Hi, Clearly, at some point, you are going to transition to using magnification. Potentially, further down the line, you may have to then transition once again to using a screen reader. While this may well be a few computers later, you would have to invest in both products on the Windows side! Your total costs would actually be lower over all with a Mac.
In terms of tasks taking time, the Mac operating system makes things very much faster than Windows, particularly around boot up time. I can't comment on visuals though! Cheers Dave On 6 Oct 2010, at 17:39, David Goodwin wrote: Hi all, I'm a new member here, and like many before me am pondering whether to make the switch from a PC to a Mac. A browse of the list archives shows that this is a well-trodden path, but I have a few specific questions that don't appear to be quite so well-trodden. Firstly a little background. I have been using PCs for nearly twenty years. During that time I have built most of my home PCs (nearly always to a very high specification) and have passed through every Microsoft operating system from DOS to Windows 7. I am also a little nerdish when it comes to following developments and trends in IT. So, I'd like to think that I know my way around a PC in regard to hardware, software and peripherals. However, my experience with Macs is limited to a few months use about 15 years ago. I'm guessing that I should probably dismiss as out of date any views I might still be holding onto from that time <smile>. Having said that, in the past 6 months I have bought an iPod Touch, an iPad and an iPhone 4. These were bought after I had seen just how accessible iOS devices were straight out of the box. My experience with these iDevices has been a revelation and a joy, and probably explains why I am now considering the desktop switch as well. However, after 20 years, I know exactly how to get the most out a PC in terms of accessibility. The hardware I use, the operating system configuration and the choice and personalisation of third party applications has been fine-tuned to provide me with the best possible experience. But, that experience is still far from perfect, and raises new challenges and barriers as my sight continues to worsen. On the subject of my sight. I am registered as legally blind, but have enough residual vision to be able to use a PC without a screen reader or magnification. What I do rely on, however, is a large monitor running at low resolution (800x600) and a high contrast, white on black, colour scheme. Much of the software I use has also been chosen because I can tweak its appearance. I am aware that this arrangement becomes less satisfactory by the month. The move to using screen magnification seems a logical (and looming) next step. This is one reason why I am now considering a Mac. Although the initial purchase cost is significantly higher than a PC, the built-in accessibility features appear to offer a viable alternative to the commercial options available for PC users. So, finally, here are a couple of questions - firstly, just how consistent is the white on black colour scheme on the Mac? This has perhaps been my biggest issue with a PC for many years, as the number of applications that work with my preferred colours seems to fall by the year. Many applications stubbornly refuse to use any other colours than whose hardcoded into it by the developers, or at worst make a total mess of inheriting my preferred colours. In the latter case this can often result in white on white or black on black. Is this issue present on Macs? Also, would running at a 800x600 screen resolution still be an option (at least until the time when I finally surrender to screen magnification)? Finally for now, and not really on an accessibility issue, does the Mac Mini offer enough performance? Sorry, I know that this question is kind of subjective, but I have had some experience recently on a net-top PC (atom powered) that has made me all too aware of how much I hate slow start-ups and the lag between clicking on an icon and actually being able to use that application. I'm not planning on doing any resource-hungry tasks, so it is mostly web and email use I am worried about. I am sorry for the long post, but hopefully the background stuff will help you to appreciate where I am at. Thanks David -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
