We learned earlier this month that a new Apple store was coming to Osaka, Japan, and the company has today shared photos ahead of Saturday’s official opening. Accessibility is cited a key factor in the store design.
Apple says that the Today at Apple workshops offered there will include one on taking advantage of Apple Intelligence features …
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There’s no shortage of rumors about Apple’s plans to release camera-equipped wearables. And while it’s easy to get fatigued by yet another wave of upcoming AI-powered hardware, one powerful use case often gets lost in the shuffle: accessibility.
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Apple today previewed a wide array of new accessibility features launching as part of iOS 19 this fall. As part of this broader announcement, Apple also detailed a pair of changes coming to CarPlay.
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In a press release this morning, Apple announced its suite of new accessibility features coming to the iPhone later this year. This includes Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, a new Magnifier app for Mac, and more.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal (Apple News+ link) today dives deeper into another accessibility breakthrough Apple is developing: the ability to control your iPhone with your brain.
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Ahead of WWDC kicking off in June, Apple today has officially unveiled this year’s new accessibility features for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. The features come as Apple celebrates 40 years of accessibility innovation, with the company originally opening its office of disability in 1985.
“At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”
These features are destined for Apple’s forthcoming iOS 19 and macOS 16 updates, which will be announced at WWDC next month. Apple, however, does not specifically refer to “iOS 19’ prematurely. This year’s new accessibility features include Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, a new Magnifier app for Mac, major updates to Apple’s Personal Voice feature, and more.
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Apple has a strong culture of secrecy, so when it shares details about its behind-the-scenes projects and processes, it’s a special treat. Today the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast has published one such treat. The latest episode features Apple staffers going in-depth on the company’s Accessibility and Health work, including AI and research developments that have powered recent features for AirPods Pro, Apple Watch, and more.
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A new accessibility program based on an app for deaf and hard of hearing users is being tested on the New York MTA system. It will provide riders with instant access to a live sign language interpreter when engaging with staff.
The approach means that any member of Metropolitan Transit Authority will be able to help with directions and other queries without the need for any ASL skills themselves …
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Apple puts a lot of effort into promoting accessibility with things like the hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro. This time, however, the company showed an example of how the iPhone’s Action Mode has been helping people with Parkinson’s in their routines.
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Apple last week launched Final Cut Pro 11, and the company clearly consider the new features offered to be a big deal. The last time Apple did a full version number change was the launch of Final Cut Pro X (aka FCP 10) way back in 2011.
Final Cut Pro 11 includes eight new features, and the AI-driven automatic caption feature was one of the headline ones …
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As reported last week, Apple’s global head of accessibility Sarah Herrlinger spoke this Tuesday at the Web Summit Lisbon 2024. At the event, Herrlinger talked about everything Apple has been doing to make its devices easy to use for anyone and also highlighted the use of AI to help people with disabilities.
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This year’s Web Summit Lisbon kicks off next week, and guests will have the chance to attend a talk by Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s current global head of accessibility. Unsurprisingly, the presentation will discuss how Apple considers accessibility when building its products.
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A new Apple film entitled The Relay features athletes with and without disabilities competing against each other in a range of events.
The film was released ahead of next week’s 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, and of course includes Apple tech which helps the athletes train and prepare …
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Did you know that iOS includes built-in ambient noise options? Third-party white noise apps are great, but if you don’t need the extra features they offer, Apple’s own solution is already on your device at no extra cost. And in iOS 18, two new background sounds have been added to the lineup: Fire and Night.
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A disability campaigner has highlighted what he says is a huge accessibility breakthrough with Voice Control in the latest iPhone and Mac betas.
He said that what may sound like a small improvement is a massive improvement to those who, like him, rely on voice to control their iPhone, iPad, and Mac …
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The Apple podcast transcription feature was officially launched in iOS 17.4, but the company says that it actually introduced a very limited version way back in 2018.
Apple says that it took so long to launch as a fully-fledged accessibility feature because the company wanted to make it universal, and to incorporate learnings from Apple Music lyrics …
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It’s still a few weeks until WWDC, but Apple has already pre-announced some of the innovative features coming to iOS 18, visionOS 2, and its other platforms via an accessibility news drop. Later this year we’ll be getting Vision Pro-style eye tracking on iPad and iPhone, powerful Vocal Shortcuts to create custom device voice commands, Live Captions for augmented reality on visionOS, and a hands-free CarPlay mode.
One other iOS 18 feature announced, which is sure to be beneficial to an especially broad array of users, is called Vehicle Motion Cues. This feature aims to reduce or eliminate motion sickness for iPhone users riding in the car.
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The iOS 18 accessibility features yesterday previewed by Apple have been hailed as “life-changing” by a disability campaigner.
Accessibility advocate Colin Hughes praised Apple for responding to a key request he made via 9to5Mac back in March …
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Today amid a wealth of accessibility announcements, including hands-free CarPlay and the futuristic Live Captions on Vision Pro, Apple announced that iOS 18 would be introducing a powerful new voice feature. Vocal Shortcuts will enable system-wide action triggers based on custom phrases you set, with no need to say “Siri.”
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Today in advance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple outlined a variety of exciting new accessibility updates coming to its platforms later this year. From bringing the Vision Pro’s eye tracking tech to the iPad and iPhone, to music haptics, and more.
One new accessibility feature coming to Vision Pro users is Live Captions. Built especially for the deaf or hard of hearing, Live Captions will—as the name implies—take everything being spoken around you and present it in written form, all in real-time.
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Apple today announced new accessibility features that will debut later this year in iOS 18 and its other operating systems (although as usual, Apple does not specifically refer to ‘iOS 18’ prematurely).
The headline addition is Eye Tracking, which will allow iPhone and iPad users with physical disabilities to control their devices just by looking at it with their eyes, with a new iOS gaze system somewhat similar to Vision Pro. Other new features include music haptics, Vehicle Motion Cues, and more …
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The new Sonos app launched today and was met with swift and intense backlash for removing many features and capabilities that long-standing customers value. While the company made an official statement on the matter, it hasn’t appeared to address a concerning issue – the update has broken accessibility for visually impaired users.
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Disability campaigner Colin Hughes has described eight ways that AI accessibility features could turbo-boost the experience of using Apple products this year.
Hughes – who is quadriplegic, and previously shared with us the ways in which Apple tech helps him in his daily life – is excited by the company’s focus on artificial intelligence …
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Apple launched two amazing new accessibility features this year called Personal Voice and Live Speech. They allow users to not only create and securely store a replica of their voice but also to allow iPhone to speak for them. Today Apple has shared the moving story of a disability advocate and physician who has found himself using the feature along with a new video that he narrates with is own Personal Voice called “The Lost Voice”.
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Disabled people who rely on Apple’s accessibility features say that Voice Control has fallen behind Siri in both accuracy and capabilities, despite being an essential rather than a nice-to-have.
They say it’s frustrating to see the Cupertino company continue to make improvements to Siri, while Voice Control – which is key to many disabled people being able to use Apple tech – has apparently been forgotten …
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