> wake up with 70% or less. There is no reason for that on an iPad, since the >>> iPad isn't doing sync for Visual Voicemail and all of the other AT&T phone >>> to tower chatter. That open speaker, though, is probably the cause of most >>> of the drain. >>> >>> I'm further discouraged to hear that the iPad won't be receiving an OS >>> update until the Fall. So, I suppose that these VoiceOver issues will stand >>> for at least 4 or 5 months. There will be a new iPhone, and a new version >>> of the OS for everyone else, in about a month. A major OS update almost >>> certainly means an update of VoiceOver. >>> >>> So, in the final analysis, the larger screen makes the iPad harder to work >>> for me, and VoiceOver has more problems than on an iPhone. The larger >>> battery is nice, but that isn't enough. In my mind, the iPhone is all the >>> iPad that a blind user needs. >>> >>> If you are thinking of returning yours, better decide fast. You only have >>> 14 days after receiving your iPad to return it, and, even then, you must >>> pay a 10% restocking fee. >>> >>> The iPad is an interesting device, but I'd just rather use an iPhone, I >>> think. >>> >>> Bryan >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@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. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@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. >> >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@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. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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