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The influx of new notetakers at the last couple of CSUN conferences is great to see. More choice is always a good thing, as is having fewer, and lighter, devices to cary around to get things done. But what about iOS? Apple positions its iPad Pros as a way to take better notes and a great way to get rid of things on your desk in…

Brought to you by the letter "Control-Option-A".

Before my VoiceOver adventures began, I would tutor my clients on the use of standard shortcut keys and how to discover new keys by looking at the menus. The key-combinations are listed to the right of each menu item. Most of the often-used keys involved the use of the Command key on Mac, or the Control key on Windows. On the Mac, hold down Command with your thumb and press "s" and the current document will be saved. Look at the…

Welcome to the January 2017 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to podcasts and blogs. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (macOS,…

Today has seen another round of software updates from Apple. In addition to the release of iOS 10.2.1, there have also been updates for the Mac, Apple Watch and fourth-generation Apple TV.

At the time of posting, full release notes for these updates are not yet available; however, it is safe to assume that there will be the standard mix of bug fixes, security patches, and…

Apple has today released iOS 10.2.1 to the public.

At the time of posting, release notes are not yet available; however, it’s likely that this release will mostly bring under-the-hood improvements with no major changes in regard to features and operation. We will update this post if this proves not to be the case and there are outward-facing changes of note.

For blind and low vision users, our testing indicates that Apple has made some progress towards addressing…

Welcome to the December 2016 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to podcasts and blogs. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Blindfold Oppoly (iOS, Free With…

Apple has today released iOS 10.2 to the public.

For blind and low vision users, our limited testing suggests that Apple has made continued progress towards addressing the accessibility bugs present in iOS 10. However, despite this progress, our testing also suggests that a number of accessibility bugs have been introduced in this release—one of which we believe to be potentially critical for those who use the Focus line of…

Since it's launch was announced last month, I had been keen to spend some hands-on time with Apple's latest MacBook Pro.

I was curious to find out just how much thinner, lighter and faster it would be compared to my current MacBook Pro; and to test the ‘improved’ keyboard and larger trackpad. But, what I most wanted to try was the Touch Bar; the multi-touch enabled display which has…

Welcome to the October 2016 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to podcasts and blogs. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

New Games from Kid Friendly…

Apple has today released iOS 10,1,1, a minor update that fixes a problem that could prevent some users from viewing data in the native Health app.

According to 9to5Mac, this was an isolated problem that did not effect all users.

As this appears to be a release to fix a specific problem, we do not expect it to include any major new features, changes or…

Apple has today confirmed to us that the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro models is accessible to users of VoiceOver, Zoom, and Switch Control.

This should come as no surprise when you consider Apple’s track record and the fact that the launch of the new MacBooks began with a video showcasing Apple’s commitment to accessibility…

Hello Again

Today, Apple held a press event it called "Hello Again". The company announced a new accessibility website, a new Apple TV feature, and a long-awaited update to its MacBook computers. It may have missed the back-to-school shoppers, but today's announcements arrive just in time for the holiday shopping frenzy. There are some major changes to the MacBook line-up on the way, and while much of what you're about to read is awesome, you may not like all of it. But there's a…

Apple has today released software updates for the Apple Watch and fourth-generation Apple TV.

According to Apple’s release notes for watchOS 3.1 via 9to5Mac, this update includes the following:

• New option to replay bubble and full screen effects in Messages.
• Messages effect can play with Reduce Motion enabled…

Apple has today released iOS 10.1 to the public, bringing with it a range of bug fixes, changes and improvements.

For blind and low vision users, our initial testing suggests that Apple has made limited progress towards addressing the accessibility bugs present in iOS 10. Specifically, we believe the following bugs have been resolved in this release:

• Users of Braille displays should no longer receive extraneous…

Apple has today released iOS 10.0.3 for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users.

The release notes via 9to5Mac for iOS 10.0.3 are:

• Fixes bugs including an issue where some users could temporarily lose cellular connectivity.

According to 9to5Mac the specifics of this problem are:

Today’s update should resolve some…

Voice in the Machine: A dialogue with my Mac, based on actual events from 2012-2013, circa Mavericks.

The blobby, glowing, white-on-black magnified letters are smudging together again. I blink several times, only now realizing I am squinting. I lean back from my MacBook Pro, a dull thudding beginning behind my eyes. It seems like it's getting to that point, my ability to read and write is rapidly disappearing. Gently rubbing my eyes, I decide to take a break.

Almost…

Welcome to the September 2016 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy in the accessible app landscape. Below, you'll find a recap of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to podcasts and blogs. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Amedia NaviRec (iOS, Free…

I considered skipping this iPhone due to the disappearance of the headphone jack, for about one second, then I moved back into reality and took the plunge. Why?

The iPhone 7 is much more than just a missing headphone jack, even for those of us in the connected, online blind community.

Image stabilization on the camera, now in both iPhone models, means it should be easier to receive remote sighted assistance through apps like BeSpecular…

Apple has today released iOS 10.0.2 to address some bugs introduced in last weeks public launch of iOS 10.

According to the release notes via AppleInsider, the full list of changes spotlighted by Apple are:

• Addresses an issue that could prevent headphone audio controls from temporarily not working…

Welcome to Sierra

Today, Apple released a free update to its Mac computers: macOS Sierra. Apart from the new name for this version (Sierra), you'll notice that Apple has re-branded the entire line of the Mac's operating system. No longer is it OS X; it's macOS, to line up with tvOS, watchOS, and iOS. As always, this is a free upgrade, available to anyone with a supported Mac. And, again as always, we urge you to back up important files before upgrading, just in case.

A few…