[nabs-l] VoiceOver Vs. Jaws?

[Bryan Duarte]

Hello Sofia,

I am a Mac user and love everything about the Mac operating system except for one thing, word processing. Unfortunately the iWork suite which is Apples version of Microsoft Office is not that great when it comes to word processing especially if you are use to Microsoft Word. If there is anything Microsoft got right it is their Office suite of tools. 

I will say this though, Microsoft has finally released a version of Office which is accessible on the Mac using Voiceover. Even though this is the case I still have to say it is not the same as using it on a Windows machine using Jaws. Jaws has had a running agreement with Microsoft for years which has allowed them to develop their tools with the newest releases of Office so you will find so much more accessibility using these things together. 

Here is my final summary, If you are looking for a machine that is predominately going to be used to handle word processing tasks, research, and/or simple computer functions then a Windows machine running either Jaws, Window Eyes, or NVDA might be your best bet due to the reasons I stated above.

On the other hand if you are looking for a computer capable of giving you slightly less advanced word processing capability, research, access to millions of applications in the app store, easy to access interface, and an over all positive experience a Mac might be right up your ally. Now let me clarify something here, a Mac can handle advanced word processing its just not as easy and well documented as it is using Jaws on a Windows machine. I use Word everyday on my Mac but I mostly write it in Text Editor first then move it to Word for formatting and sharing so it is doable. I hope this helps out a little bit. 

Go Devils!

Bryan Duarte
ASU Software Engineering Graduate Student
QwikEyes CEO



> On Jan 30, 2016, at 2:07 PM, Sofia Gallo via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> So, I am a college student currently using jaws 15 and Windows 8.1.
> However, I am seriously considering switching to a mac when I have to
> change my laptop so I don't have to buy the extra screen reader again.
> However, I've been discouraged from doing so by people who claim that
> Jaws can do more than voiceover.
> 
> So, for those who have experience with both, is there anything you
> can't do with voiceover that you can do with Jaws? I have pretty
> advanced computer skills and do a lot of document formatting and
> internet browsing.
> 
> I use voiceover with my iphone, but I don't have to format papers and
> do advanced browsing online so I don't know how voiceover works for
> more "serious" stuff.
> 
> I tried to look this up online first but didn't get anything.
> 
> Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
> 
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