I finally got around to updating the
News page
of the site today. This is the information from the World Wide Developer Conference from June 8.
Personally, I don’t think there were any surprises. The next version of the Mac OS, El Capitan, was announced and features were demonstrated. This was also the case for iOS 9 and WatchOS 2 for the Apple Watch. Information about the new Apple Music service were detailed, as well as a new news app for iOS and expansions to Apple Pay.
I think I’ve said this before, but what always intriegues me is when these events take place, how many people seem to either infer or outright suggest on the blind Mac and iOS user lists that since Apple doesn’t talk about accessibility enhancements in the keynote, there won’t be any in the new Mac, iOS or Apple Watch updates. Why do people constantly assume this? To my knowledge, only once or twice did VoiceOver ever get any mention in a keynote, so why does one think this will change?
Folks, there will be updates to VoiceOver on the Mac, the iDevices and the Apple Watch. I’m astounded to read the same recycled comments every time Apple holds these events. I highly encourage blind users to try the public betas for El Capitan and iOS 9 and provide plenty of feedback. You can then see for yourself what accessibility enhancements or changes there will be, and have a voice in their evolution and involvement. That is the best way to help the continued progression of VoiceOver in Apple products.