GAAD: Apple Software Updates Designed for People with Disabilities

    Global Accessibility Awareness Day, GAAD, is a day dedicated to focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments. It is celebrated annually and highlights that accessibility is a fundamental right.  

    In line with GAAD, Apple released a preview of several software updates specifically designed for people with disabilities such as SignTime which allows Apple customers and users to remotely access on-demand Sign Language interpreters or an update to the Apple Watch which will allow users to navigate Assistive Touch. Other updates include eye-tracking support for the iPad, exploring images with VoiceOver, new bi-directional hearing aids which enable those who are deaf or hard of hearing to have hands-free phone and FaceTime conversations, the ability to import audiograms to customize the settings within Headphone Accommodations, new background sounds to help minimize distractions, sound actions for Switch Control, more customizable Display and Text Size settings for colorblindness or visual impairments and New Memoji customizations to widen their representation of individuals with varying needs.

To read more about these updates, click the link below to access the full article.

Apple Software Preview Article Link 

Source: Apple, GAAD  

Friday "Appy" Hour: A First Look at iOS 11 on the iPad Pro

WWDC 2017 has created quite a buzz as Apple officially announced the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro and iOS 11, set to release in the fall of this year alongside the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 7S. With this latest iOS update comes improvements in the "core technologies" and many improvements for user productivity. Some of these enhancements are among them are new, improved productivity solutions for iPad, but other enhancements coming are:

• Apple Pay will now feature person to person transactions
• Siri will now feature a more natural, human sounding voice and expand the languages translations can be provided in
• Images in the camera app will take up less space and offer more high quality options and special effects
• A redesigned Apple Control Center and iTunes Store
• A drag and drop dock which mirrors the Mac
• Files app provides a file management system 
• Indoor maps to use within venues and public places like malls and airports
• Maps has added new safety measures to limit distractions while driving and provide a more interactive guidance system when utilizing navigation
• Multi-room support for Apple Music and similar to apps like Spotify, users will be able to see what friends are listening to
• The ability to blend virtual reality using ARKit

To learn more about these latest enhancements, click here to read The Verge's article focused on the Apple announcements or watch the video below. 

Source: The Verge