[nabs-l] Does anyone use a MacBook or MacBook Pro for school?

Fri Feb 26 23:28:05 UTC 2010

I did a quick check using retail online pricing.
The JAWS professional software costs $1,095.00 at the Freedom
Scientific online store.
THen in order to keep current there is a yearly SMA cost of $260.00.
Since Apple has not released a NetBook we cannot compare Netbooks.
HOwever Apple will begin selling the IPad at the end of March for $499
which will be comparable and better than  a Netbook. The  IPad will
have the same accessibility using VoiceOver as the IPhone at no extra
cost.
 A non-Netbook WIndows laptop can be had for say $550 retail.
If one then adds screen reading software plus a productivity suite it
would seem  that we are at least $1800 for a system.

The Macbook laptop costs $999 retail.

With the Macbook one already  has built-in accessibility plus core
productivity functions including mail, text processing, address
management, and calendaring. One can add IWOrk for the Mac at $80 and
get Pages (word processor compatible with Microsoft WOrd) Numbers
(spreadsheet compatible with Excel) and Keynote (presentations
including powerpoint compatibility).

The Apple Mac Mini can be purchased for $599.00.  The Mini is a 2
pound very small system that is not battery powered. I use the Mini
because I can throw it in a backpack and it takes up about the quarter
of the room of a laptop.
 THe cool thing is that one doesn't need to attach a monitor if one
attaches a very short Apple provided converter cable to the Mini.

In the pricing discussions it is important to focus not only on the
hardware but the software as well.

On 2/26/10, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com> wrote:
> Sally,
>
> Please allow me to both agree with Darrell and maybe muddy the waters
> further.  It the school uses MACS, it may still be wise to see what software
> they are using on
> the MACS to determine if it is accessible.  For example, if a school makes
> heavy use of Microsoft Office on the MAC, a blind student might be better
> off with a
> Windows computer with Microsoft Office installed as Microsoft Word is, to my
> knowledge, not accessible on the MAC.  In other words, the hardware and the
> software must both be considered.  What is the school using for class web
> sites, and can web sites be used with one computer better than the other?
> These are
> not questions that will necessarily give MAC or Windows the upper hand, but
> they need to be explored since he'll be in that school system for a few
> years to come.
>
> I don't think any objective person would try to say that either MAC or
> Windows are flat out better because it is more complicated than that.  At
> this point, there are
> more accessible applications running on Windows, but one doesn't run "all
> accessible applications" only the ones they are interested in, so if what he
> needs to do
> on the MAC is accessible, then it may not matter.  Apple, on the other hand,
> has more control over the applications written for the MAC, so in some
> cases,
> accessibility is probably more stable.  I say all this only to illustrate
> the complexity.
>
> VoiceOver is included with the MAC as has been said.  However, when buying
> computers for my kids, I found that MACBooks were substantially more
> expensive
> than Windows laptops.  One can argue correctly that you might get more, but
> the fact remains that you will probably pay more.  A Windows laptop with a
> screen
> reader will likely cost you more, though, than a MACBook, in all fairness,
> but at least when I looked, the total costs made the fact that VoiceOver was
> included
> somewhat less significant.  This may have changed, though.
>
> These are not the kind of clear answers you are looking for, but please ask
> if you have more questions.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve
>
> On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:45:41 -0700, Darrell Shandrow wrote:
>
>>Hello Sally,
>
>>As with many things inside and outside the assistive technology arena, a
>>judgment of which solution is the "best" for any particular application can
>>be subjective.
>>
>>If your son is able to complete his school work on terms of equality with
>>his sighted peers, then the solution is best for his needs. If he is not,
>>then, perhaps, some modification is in order.
>
>>Many schools continue to rely on Apple for all or most of their technology,
>>so your son's ability to use the same computer as other kids at school is
>>probably a big help to him, his teachers and the school's support staff.
>
>>On the other hand, if the school relies on Windows, then he might want to
>>consider switching to a screen reader like System Access, Window-Eyes or
>>JAWS.
>
>>Hope this helps.
>
>>Regards,
>
>>Darrell
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>>Of Sally Thomas
>>Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 6:34 PM
>>To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>Subject: [nabs-l] Does anyone use a MacBook or MacBook Pro for school?
>
>>Hi,
>
>>I'm the parent of a blind 13 year old.  He tells me that the screen reader
>>on the MacBook is great and that it is better than using a Windows computer
>>with JAWS.  I'm curious whether or not this is true.  Have any of you used
>>both?  How do they compare?  Which do you prefer?  Any insight you have
>>would be greatly appreciated.
>
>>Sally Thomas
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>
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