What an Ultra-Portable Might Mean for Visually Impaired Users
— ♣More and more news and rumor sites are reporting the same thing: "Apple is poised to announce an ultra-portable MacBook at January’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco."
It’s a familiar story. Apple fans have been calling for Apple to reenter the ultra-portable PC market for years, (something that didn’t go well for Apple a dozen years ago with it’s failed Newton portable). There’ve been rumors like this one before. But this time, it seems there might be something to it. Everyone from Mac rumor sites to Wall Street analysts are predicting it. So, what would such a device mean to the blind and visually impaired community?
Visually impaired computer users have always been partial to their notetakers. A great many models and varieties have come and gone over the years, including Braille’n’Speak, Braille Lite, Eureka A4, Aria, PocketBraille, Braille-Sense, Voice-Sense, and the PacMate family of portables…and that’s just a sampling. The biggest problem with all of these devices was a lack of bang for your buck. You were paying a premium price for the same computing power that sighted computer users could get for one-quarter of the cost of these gadgets…or less.
If Apple releases a ultra-portable MacBook, it would be running Mac OS X. Leopard not only includes VoiceOver but now has Braille support as well. Apple’s even made sure that it supports the PacMate portable Braille displays, which can be purchased separately from the PacMate notetakers. The upshot to all of this, is that blind and visually impaired users may finally get a light, portable device that is accessible right out of the box, without paying a substantial markup for the access.
If this happens, it will be one more huge reason for visually impaired users to make the switch. Here’s hoping.