Hi Kolby,
I bought my MacBook Pro about a month ago, and am largely happy. But
there are a few important things to know. 1) VO doesn't work with all
programs, notably MS Word. I was surprised that such an industry
standard requires finding workarounds every time you open a document,
which isn't ideal when doing collaborative writing projects or comment
on hundreds of papers electronically as I do. Whether this is Apple's
or Microsoft's fault, the bottom line is that Word files need to be
"translated" through programs like "Preview" (which comes installed)
or Pages in iworks, which requires laying out another $50 or $60.
Some say the new freeware version of Open Office works better; I
haven't tried, so I'd love to hear from someone who writes and edits a
lot. Even if it works better than the paid version, I suspect other
features get lost - alas, you get what you pay for. 2) the
portability features seem terrific but you should consider which
environments you'll be wanting to access because at least for now the
Mac market is quite small in comparison to PCs, so the number of
computers where your USB settings will work is fairly small. 3) VO is
very good, but it isn't JAWS or ZoomText. Many of us dream of a day
when we can use out-of-the-box technology just like everyone else;
we're much, much closer, but that day isn't there yet. 4) The user
support is limited for VO. This discussion list is excellent, but I
still have a growing list of questions that people can't answer and
that are impossible to look up. Even the in-depth manual isn't *that*
in-depth. This means there's a kind of pioneer spirit to the whole
thing, with people figuring out this and that just like they would
sort out how to repair a wagon wheel a thousand miles from
civilization. That's exciting, hip, and creative, but sometimes you
just want a simple answer to a nagging problem that's still beyond
even the best macvisionaries. All that said, I'm enjoying my new
machine.
Best,
Cathyk
On Jun 16, 2:10 pm, Pete Nalda <lpna...@gmail.com> wrote:
> First off, don't worry about what may be going on at the moment, with the
> update. Mac OS is still so much easier in general to deal with than windows
> and its various screen readers. This may not apply for everyone on here but
> to me the choice was economical. Every time there was a new version of
> windows, I'd have to purchase a new version ("upgrade") of ZoomText. I got
> tired of playing that game. Every time I buy a new version of Mac OSX, I get
> a new version of Zoom *and* VoiceOver :)
>
> On Jun 16, 2010, at 3:21 PM, Kolby Garrison wrote:
>
> > Hello Everyone,
> > I am considering purchasing a mac book pro, and I wanted to know what
> > satisfied mac users have to say about the pros and cons of mac and windows.
> > I have been researching voiceover, and it sounds like a very stable screen
> > reading solution. I like the portable preferences feature, and from what I
> > have read thus far I do believe that a mac book pro will be purchased in my
> > very near future. I will go to an apple store for some hands on time with a
> > mac, but if anyone would share your mac experiences with me I would
> > appreciate it. I know that there will be a learning curve going from the
> > windows operating system to the mac operating system, but I am ready and
> > willing to learn all that I can.
> > Thank you,
> > Kolby
>
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> Egun On, Lagunak! (Basque for G'day, Mates)
> Pete Naldahttp://www.myspace.com/musikonaldahttp://www.facebook.com/lpnalda
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