Apple Education and Screen Readers

Businessweek explores the strategic importance of Screen Reader software for the Mac platform. Screen Reader software allow the visually impaired to more effectively utilize computers by translating both text and images into speech.

When the only developer of such Screen Reader software for the Mac announced that it would no longer support or build new versions of its software, it left both Apple and users concerned about Apple's future in the educational market. According to Businessweek, "School systems buying Apple products today are knowingly purchasing systems that can't be used by all their pupils, which runs counter to the Americans with Disabilities Act."

This event is what prompted Apple to hire programmers in September to develop their own Screen Reader application. While the article goes on to suggest that Apple should release the Screen-reader software as open source, even simply providing the software for a discounted price to Mac users would represent a significant savings advantage for schools and customers purchasing Macs. The same software costs between $800-$1,300 for licenses on Windows.