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This blog entry is an opinion piece. It is not a prediction, it is not a technology review, it is not authoritative, I make no claim to be an expert, these are just my thoughts and I'm entitled to them, as you are to yours.
I was a reluctant iPhone purchaser. There are a variety of reasons for this: I didn't want to jump on a bandwagon; I wasn't sure it was worth the expense; I didn't think I had a use for a phone to do anything but make and receive calls.
But one reason I cited from the beginning was that I felt it very possible that Apple would one day get bored with accessibility and leave its blind users stranded.
Could it be that this last concern is starting to be realized?
Now, I'm not saying the sky is falling. I have no insider information, and it might well be that Apple intends to address the host of accessibility issues that have been introduced into iOS 8. So I'm not saying Apple has given up on accessibility. I'm saying I have a concern, and I don't think it is entirely unfounded.
Since the first beta of iOS 8, there has been a slew of VoiceOver bugs. Throughout the beta cycle, through the release of 8, 8.01, and 8.02, and now through the beta cycle for 8.1, Apple has fixed many bugs, but, really, none of the VoiceOver bugs. Maybe it means nothing, but it is markedly different from the iOS 5, 6, and 7 beta cycles, where we did see major VoiceOver bugs addressed and fixed.
Am I frustrated? Very. A lot of the bugs that exist are important to me, personally, and very negatively affect the way I use my iPhone. Your needs may negate the severity of the bugs, but, as they say, mileage will vary. I really hope that these will be addressed sooner, rather than later. Apple has been politely made aware of the bugs' existence, and it's now in their hands. Do bugs of accessibility count in the eyes of Apple? We'll have to see.
Draw your own conclusions, or not. I have not drawn any conclusions, except that I believe there is cause for concern. Should my concern be unfounded, I will be only too happy to admit it and only too happy to embrace a robust iOS 8 version of VoiceOver.
I was a reluctant iPhone purchaser. There are a variety of reasons for this: I didn't want to jump on a bandwagon; I wasn't sure it was worth the expense; I didn't think I had a use for a phone to do anything but make and receive calls.
But one reason I cited from the beginning was that I felt it very possible that Apple would one day get bored with accessibility and leave its blind users stranded.
Could it be that this last concern is starting to be realized?
Now, I'm not saying the sky is falling. I have no insider information, and it might well be that Apple intends to address the host of accessibility issues that have been introduced into iOS 8. So I'm not saying Apple has given up on accessibility. I'm saying I have a concern, and I don't think it is entirely unfounded.
Since the first beta of iOS 8, there has been a slew of VoiceOver bugs. Throughout the beta cycle, through the release of 8, 8.01, and 8.02, and now through the beta cycle for 8.1, Apple has fixed many bugs, but, really, none of the VoiceOver bugs. Maybe it means nothing, but it is markedly different from the iOS 5, 6, and 7 beta cycles, where we did see major VoiceOver bugs addressed and fixed.
Am I frustrated? Very. A lot of the bugs that exist are important to me, personally, and very negatively affect the way I use my iPhone. Your needs may negate the severity of the bugs, but, as they say, mileage will vary. I really hope that these will be addressed sooner, rather than later. Apple has been politely made aware of the bugs' existence, and it's now in their hands. Do bugs of accessibility count in the eyes of Apple? We'll have to see.
Draw your own conclusions, or not. I have not drawn any conclusions, except that I believe there is cause for concern. Should my concern be unfounded, I will be only too happy to admit it and only too happy to embrace a robust iOS 8 version of VoiceOver.
