MostlyBlindGamer 5 points 1y ago
Apart from the publication's implicit bias, I'd say a few of these claims fall apart when confronted with reality.
Find me an accessible graphing calculator app on macOS and a proctor who will let a student freely pull out a laptop for a test.
Even more common, I think we all know how often Word documents are mangled by other editors and that Word works best on Windows with JAWS.
Not to mention the wonderful adventure that is installing required software that only works on Windows, moreso with the newer ARM-based Macs.
macOS Big Sur and later don't support Braille displays over Bluetooth and have issues, even over USB.
That being said, I use a Mac, as a professional, for some of the reasons that are listed in the article. It does actually just work and it's cheaper and easier to manage then buying and maintaining Fusion or JAWS and ZoomText on Windows and more seamless than NVDA. It would also make sense for a sighted person in my line of work, anyway.
The bottom line is they might be the way to go and they might not - it's best to experiment before committing.
bonouser826 3 points 1y ago
While this article has some good points, these claims are not entirely true. I am a blind student, and I also use both MacOS and Windows on a daily basis. Here are my thoughts:
1: Macs are not better simply because they cost more. There are many Windows machines that have better specs than the base-model Mac under $1,000. Many colleges and universities also provide Microsoft 365, which comes with the full suite of Microsoft's productivity apps, as well as storage space and access to the cloud. This is available for every student, and can be installed on up to three computers, I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). It should also be noted that JAWS and ZoomText are not essential to operating any Windows Machine. There are free, viable alternatives built into Windows. The magnification has gotten much better in Windows 10, and so has Narrator. While Narrator certainly can't be recommended to use exclusively, it will enable a blind person to set up Windows and download a better screen-reader. Without question, the best free alternative to JAWS is NVDA. JAWS is only needed for very specific tasks such as computer programming. If a blind student is doing basic things with their machine, such as completing papers, checking emails, etc., there is no reason why JAWS should have to be purchased. If for some reason the blind student wants or needs JAWS, there are programs that can help them afford the cost.
2: Not everyone can be invested in the Apple ecosystem. While the continuity and compatibility between Apple devices is great, a big drawback is that not all apps that a student could need are compatible with a Mac. I myself have never had compatibility issues, but in majors where special apps and programs are required to complete assignments, this could be a huge problem. It's always good to know what kind of work a blind student would like to go into prior to purchasing a computer, because the potential of spending $1,000 or more on a machine that may not be compatible with required apps is not a situation anyone would want to be in.
3: Many performance claims about Macs are inaccurate. Yes, Macs just work, and there's no denying that. However, how long a computer lasts depends a lot on the processor and RAM a computer has. Sometimes, the RAM can be upgraded, but before buying any computer, it's good to know what to buy beforehand. While it is no secret that Apple puts the best hardware into their devices, things that should be upgradeable are not, because they're saughtered to the motherboard in recent versions of MacBooks. It's also worth noting that Intel MacBooks manufactured from 2016-2020 have cooling issues, which impacts performance. There has been some speculation this was done intentionally, especially to MacBook Airs and base-model MacBook Pros to give the upgraded MacBook Pros a "boost" in performance, simply because there's no throddling.
These are just my initial thoughts after reading this article. I'm pretty sure I'll think of something else to add to this long-winded answer. I'm not saying in the slightest that Macs are bad. I own a MacBook myself, and I love it. But I also run a Windows 10 virtual machine on it using VMWare Fusion, because I use Windows quite heavily as well. I hope this gives a little more insight into another perspective.
Laser_Lens_4 2 points 1y ago
As somebody who uses a Bluetooth braille display daily, I strongly disagree
casserole_cat 0 points 1y ago
Mac books suck ass and they are crazy expensive. I got a Microsoft pro for way less and holy shit why aren’t they advertised more!? It’s so much better than anything apple could ever do. I still got my iPhone that is ok but when it breaks I’m seriously thinking of switching to a different phone that isn’t apple