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Apple unveils new accessibility features

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Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#181

Post by Invictus0 »

jjice wrote: post #101
terabytest wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wispr Flow is a masterclass in STT. Apple's solution feels like it's from the last century in comparison. Same applies with Apple's TTS when you have ElevenLabs and OpenAI running laps around it. All I need is for my iPhone to do those things natively at the same quality level (because in Apple's walled garden that's the only way to get them usable everywhere).

But Apple's uses so few system resources and runs fully on device on newer iPhone models (16+ I believe). It's so efficient. I really enjoy using Handy with Parakeet as the model, but the system resource usage is a monster compared to Apple's (although very good). Looks like Wispr Flow uses a cloud model [0]: > Cloud based speech processing infrastructure for 1B users It gets to be a messy comparison because my iPhon…

human resources (my voice and time) are far more valuable than the system resources. going to the cloud is absolutely worth it to prevent a typo

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#182

Post by willwade »

everforward wrote: post #141

Seems like everyone skipped over this part, but optical controls for motorized wheelchairs is a cool idea (at least to me, maybe that's an old idea). Full VR hasn't done well, but it does continue to make me wonder if there's a market for a stripped and slimmed device. I'd maybe be interested in a device that does optical controls if it fit in regular-sized glasses. I'd be super interested if it had a HUD system (eve…

It's been done for a while - follow the links to who they reference. ie https://www.tolt.tech but it's their integration they've done into the OS is interesting.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#183

Post by hannahstrawbrry »

everforward wrote: post #141

Seems like everyone skipped over this part, but optical controls for motorized wheelchairs is a cool idea (at least to me, maybe that's an old idea). Full VR hasn't done well, but it does continue to make me wonder if there's a market for a stripped and slimmed device. I'd maybe be interested in a device that does optical controls if it fit in regular-sized glasses. I'd be super interested if it had a HUD system (eve…

Seems like a pretty strong indicator that AR glasses are still being worked on, this definitely feels like one of those features Apple ships to refine before the proper hardware is ready.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#184

Post by brador »

ragazzina wrote: post #142
brador wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You recall nothing and you know it. You're just wasting time you could use for something useful or meaningful in your life. Kids call it "Anxiety cope" but I don't agree.

Can you recall 3 lines of dialogue from the latest movie you watched?

If you're listening to a podcast at 3x you're trying to learn something. No one is trying to learn watching a movie.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#186

Post by RobMurray »

testfrequency wrote: post #35

I don’t want to discredit more advancements in accessibility, but this feels like accessibility porn. I have fond memories of an old coworker 10 years ago who is blind. He would use his phone no problem, texting, going about his day, he was even on Tinder (credit to Tinder for making their app so accessible long ago). He would commute on his own, walk to the train station, even transfer to another train during peak r…

for every person like your coworker, there are probably several who have a much harder time with technology and who would benefit from a simpler interface.

If this includes improvements to the screen recognition feature in Voice Over, it could provide accessibility for apps where the developer doesn't care about accessibility, which is extremely common.

The vision capabilities could be useful if they are done well, but I suspect that will always be covered better by 3rd party apps.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#187

Post by ibero »

JeremyHerrman wrote: post #168

Apple loves to stealth test new tech in full public view by sneaking it into relatively mundane places, so debuting agentic AI via accessibility is very on brand. A few other examples: - The Touch Bar was much more than an OLED strip, it was Apple’s first move in the transition to Apple Silicon on macs. The Apple T1 chip in the 2016 Touch Bar MacBooks was the first solely Apple-designed processor to appear in a Mac a…

[dead]

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#188

Post by dceddia »

adamcharnock wrote: post #85
terabytest wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wispr Flow is a masterclass in STT. Apple's solution feels like it's from the last century in comparison. Same applies with Apple's TTS when you have ElevenLabs and OpenAI running laps around it. All I need is for my iPhone to do those things natively at the same quality level (because in Apple's walled garden that's the only way to get them usable everywhere).

FWIW - I also really like Wispr Flow, but I moved to running the 'Whisper Large' model locally using Handy ( https://github.com/cjpais/Handy ), which has been essentially as good, while also having lower latency.

Handy is great. It exposes a bunch of open models beyond Whipser too, and though I haven’t tried too many of them, I’ll throw in a rec for the Parakeet model which feels pretty much on par with Whisper for accuracy and is way way faster.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#189

Post by titzer »

Invictus0 wrote: post #179
titzer wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple dictation on MacOS is actually pretty dang good. I've got it bound to a double-tap on fn and I use it pretty regularly.

try wisprflow and then tell us it's good

I just installed this and already despise its pricing model. I trust this product approximately zero.

Re: Apple unveils new accessibility features

#190

Post by brokencode »

nrmitchi wrote: post #164

These are great improvements, it's good to see Apple investing in improvements like this (especially with the Vision Pro) but I can't help but feel that they utility will remain very low until they make the Vision Pro look significantly less distopian than it does. The form-factor is a significant issue for real-world usage, and it's kind of unclear if there is a plan for a future product line given its (pretty abysm…

I don’t think abysmal is the right word. The hardware was widely praised except for being dorky looking and a few other complaints.

The price and lack of content and developer interest have been the main problems.

And ultimately, people just don’t seem that interested in this product category. Meta ran into the same issue, though at least they targeted gaming where there is a decent niche.

VR/AR tech seems cool and futuristic, but hasn’t quite found its killer app yet.

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