Apple Announces Accessibility of iTunes and the iPod Nano
First, I’ll begin with what you need to make it work. You will need iTunes version 8. Mac users who are operating under Leopard will enjoy full accessibility. Windows users will need either WindowEyes 7 or JAWES 10. JAWS 9 can be used in conjunction with a set of scripts known as jTunes which is available for around $30.00 You will also need the iPod Nano, 4th Generation.
The iTunes interface offers the user a wide variety of music, audio books, podcasts as well as movies and television shows. All of these items are available as either free or for fee downloads. The iTunes interface is designed with ease of use in mind. Based on demonstrations of the software, I found the entire interface to be easy to learn and quite intuitive. The user can also add personal content such as compact discs to the iTunes library. While there are other options for downloading music and other media, it is said that iTunes offers the widest variety, especially for newer music.
What impressed me most about iTunes was the ways in which content can be managed by the user. Firstly, the user can easily create play lists of any content in the iTunes library. For a basic play list, the user selects either entire albums or individual tracks and determines the order in which content is to be played.
But that’s just the beginning of what the user can do. The next step up the ladder involves the creation of smart play lists. A smart playlist is based on a common theme. The user can select themes such as love, Christmas, music genres and more. When the smart play list is created, the user enters search terms in an edit box. There are other edit boxes in which the user enters things like number of items to be added to the play list and parameters such as “older than 20 years old,” etc. So, as an example, the user could create a play list with the following parameters— 30 love songs that were written between 1970 and 1990. Or, the user might want to create a play list for a set of dance music for a party to be hosted on Saturday night.
The top step in this progression is the Genius function. This function allows the user to create a play list based on one song. The user enters the name of the song, then decides how many items are to be entered. Then, the computer searches the entire library and automatically creates the desired play list. As a music lover, I was thoroughly impressed by these features.
When you’ve arranged your music how you want it arranged on the desktop, it is then time to sync up with your iPod Nano. The iPod Nano fits comfortably in a shirt pocket and comes in either 8 or 16 gigabyte capacities. When configured properly, the Nano will speak many of its functions. It uses a wheel where the user taps in either direction around the edge of the wheel to move to various menu items and then selects the desired item by pressing the OK button in the center of the wheel. This wheel takes some getting used to, but it is definitely accessible. Tapping at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock positions activates the main menu and playback functions. Over time, as content is added to the library and new play lists are created, the user can easily sync the iPod with the library on the desktop computer.
Personally, I probably won’t be using iTunes and the iPod anytime soon. But I’m sort of an “old dog” and it takes a lot to get me to switch to a new product. I’ve become very comfortable with the Victor Stream and am not much of a fan of newer music. Still, in terms of variety of content and the ways in which that content can be managed, I’d say that iTunes and the iPod Nano have a lot to offer. I have a friend with low vision who uses a different iPod which has an impressive 80 gigabytes of storage. Unfortunately, this iPod cannot be made to speak its functions. It is hoped that Apple will add accessibility to all of its iPod line.
In order to listen to demonstrations of iTunes and the iPod Nano try the following websites.
