There was a special Apple event in Cupertino on the 20th of October entitled "Back To The Mac". We were treated to a plethora of Mac-related announcements which have plenty of fantastic accessibility implications. I'm going to briefly run down what each announcement was, and why it matters for Mac accessibility.

State Of The Mac

Firstly Apple's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Tim Cook told us how the Mac was faring as a platform and the news is very good. There are more Mac users and Mac developers than ever before, and Apple is making plenty of money off all of us. The full information is available in MacLife's article: State of the Mac: "The Momentum Has Never Been More".

Why does this matter for accessibility: Firstly, there's no danger that Macs and OS X will be going away which is of course good! The iDevices and iOS are great but they don't do everything that everybody needs and it wouldn't be good if OS X disappeared at this point.

The fact that Apple as a company is making plenty of profit, despite the world economy, is good news for accessibility because unfortunately accessibility progress is often one of those not-very-visible things which tends to be cut back if a company hurting. This is obviously not something that Apple users need to be worrying about just now!

iLife '11

The newest edition of the iLife suite (including iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand) will be iLife '11, and is available immediately. Improvements to the iLife suite include full screen modes for iPhoto, more ways to create iPhoto slideshows, audio filters and a 'movie trailer' mode for iMovie. GarageBand will sport some timing "fixer" technology knows as GrooveMatching and Flex Time, as well as new amplifiers and instrument lessons for aspiring piano and guitar players.

It wasn't announced on the day of the event, but Maccessibility reports that iLife '11 also sports significant accessibility improvements, especially accessibility improvements in GarageBand. They don't cite their sources but Maccessibility are known for generally being accurate.

iLife '11 requires that you use the Snow Leopard operating system, and is available now for US$49 for an individual installation and US$79 for a family pack.

FaceTime Now Available For Mac

FaceTime, the video phoning application available on the iPhone 4 and newest iPod Touch, is now available for the Mac computer also. The downloadable version is still in beta so it may have a few problems, but it has been reported by members of the MacVoiceover list to be fully accessible to VoiceOver users.

Because FaceTime can be used to call people via a regular mobile phone number as well as via an email address, and is available on the very portable iPhone 4, it has been eagerly used by the Deaf community for video phoning. Having the service available on the Mac will be a huge bonus to Deaf users who don't have access to an iPhone 4 but know people who do, as well as to others who have family and friends with iPhone 4 or the new iPod Touch which also uses FaceTime.

FaceTime is free for Mac users and you can download it right now!

OS X 10.7 Lion Preview

After OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will be OS X 10.7 Lion, expected to be available in mid 2011.

Lion will import some of iOS's good features back into OS X, including more multitouch gestures, a new Mac App Store, app home screens, full-screen apps with no menu bar at the top, auto save and apps that resume where they left off when relaunched.

Some of these things have accessibility potential for those with neurological impairment: things like auto-save and resuming where you left off when you launch an app make memory problems less of a problem. The simplicity of getting apps via a Mac App Store which takes care of downloading and installing for you means there's one less infrequently-done task to learn and remember, a bonus for those new to the Mac as well as an accessibility boon.

Multi-touch gestures that match those used on the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone will be great for some users - I use the mouse extensively myself and find gestures are fantastic. Unfortunately these require a high level of fine motor control in multiple fingers, so multi-touch is generally not very accessible to several groups including those who must use a stylus or a mouth stick, and are completely out for those who can't use a trackpad but need an alternative pointing device such as a joystick or trackball. Hopefully all multi-touch gestures will be implemented with keyboard equivalents so that users aren't left out in the cold.

The Mac App Store could also make it easier to spread the news about accessible apps and apps to aid accessibility, as has happened with the existing App Store. This would undoubtedly be a good thing, but I am concerned that app developers may be the losers in this new scenario - several things about the iOS App Store are very difficult for developers to manage and I wouldn't like to see developers give up on their accessibility apps for the OS X platform because of App Store issues. Hopefully this will not be an issue, but it does concern me. We won't have to wait long to find out: The Mac App Store will be launching for Snow Leopard within 90 days!

Also new to OS X Lion will be Launch Pad: a new way to launch apps from your desktop, similar to how it's already done on the iPad. This means that users can keep commonly used apps right in front of them without cluttering up the dock - another win for easy usability which also helps those with neurological issues.

A final new feature called Mission Control was also described but I can't tell you how easy it is to use because I didn't understand it! It has elements of Spaces, Expos and the Dashboard all mixed together, and I hope it's useful.

New MacBook Air Models

Two new Macbook Air laptops were announced, one 13.3 inch model and one 11.6 inch model. These don't have touch screens but were described by Steve Jobs as what happens when "an iPod hooks up with a MacBook"!

The 13 inch model is a tiny 2.9 pounds, and it shares many great features with the iPad: the ability to instantly start up, offering great battery life (7 hours of use has been quoted), amazing standby time, solid state storage with no optical or hard drives, and it's thinner and lighter than ever. The 11.6 inch model is pretty much the same, but with more of the "smaller and lighter" at only 2.5 pounds, and with a bit less battery life because there's less battery fitting in there.

For those who find the iPad is not accessible due to their disabilities, or those who just don't like typing on an iPad, these new laptops look to be a fantastic option. With instant start-up they will be great for taking notes in class, for use as communication devices, and other situations where waiting a few minutes for your laptop to boot just isn't sensible.

Having only solid state storage ("flash memory" like your iPhone, iPad, or camera has) and no hard drive or CD/DVD drive means the laptops are small and light but also that they have very few moving parts except the keyboard itself - Apple hasn't said so but I strongly suspect they will be more robust because of this. We've seen how much an iPod Touch or iPad can survive being dropped or otherwise battered around in daily use - imagine a laptop that would probably be OK if knocked off a desk or wheelchair tray! And of course smaller and lighter laptops mean less mounting equipment is needed for those with special positioning requirements.

I think that these new laptops will be "the iPad for switch users", and others who need non-standard input devices that the iPads don't cope with yet. I still hope, of course, that the iPad will grow into coping with a wider variety of input devices but these new MacBook Air devices are a "mid point" between the regular MacBooks and the iPads in terms of size and weight. You can get a glimpse of it in MacLife's First Look at the 11.6" MacBook Air article.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air starts at US$999 with 64GB (US$1199 for 128GB) while the 13.3-inch model starts at US$1299 with 128GB and is also available with 256GB for US$1599. Both models are shipping now.

And so...

All in all, these announcements are a huge win for accessibility for Macs and Mac users in multiple ways. I am thrilled to see that Apple's commitment to accessibility continues unabated, and that their passion for Universal Design rubs off in the direction of accessibility so very often.

Which announcement are you most excited about? I really really wish I could get myself one of those teeny tiny laptops, but in the absence of a spare thousand dollars I'm most excited about OS X 10.7 Lion and the new iLife '11. Those are things I can actually use, and use soon.

Here's to the future!

- Ricky Buchanan

This is Juergen Manthey:

In October 2004 I suffered a brain stem infarct causing locked-in syndrome. We were at a land-rover meet up. I had a bit of a headache in the evening, which got progressively worse. Shortly after that, my body suddenly became paralysed (kind of like suddenly going from 100 to 0). I experienced all the symptoms of locked-in syndrome: complete paralysis of all muscles except my eyes.

After four years, I am able to sit, talk quietly, and move my head, and that's it.

(Note: the quotes in this article are all Juergen's own words, translated from the German text on his website by a friend of mine and used with his approval.)

Although he can talk quietly, Juergen still needs assistive communication software to communicate. So without accessible computing devices and software his activities would probably be limited to sitting in his wheelchair and watching TV or listening to the radio. Luckily, assistive technology exists. Juergen uses assistive technology to communicate, to control devices that let him have some physical independence, and to use his computer. He has his own website, he uses chat programs and Twitter and writes email, and he spends time with his family and friends.

Juergen does all his computing on Mac devices - he owns an iMac, a Modbook (a commercially adapted MacBook with the keyboard removed), and an AppleTV! But he wasn't always an Apple guy:

About two years ago I had my first experiences with a Macintosh computer. I was so thrilled with the easy handling and speed that I switched from using PCs to Apple. So far, I haven't regretted it - all the problems I had using Windows are gone now.

When you're using your computer to communicate, having it crash or lock up means losing your voice. Additionally, when you can't press the power button without help, whenever the computer needs physical rebooting you need to ask for help and wait for somebody to come and help you. For many people with a disability - including myself - the reliability of a Mac computer is a significant part of the appeal.

My configuration includes:

• Origin Headmouse Extreme.
• Logitech bluetooth mouse for clicking
• KeyStrokes on-screen keyboard from AssistiveWare.
• Proloquo communication software from AssistiveWare.

For those unfamiliar with assistive technology, this means he can move the mouse pointer with small head movements and click the mouse button with a small movement of his hand. KeyStrokes puts a picture of the keyboard on screen so Juergen can type by moving the mouse pointer over the letters and predicted words and clicking the mouse to select them. These two together allow the use of any Mac OS X program and - with the word and phrase prediction of KeyStrokes - to type surprisingly fast. In addition, Proloquo assists by having the computer speak the words Juergen types when he wants to communicate - it has many other features such as pre-programmed words and phrases that can be quickly selected.

And because he has a ModBook mounted on his power wheelchair, Juergen can do all of these things from wherever he happens to be - not only when he's at his desk. Here's a photo clearly showing the modbook:

Juergen continues:

In my bedroom I have a TV with AppleTV, which I can synchronise with my iMac. Through that I have access to all my pictures, videos, audio books and music in my bedroom. The simple AppleTV interface is controlled with a Keo remote control.

This means when Juergen is in bed - away from his computer access - he still has plenty to keep himself busy.

I discovered Juergen also has one assistive device I've never seen before - a robot arm! The robot arm from Assistive Innovations is attached to his wheelchair and controlled by a joystick Juergen moves with his chin. Here's the robot arm arranged to hold a drink for him:

The arm can also be delicately controlled to press keys on his computer keyboard, on the rare occasions that something locks up and the on-screen keyboard and head mouse won't do the trick:

This is truly somebody for whom accessible technology has changed his life. Usually, somebody with locked-in syndrome would be expected to exist in a nursing home and watch daytime television which they couldn't even turn on or off without somebody's help. Instead, Juergen is really living. With his robot arm and other technology, he's pushing the limits of what assistive technology can accomplish - and that's truly fantastic.

- Ricky Buchanan, with thanks to Juergen Manthey

Apple's MacBook Pro screens used to come in two varieties - glossy and matte. All new MacBook varieties now have only glossy screens, but their reflective surfaces can cause difficulties for some users.

Updated August 12, 2009: Apple has now re-introduced the matte screen option for 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pro models, although it will cost you US$50 extra.

A glossy screen makes a mirror-like surface which picks up reflections, especially if there is light (such as a window) behind you. These reflections can be easily ignored by most people as they're on a different focal plane to the screen's image - like the difference between looking at a window (you'll see all the dirt on the glass) and looking through a window (you won't notice the dirt). But for some people the reflections are so distracting that the screen is almost unusable. If the reflections are a big problem for you, there are several options.

MacWorld magazine have tested two methods of making the new glossy screens less glare-prone - a modification done by TechRestore which replaces the screen itself with a less glare-prone screen without a glass front, and an anti-glare film which can be applied to the screen by the user like a screen protector film.

The second article, especially, compares the three methods and provides revealing photographs of the screens in glare-prone environments.

Website: Review: Power Support MacBook Pro Anti-Glare Film

- Ricky Buchanan

An ATMac reader, Neil Quinton, has written in with a question about track selection in GarageBand or iTunes for a musician who he works with:

I often do gigs with a 100% blind pianist/singer who currently uses a traditional CD player for navigating his playbacks. I'd like to switch to a MacBook to make life and transport easier. I accompany him as driver, technician and musician.

Ideally he needs a simple keyboard (or remote control) with a series of commands to select a track by number (not stepping through as he has 40-60 songs) preferably in GarageBand (second choice would be iTunes or Logic), which he then can start, from the beginning, with just one key in solo mode.

GarageBand covers some of these points but the catch is always the direct selection of a certain track with keys without any form of scrolling or counting key pushes. He selects his playbacks spontaneously, no fixed song set, using the 1-9, 10+ keys of a CD player.

Do you know of any possible solutions?

Please leave a comment if you have any ideas about solutions Neil and his musician partner could use.

- Ricky Buchanan

Apple doesn't often hold sales, but they seem to have gone out of their way to advertise an international one-day sale for this Friday. Known in the USA as "Black Friday", the Friday after American Thanksgiving is known for having sales with huge discounts. This is an image of the email I received from Apple Australia:

I've seen people reporting similar emails from the USA, Canadian, and NZ Apple stores, as well as the Australian one. I suspect other countries will be in on the deal too - let me know if you've got one! You could also check your local online Apple store to see if they are advertising the sale - that link should take you to your local store automatically.

MacRumours is reporting that Apple retail stores will be able to match the prices of non-Apple retailers this Friday, which may mean big discounts on Apple products.

Amazon.com are also advertising great Black Friday bargains which I expect to include third party computer and electronics gears, as well as all the usual Amazon.com goodies.

If you're planning to buy, you may want to check MacWorld's iPod Buying Guide and Mac Buying Guide to make sure you get the right product.

- Ricky Buchanan