The post MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote address appeared first on MacDailyNews. Get ready for WWDC 2023, with a jam-packed, keynote address coming to you from Apple Park on June 6th at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT. You can watch Apple’s keynote address live, right on this page, below.

We will add our live notes on this page as well.

The 2023 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off with exciting reveals, inspiration, and new opportunities to continue creating the most innovative apps in the world. Join the worldwide developer community for an in-depth look at the future of Apple platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS — directly from Apple Park.

WWDC 2023 launches with a first look at groundbreaking updates coming to Apple platforms later this year. The keynote address will be available via apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, with on-demand playback available after the conclusion of the stream.

Watch Apple’s WWDC23 keynote address right here:

Open the video in another browser window or tab (video link), so that you can follow our live notes of Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote address and comment on today’s news in real time below!

MacDailyNews WWDC 2022 Live Notes (in reverse chronological order):

• Cook ends WWDC23 keynote video

• AAPL: $179.46, $-1.49 (-0.82%) @ 03:06PM EDT

• Apple Vision Pro promo video shown
• Cook recaps today’s announcements

• AAPL: $180.23, -$0.72 (-0.40%) @ 03:03PM EDT

• Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499; available early next year
• Replace a desk full of flat, 2D monitors with Apple Vision Pro
• Apple Vision Pro: Over 5,000 patents filed during development
• Apple’s world class security and privacy
• Eye movements are kept separate and private
• Optic ID (uses your unique IRIS) unlocks Apple Vision Pro (enabling Apple Pay, etc.)
• Apple Vision Pro and visionOS is an all new platform
• Unity apps can easily run natively on visionOS
• Hundreds of thousands of apps will be available for Apple Vision Pro when launched
• APIs let devs make new Spatial Computing apps
• Works with Zoom, WebEx, et.
• Developers have prepared some content for visionOS and Apple Vision Pro

• AAPL: $181.26,+$0.31 (+0.17%) @ 02:55PM EDT

• visionOS is the first OS designed from the ground up for Spatial Computing
• Apple Vision Pro runs visionOS
• Using ML, Apple Vision Pro creates a digital persona that matches your facial and hand movements
• EyeSight projects the correct view of your eyes to everyone in the room
• Apple Vision Pro uses an Apple M2 and an Apple RI that virtually eliminates latency
• No handheld controllers necessary
• Vision Pro advanced sensors track, eyes, head, etc.
• Audio raytracing
• Audio is spatial; totally convincing to your brain
• True 4K resolution
• Custom 3-element lens; the display is everywhere you look
• 23 million pixels across two panels
• Twin Micro OLED displays
• Apple Vison Pro is a wearable spatial computer
• External high-performance battery (keeps weight off your head)
• Adjustment dial controls tightness/looseness of band
• Audio pods (speakers) built into product
• Product can be tailored to fit each user perfectly
• Soft textiles for comfort and wearability
• Contains displays, cameras, high performance computer
• Digital Crown control
• Lightweight. One piece of glass, curved. Button for capturing Spatial photos and videos
• Apple Vision Pro is the result of decades of design experience
• Cook thanks Iger and Disney
• Disney is partnering with Apple to bring Disney+ to Apple Vision Pro on day one
• Watching sports with Apple Vision Pro is like being at the game (or even hovering/flying over the court)
• Will allow Disney to create deeply personal experiences
• Bob Iger, Disney CEO, touts Vision Pro (wearing Apple Watch with Mickey Mouse watch face)

• AAPL: $180.83, -$0.12 (-0.07%) @ 02:40PM EDT

• Apple TV+
• Apple Arcade games (over 100 titles available on day one)
• 3D movies have incredible depth and motion with Vision Pro
• Vision Pro lets you have huge screens with Spatial Audio (Cinema environment also possible wherever you are)
• Spatial videos and photos are immersive
• Vision Pro is Apple’s first 3D camera (lets you relive the real scene, not flat, 3D)
• Photos in Apple Vision Pro is amazing. Room dims and photos can be as large as your room; panoramas are stunning – wrap all around you
• Tethered Battery pack drops in your pocket
• FaceTime becomes spatial
• Vision Pro is perfect for working remotely
• Just look at your Mac and your Mac works in Vision Pro
• Vision Pro works with Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse
• You can see the world clearly with Vision Pro; you can wear it and interact perfectly with others
• Vision Pro is in sync with your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
• Vision Pro frees apps from the confines of a display; your entire world is a space for your apps
• EyeSight reveals your eyes to others looking at you and occludes when you cannot see them
• Siri integrated
• Feels like magic. Subtle, natural, easy gestures
• Apple Vision Pro is all you need – no hand controls, just look and gesture your hands
• Environments transcend your physical space (move from AR to VR)
• Using apps feels natural, like moving real objects
• Your interface is in 3D, in front of you, in your room (or wherever you are)

• AAPL: $183.41, +$2.46 (+1.36%) @ 02:25PM EDT

• Apple Vision Pro introduces Spatial Computing

• Apple Vision Pro
• Tim Cook: One more thing…

• Developer betas of all OSes coming today, public betas next month; full releases this fall

• Screen distance can measure if a child is holding their device too close and remind them to move ti further away
• Vision health: Reduction of myopia (Apple Watch can measure amount of time a child spend in daylight)
• Standardized mental health assessments can be performed via Apple Watch
• Mental health: Log your current emotion via Mindfulness app in watchOS 10
• New Workout APIs for developers
• Maps gets topographic map
• Compass and Maps updated for Hiking with new waypoints
• Cycling workouts form Apple Watch now show up on your iPhone
• Power Zones displayed
• FTP measured
• Cycling gets new features: Apple Watch can connect to Bluetooth-equipped bike sensors

• AAPL: $182.66,+$1.71 (+0.95%) @ 02:10PM EDT.

• Snoopy and Woodstock arrive on Apple Watch
• New watch faces
• Activity app redesigned with corner icons, new full screen views
• Long press to add Widget to the Smart Stack
• New way to view information – turn Digital Crown to reveal Widgets in a Smart Stack (ML shows you relevant info when you need it)
• watchOS 10

• Continuity Camera built into FaceTime on Apple TV
• FaceTime app on Apple TV uses your iPhone or iPad camera and microphone
• FaceTime comes to Apple TV (finally!)
• Memories can be your screensaver
• tvOS 17: completely redesigned Control Center

• SharePlay comes to CarPlay – new devices added in vehicle easily
• AirPlay more seamless than ever. On-device ML learns your AirPlay preferences
• AirPods automatic switching between devices is now faster
• AirPods Pro – just start speaking and focus will switch to communicating
• AirPods: Adaptive Audio combines Transparency and Active Noice Cancellation to match your surroundings
• Audio & Home

• Web apps on Mac: Visit your fav sites, Save to Dock, and that’s it!
• Safari profiles
• Passkeys (and passwords) can be shared (end-to-end encrypted)
• Safari protects provate browsing
• Safari in macOS Sonoma is the world’s fastest browser
• Work with multiple video apps (Zoom, FaceTime, etc.)
• Reactions video effects
• Video conferencing: New ways to present remotely (presenter overlay)
• Available for pre-order via Mac App Store soon
• “Death Stranding Director’s Cut” coming to Mac
• Metal provides a new Game Porting Toolkit for developers
• Game mode: lets the game get your Mac’s CPU/GPU’s highest performance (works with any game)
• Metal 3 allows for demanding games
• Gaming: Apple Silicon delivers incredible graphics performance to Mac
• iPhone Widgets can be used on Mac via Continuity (with iPhone nearby or on same WiFi network)
• Widgets can now be pulled out of Notification Center and placed on the Desktop
• New screensavers
• Many of the new iOS and iPadOS features included in macOS
• macOS Sonoma

• External camera on iPad
• Freeform gets new drawing tools
• Stage Manager improvements
• Live collaboration between iPads
• PDFs in Notes can be annotated using Apple Pencil. Multiple PDFs can sit in the same Note
• PDF improvements: iPadOS can identify PDF fields (and be auto-filled)
• iPadOS gets Health app – takes advantage of the larger display of iPad
• Live Activities on Lock Screen on iPad
• Lock screen gets more personalization and customization
• Widgets are now interactive – take quick action in Widget without having to run app
• Widgets and Lock Screen updates
• iPadOS 17

• AAPL: $183.84, +$2.89 (+1.60%) @ 01:35PM EDT

• iOS 17: Just “Siri” triggers Siri – no more “Hey, Siri”
• FindMy item sharing
• StandBy – turn iPhone sideways and get personalized info, clock styles, photos, calendar, Home controls, sports scores, Siri, etc.)
• Journal is end-to-end encrypted for ultimate security
• Journal: a brand new Apple apps – ML can suggest topics, inspire writing
• New way to reflect on and relive special moments
• BTW: This is generative AI (MDN Ed.)
• Autocorrect powered by on-device Machine Learning – gets more accurate
• Keyboard and Dictation updated
• Share photos simply by bringing iPhones together (and even if you separate iPhones during transfer, the transfer will continue)
• Federighi: AirDrop updated; Name Drop – bring iPhones and/or Apple Watches together to share contact info
• Live stickers from Live Photos
• Stickers are able to be roatated
• All emoji are stickers, too
• Brand new stickers experience
• iMessage apps tucked into new + button
• Check in – lets people know when you arrive at a destination
• Location sharing right in message
• Transcriptions
• Search filters, Catch-up arrow, In line replying faster
• Kim Beverett: New Messages updates
• FaceTime gets ability to leave messages
• CallKit: Live Voicemail (live transcription in real time as spoken)
• Phone app updated (contact posters)
• Craig Federighi: iOS 17

• This completes the Mac’s Apple Silicon transistion
• Mac Pro starts at $6,999
• Mac Studio starts at $1,999
• Tower and Rack mount enclosures available
• Up to 192GB memeory
• PCI expansion – 6 slots available
• Every Mac Pro has Afterburner performance built in; in fact the equivalent of 7 Afterburner cards built in
• Mac Pro with Apple Silicon (M2 Ultra)
• Higher bandwidth HDMI, can support up to 6 Pro Display XDRs
• M2 Ultra can support up to 192GB memory
• Mac Studio update: M2 Max and M2 Ultra (24 core CPU)
• Mac Studio
• Starts at $,1299, 1,199 for education. 13-inch drops $100 to $1099 (available to order today, ships next week)
• Up to 24GB memory
• Fanless, silent design
• 12X faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air
• M2 chip
• Six speaker ausido system
• 1080p camera for video calls
• 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, up to 500 nits brightness
• Kate Bergeron: 11.5mm thin. The world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop, just over 3 pounds
• Apple reveals 15-inch MacBook Air
• John Ternus: 13-inch MacBook Air is the world’ best selling laptop
• Mac

• “Today we’re going to make some of our biggest announcements ever” – Cook
• 15th anniversary of the App Store this year
• Apple CEO Tim Cook appears via video
• Welcome to WWDC23 live coverage
• Developer video – idea bubble being chased
• Event begins

• AAPL holding steady for now
• AAPL: $184.60, +$3.65 (+2.01%) @ 12:56PM EDT
• AAPL: $184.54, +$3.60 (+1.99%) @ 12:14PM EDT

The post MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote address appeared first on MacDailyNews.

The post Apple introduces new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple today previewed software features for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility, along with innovative tools for individuals who are nonspeaking or at risk of losing their ability to speak. These updates draw on advances in hardware and software, include on-device machine learning to ensure user privacy, and expand on Apple’s long-standing commitment to making products for everyone.

Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive disabilities can use iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence with Assistive Access; nonspeaking individuals can type to speak during calls and conversations with Live Speech; and those at risk of losing their ability to speak can use Personal Voice to create a synthesized voice that sounds like them for connecting with family and friends. For users who are blind or have low vision, Detection Mode in Magnifier offers Point and Speak, which identifies text users point toward and reads it out loud to help them interact with physical objects such as household appliances.

“At Apple, we’ve always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Today, we’re excited to share incredible new features that build on our long history of making technology accessible, so that everyone has the opportunity to create, communicate, and do what they love.”

“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “These groundbreaking features were designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”

Assistive Access Supports Users with Cognitive Disabilities

Assistive Access uses innovations in design to distill apps and experiences to their essential features in order to lighten cognitive load. The feature reflects feedback from people with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters — focusing on the activities they enjoy — and that are foundational to iPhone and iPad: connecting with loved ones, capturing and enjoying photos, and listening to music.

Assistive Access includes a customized experience for Phone and FaceTime, which have been combined into a single Calls app, as well as Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music. The feature offers a distinct interface with high contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help trusted supporters tailor the experience for the individual they support. For example, for users who prefer communicating visually, Messages includes an emoji-only keyboard and the option to record a video message to share with loved ones. Users and trusted supporters can also choose between a more visual, grid-based layout for their Home Screen and apps, or a row-based layout for users who prefer text.

“The intellectual and developmental disability community is bursting with creativity, but technology often poses physical, visual, or knowledge barriers for these individuals,” said Katy Schmid, senior director of National Program Initiatives at The Arc of the United States. “To have a feature that provides a cognitively accessible experience on iPhone or iPad — that means more open doors to education, employment, safety, and autonomy. It means broadening worlds and expanding potential.”

Live Speech and Personal Voice Advance Speech Accessibility

With Live Speech on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can type what they want to say to have it be spoken out loud during phone and FaceTime calls as well as in-person conversations. Users can also save commonly used phrases to chime in quickly during lively conversation with family, friends, and colleagues. Live Speech has been designed to support millions of people globally who are unable to speak or who have lost their speech over time.

For users at risk of losing their ability to speak — such as those with a recent diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability — Personal Voice is a simple and secure way to create a voice that sounds like them.

Users can create a Personal Voice by reading along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone or iPad. This speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure, and integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice when connecting with loved ones.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is being able to communicate with friends and family,” said Philip Green, board member and ALS advocate at the Team Gleason nonprofit, who has experienced significant changes to his voice since receiving his ALS diagnosis in 2018. “If you can tell them you love them, in a voice that sounds like you, it makes all the difference in the world — and being able to create your synthetic voice on your iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary.”

Detection Mode in Magnifier Introduces Point and Speak for Users Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Point and Speak in Magnifier makes it easier for users with vision disabilities to interact with physical objects that have several text labels. For example, while using a household appliance — such as a microwave — Point and Speak combines input from the Camera app, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to announce the text on each button as users move their finger across the keypad.2 Point and Speak is built into the Magnifier app on iPhone and iPad, works great with VoiceOver, and can be used with other Magnifier features such as People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions to help users navigate their physical environment.

Additional Features

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing users can pair Made for iPhone hearing devices directly to Mac and customize them for their hearing comfort.

•  Voice Control adds phonetic suggestions for text editing so users who type with their voice can choose the right word out of several that might sound alike, like “do,” “due,” and “dew.”4 Additionally, with Voice Control Guide, users can learn tips and tricks about using voice commands as an alternative to touch and typing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

•  Users with physical and motor disabilities who use Switch Control can turn any switch into a virtual game controller to play their favorite games on iPhone and iPad.

•  For users with low vision, Text Size is now easier to adjust across Mac apps such as Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.

•  Users who are sensitive to rapid animations can automatically pause images with moving elements, such as GIFs, in Messages and Safari.

•  For VoiceOver users, Siri voices sound natural and expressive even at high rates of speech feedback; users can also customize the rate at which Siri speaks to them, with options ranging from 0.8x to 2x.

Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day Around the World

To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, this week Apple is introducing new features, curated collections, and more:

• SignTime will launch in Germany, Italy, Spain, and South Korea on May 18 to connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with on-demand sign language interpreters. The service is already available for customers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Australia, and Japan.5

• Select Apple Store locations around the world are offering informative sessions throughout the week to help customers discover accessibility features, and Apple Carnegie Library will feature a Today at Apple session with sign language performer and interpreter Justina Miles. And with group reservations — available year-round — Apple Store locations are a place where community groups can learn about accessibility features together.

• Shortcuts adds Remember This, which helps users with cognitive disabilities create a visual diary in Notes for easy reference and reflection.

• This week, Apple Podcasts will offer a collection of shows about the impact of accessible technology; the Apple TV app is featuring movies and series curated by notable storytellers from the disability community; Apple Books will spotlight Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, the memoir by disability rights pioneer Judith Heumann; and Apple Music will feature cross-genre American Sign Language (ASL) music videos.

• This week in Apple Fitness+, trainer Jamie-Ray Hartshorne incorporates ASL while highlighting features available to users that are part of an ongoing effort to make fitness more accessible to all. Features include Audio Hints, which provide additional short descriptive verbal cues to support users who are blind or low vision, and Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes become “Time to Walk or Push” and “Time to Run or Push” for wheelchair users. Additionally, Fitness+ trainers incorporate ASL into every workout and meditation, all videos include closed captioning in six languages, and trainers demonstrate modifications in workouts so users at different levels can join in.

• The App Store will spotlight three disability community leaders — Aloysius Gan, Jordyn Zimmerman, and Bradley Heaven — each of whom will share their experiences as nonspeaking individuals and the transformative effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps in their lives.

MacDailyNews Note: Personal Voice can be created using iPhone, iPad, and Mac with Apple silicon, and will be available in English.

Point and Speak will be available on iPhone and iPad devices with the LiDAR Scanner in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, and Ukrainian.

Users will be able to pair Made for iPhone hearing devices with select Mac devices with M1 chip, and all Mac devices with M2 chip.

Voice Control phonetic suggestions will be available in English, Spanish, French, and German.

SignTime sessions are available in the U.S. and Canada using American Sign Language (ASL), in the U.K. using British Sign Language (BSL), in France using French Sign Language (LSF), in Japan using Japanese Sign Language (JSL), and in Australia using Australian Sign Language (Auslan). On May 18, SignTime will be available in Germany using German Sign Language (DGS), in Italy using Italian Sign Language (LIS), in Spain using Spanish Sign Language (LSE), and in South Korea using Korean Sign Language (KSL).

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

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The post Apple introduces new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility appeared first on MacDailyNews.

The post Apple introduces new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple today previewed software features for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility, along with innovative tools for individuals who are nonspeaking or at risk of losing their ability to speak. These updates draw on advances in hardware and software, include on-device machine learning to ensure user privacy, and expand on Apple’s long-standing commitment to making products for everyone.

Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive disabilities can use iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence with Assistive Access; nonspeaking individuals can type to speak during calls and conversations with Live Speech; and those at risk of losing their ability to speak can use Personal Voice to create a synthesized voice that sounds like them for connecting with family and friends. For users who are blind or have low vision, Detection Mode in Magnifier offers Point and Speak, which identifies text users point toward and reads it out loud to help them interact with physical objects such as household appliances.

“At Apple, we’ve always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Today, we’re excited to share incredible new features that build on our long history of making technology accessible, so that everyone has the opportunity to create, communicate, and do what they love.”

“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “These groundbreaking features were designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”

Assistive Access Supports Users with Cognitive Disabilities

Assistive Access uses innovations in design to distill apps and experiences to their essential features in order to lighten cognitive load. The feature reflects feedback from people with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters — focusing on the activities they enjoy — and that are foundational to iPhone and iPad: connecting with loved ones, capturing and enjoying photos, and listening to music.

Assistive Access includes a customized experience for Phone and FaceTime, which have been combined into a single Calls app, as well as Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music. The feature offers a distinct interface with high contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help trusted supporters tailor the experience for the individual they support. For example, for users who prefer communicating visually, Messages includes an emoji-only keyboard and the option to record a video message to share with loved ones. Users and trusted supporters can also choose between a more visual, grid-based layout for their Home Screen and apps, or a row-based layout for users who prefer text.

“The intellectual and developmental disability community is bursting with creativity, but technology often poses physical, visual, or knowledge barriers for these individuals,” said Katy Schmid, senior director of National Program Initiatives at The Arc of the United States. “To have a feature that provides a cognitively accessible experience on iPhone or iPad — that means more open doors to education, employment, safety, and autonomy. It means broadening worlds and expanding potential.”

Live Speech and Personal Voice Advance Speech Accessibility

With Live Speech on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can type what they want to say to have it be spoken out loud during phone and FaceTime calls as well as in-person conversations. Users can also save commonly used phrases to chime in quickly during lively conversation with family, friends, and colleagues. Live Speech has been designed to support millions of people globally who are unable to speak or who have lost their speech over time.

For users at risk of losing their ability to speak — such as those with a recent diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability — Personal Voice is a simple and secure way to create a voice that sounds like them.

Users can create a Personal Voice by reading along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone or iPad. This speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure, and integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice when connecting with loved ones.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is being able to communicate with friends and family,” said Philip Green, board member and ALS advocate at the Team Gleason nonprofit, who has experienced significant changes to his voice since receiving his ALS diagnosis in 2018. “If you can tell them you love them, in a voice that sounds like you, it makes all the difference in the world — and being able to create your synthetic voice on your iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary.”

Detection Mode in Magnifier Introduces Point and Speak for Users Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Point and Speak in Magnifier makes it easier for users with vision disabilities to interact with physical objects that have several text labels. For example, while using a household appliance — such as a microwave — Point and Speak combines input from the Camera app, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to announce the text on each button as users move their finger across the keypad.2 Point and Speak is built into the Magnifier app on iPhone and iPad, works great with VoiceOver, and can be used with other Magnifier features such as People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions to help users navigate their physical environment.

Additional Features

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing users can pair Made for iPhone hearing devices directly to Mac and customize them for their hearing comfort.

•  Voice Control adds phonetic suggestions for text editing so users who type with their voice can choose the right word out of several that might sound alike, like “do,” “due,” and “dew.”4 Additionally, with Voice Control Guide, users can learn tips and tricks about using voice commands as an alternative to touch and typing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

•  Users with physical and motor disabilities who use Switch Control can turn any switch into a virtual game controller to play their favorite games on iPhone and iPad.

•  For users with low vision, Text Size is now easier to adjust across Mac apps such as Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.

•  Users who are sensitive to rapid animations can automatically pause images with moving elements, such as GIFs, in Messages and Safari.

•  For VoiceOver users, Siri voices sound natural and expressive even at high rates of speech feedback; users can also customize the rate at which Siri speaks to them, with options ranging from 0.8x to 2x.

Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day Around the World

To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, this week Apple is introducing new features, curated collections, and more:

• SignTime will launch in Germany, Italy, Spain, and South Korea on May 18 to connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with on-demand sign language interpreters. The service is already available for customers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Australia, and Japan.5

• Select Apple Store locations around the world are offering informative sessions throughout the week to help customers discover accessibility features, and Apple Carnegie Library will feature a Today at Apple session with sign language performer and interpreter Justina Miles. And with group reservations — available year-round — Apple Store locations are a place where community groups can learn about accessibility features together.

• Shortcuts adds Remember This, which helps users with cognitive disabilities create a visual diary in Notes for easy reference and reflection.

• This week, Apple Podcasts will offer a collection of shows about the impact of accessible technology; the Apple TV app is featuring movies and series curated by notable storytellers from the disability community; Apple Books will spotlight Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, the memoir by disability rights pioneer Judith Heumann; and Apple Music will feature cross-genre American Sign Language (ASL) music videos.

• This week in Apple Fitness+, trainer Jamie-Ray Hartshorne incorporates ASL while highlighting features available to users that are part of an ongoing effort to make fitness more accessible to all. Features include Audio Hints, which provide additional short descriptive verbal cues to support users who are blind or low vision, and Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes become “Time to Walk or Push” and “Time to Run or Push” for wheelchair users. Additionally, Fitness+ trainers incorporate ASL into every workout and meditation, all videos include closed captioning in six languages, and trainers demonstrate modifications in workouts so users at different levels can join in.

• The App Store will spotlight three disability community leaders — Aloysius Gan, Jordyn Zimmerman, and Bradley Heaven — each of whom will share their experiences as nonspeaking individuals and the transformative effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps in their lives.

MacDailyNews Note: Personal Voice can be created using iPhone, iPad, and Mac with Apple silicon, and will be available in English.

Point and Speak will be available on iPhone and iPad devices with the LiDAR Scanner in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, and Ukrainian.

Users will be able to pair Made for iPhone hearing devices with select Mac devices with M1 chip, and all Mac devices with M2 chip.

Voice Control phonetic suggestions will be available in English, Spanish, French, and German.

SignTime sessions are available in the U.S. and Canada using American Sign Language (ASL), in the U.K. using British Sign Language (BSL), in France using French Sign Language (LSF), in Japan using Japanese Sign Language (JSL), and in Australia using Australian Sign Language (Auslan). On May 18, SignTime will be available in Germany using German Sign Language (DGS), in Italy using Italian Sign Language (LIS), in Spain using Spanish Sign Language (LSE), and in South Korea using Korean Sign Language (KSL).

Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!

Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.

The post Apple introduces new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility appeared first on MacDailyNews.