Apple's Tim Cook talks tech with accessibility advocates for Global Accessibility Awarenes...

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2017
In recognition of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple CEO Tim Cook this week invited three accessibility advocates and bloggers to the company's Cupertino, Calif., campus, for discussions on how Apple technology impacts their daily lives.


Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) sits down with accessibility advocate Rikki Poynter at Apple's Cupertino campus.


Cook shared coffee with legally blind filmmaker James Rath, deaf awareness activist Rikki Poynter and actress Tatiana Lee, who as born with Spina Bifida. Rath, Poynter and Lee all shared videos of their time at Apple on their respective YouTube channels on Wednesday.

Rath, who regularly produces videos for his YouTube channel, spoke with Cook about vision related accessibility options offered on platforms like iOS and Mac. He also discussed Apple's general stance on accessibility.

"For us, we believe very deeply that accessibility is a human right," Cook said. "And we try very hard to make all of our products accessible for everyone because of that. It's a basic value."

Apple does not think in terms of return on investment, but rather "just and right," Cook said. The company's goal is to get its products into the hands of anyone who wants to use them.



Rath uses a variety of iOS accessibility features throughout the day, including zoom, voice over, speech selection and more. When asked about features he uses, Cook said his iPhone is always set to trigger Night Shift. Cook also relies on other accessibility menu functions to change screen contrast as he has difficulty with certain colors.

Cook went on to describe HomeKit and what he calls the democratization of the smart home. Prior to integration in iOS, automated home accessories were strictly the domain of the wealthy. HomeKit brings that capability to the masses.



Poynter, who started out as a beauty vlogger on YouTube, is now an advocate for deaf accessibility and the need for closed captioning. In her sit-down interview, seen above, it appears Poynter is using an iPad to translate Cook's words into text in real time.

During the talk, Cook asked if Poynter uses Apple TV, which features a number of accessibility functions including closed captioning and Siri voice control. Poynter also noted that iTunes movies and TV shows normally boast closed captioning and subtitles.

As for hardware, Poynter uses a MacBook to accomplish her daily duties and just recently began wearing Apple Watch again after a hiatus.

Cook delved into Clips, Apple's first-party video tool for creating social media content. The app boasts Siri dictation assets for automatically inserting captions and other text as overlays on short video clips.



Clips was also a topic of discussion in Cook's interview with Lee, who runs AccessibleHollywood.com and was featured in an Apple commercial promoting accessibility last year.

As a wheelchair user, Lee said she appreciates Apple's efforts to build rolling activity tracking into watchOS, which allows her to monitor gym workouts alongside day-to-day transportation. Reiterating information presented at the release of watchOS 3, Cook said it took the Watch team months to tweak wheelchair tracking algorithms to account for different user strokes.

Cook's discussions underscore Apple's dedication to users who rely on accessibility features not only to access products like iPhone, but use technology to lead rich lives in a fast changing world. As usual, the executive touted Apple's commitment to delivering the best possible experience to all customers, a tenet he described as a core value instilled by company cofounder Steve Jobs.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    jroy
  • Reply 2 of 15
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    I don't know, but some people don't. Heartless weirdos.
    Soli
  • Reply 3 of 15
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member

    I just love Cook's dedication and passion for making accessible products and services.

    And I'll fund his vision by buying iPhones, iPads, Macs and things from the "Others" category.

    Soli
  • Reply 4 of 15
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.
    Soliwigbyanome
  • Reply 5 of 15
    glowearthglowearth Posts: 11member
    Wtf? Rikki is a oralism, why the fuck did Rikki not use American Sign Language (ASL)? Yes I'm deaf myself.  The oralism is NOT in deaf culture.  I believe she trying to make ASL go extinct... most of us deaf people treasure our ASL. It been exist for over hundreds of year. We got ASL from France and France got FSL from Italian monk. 
  • Reply 6 of 15
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.

    Regarding AAPL, it goes "up" because of Trump, and anytime it goes down is naturally because of Cook.
    jroyspice-boy
  • Reply 7 of 15
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Because he's not Steve Jobs...I don't know why people expect this. Tim doesn't WOW a crowd, he doesn't present like Steve did (although he's not terrible), he doesn't continuously have blockbuster announcements and for some reason people seem to think Steve did (which isn't true). How many MacWorld's did I sit through with really nothing of interest announced. 

    I think Tim is a great person and doesn't just look out for himself. He transfers this on to Apple and I know this pisses people off because all they care about is a new Mac Pro but a company should be more than just about its products. I don't just like Apple because of their amazing products. I also like what they do outside of what they normally do. I like the fact that they care about the environment and are pushing to do things in new ways with everything they do. I like the fact that they do things for those with special needs. I like the fact that they just think about others. Not enough companies do this. 

    Whenever Tim decides to hang up the CEO hat I think it will be harder to replace him. You don't find many people like Tim. Tim brings a different perspective to Apple that Steve didn't and thats not necessarily a bad thing. 

    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.
    I also think this is the case for some...they'll never admit it but in the back of their minds this is exactly why. Sometimes this is a very sad world we live in.
    jroyspice-boySoliwigbyanome
  • Reply 8 of 15
    wigbywigby Posts: 692member
    macxpress said:
    Because he's not Steve Jobs...I don't know why people expect this. Tim doesn't WOW a crowd, he doesn't present like Steve did (although he's not terrible), he doesn't continuously have blockbuster announcements and for some reason people seem to think Steve did (which isn't true). How many MacWorld's did I sit through with really nothing of interest announced. 

    I think Tim is a great person and doesn't just look out for himself. He transfers this on to Apple and I know this pisses people off because all they care about is a new Mac Pro but a company should be more than just about its products. I don't just like Apple because of their amazing products. I also like what they do outside of what they normally do. I like the fact that they care about the environment and are pushing to do things in new ways with everything they do. I like the fact that they do things for those with special needs. I like the fact that they just think about others. Not enough companies do this. 

    Whenever Tim decides to hang up the CEO hat I think it will be harder to replace him. You don't find many people like Tim. Tim brings a different perspective to Apple that Steve didn't and thats not necessarily a bad thing. 

    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.
    I also think this is the case for some...they'll never admit it but in the back of their minds this is exactly why. Sometimes this is a very sad world we live in.
    Thank you for saying this. There is not nearly enough optimism or praise for Cook on these forums. We all have political and social agendas so it's hypocritical when CEOs, rockstars, celebrities, etc. are blanket criticized for expressing their own opinions.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    I am deaf myself and the deaf "advocate" is not really representing the signing deaf community. It's just weird seeing her talk. I would sign which of course requires having an interpreter to relay the conversation. ASL is a language that many profoundly deaf people use. Clips is a great app but it's not deaf friendly - it doesn't allow me to create captions but rather uses speech recognition to create captions - it won't work for signing deaf people. It needs to provide a way for them to type words and create captions. The addition of Scribble to WatchOS is much welcome.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.

    Regarding AAPL, it goes "up" because of Trump, and anytime it goes down is naturally because of Cook.
    Please. That's just projection on your part. One need not agree with his every decision and still be capable of recognizing his skill as CEO and leader behind Apple's supply chain accomplishments.

    I think Cook is wrong in his politics and his Progressive outlook, but find Apple's commitment to Accessibility commendable and almost unmatched by other companies of similar size.
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 11 of 15
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.

    Regarding AAPL, it goes "up" because of Trump, and anytime it goes down is naturally because of Cook.
    Please. That's just projection on your part. One need not agree with his every decision and still be capable of recognizing his skill as CEO and leader behind Apple's supply chain accomplishments.
    If that were absolute there would be zero disparaging comments about his homosexuality. You can hate Cook and not be a homophobe, but I'm curious what these reasons would be.
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 12 of 15
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.

    Regarding AAPL, it goes "up" because of Trump, and anytime it goes down is naturally because of Cook.
    Please. That's just projection on your part. One need not agree with his every decision and still be capable of recognizing his skill as CEO and leader behind Apple's supply chain accomplishments.

    I think Cook is wrong in his politics and his Progressive outlook, but find Apple's commitment to Accessibility commendable and almost unmatched by other companies of similar size.
    Typical Trump supporter comments....
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 13 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    macxpress said:
    mjtomlin said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Soli said:
    How can anyone not love Tim Cook?
    Many people suffer from a debilitating condition known as CCH which many believed struck its victims randomly. Research secretly funded by Apple has shown that Cyclical Cook Hatred is not random, but seems tied to the stock price. Symptoms include night sweats, foaming at the mouth, and non-sensical ramblings concerning the purchase of abandoned nuclear missile silos in a bid to move the share price.

    Most people just call it homophobia. This means there's absolutely nothing Tim Cook can possibly ever do right, regardless of how well Apple is doing.

    Regarding AAPL, it goes "up" because of Trump, and anytime it goes down is naturally because of Cook.
    Please. That's just projection on your part. One need not agree with his every decision and still be capable of recognizing his skill as CEO and leader behind Apple's supply chain accomplishments.

    I think Cook is wrong in his politics and his Progressive outlook, but find Apple's commitment to Accessibility commendable and almost unmatched by other companies of similar size.
    Typical Trump supporter comments....
    How should one respond to such an attempted slur? What makes your comments "typical" and unworthy of acknowledgement?
  • Reply 14 of 15
    glowearth said:
    Wtf? Rikki is a oralism, why the fuck did Rikki not use American Sign Language (ASL)? Yes I'm deaf myself.  The oralism is NOT in deaf culture.  I believe she trying to make ASL go extinct... most of us deaf people treasure our ASL. It been exist for over hundreds of year. We got ASL from France and France got FSL from Italian monk. 
    If you knew anything about me, you would know that I was mainstreamed for all of my life and am not fluent in ASL. I'm not comfortable using ASL in situations where I have to have an interview because I'm not going to know how to express myself yet and I wouldn't understand half of what he was saying that this point. You know that most mainstreamed kids don't know ASL, right? 90-95% don't. Nyle DiMarco said it himself. I'm one of those people. I used ASL when I was communicating with old and new friends at this event, but I wasn't going to put myself in an environment where I wouldn't be able to communicate. Watch my content, know who I am before making blasphemous assumptions saying that I'm trying to make ASL go extinct which is BS. I have content in ASL. I have ALWAYS been about letting deaf kids have a choice, letting them know what Deaf culture is early because I didn't get that when I was a kid and now I'm paying for it.
    SpamSandwichanome
  • Reply 15 of 15
    netrox said:
    I am deaf myself and the deaf "advocate" is not really representing the signing deaf community. It's just weird seeing her talk. I would sign which of course requires having an interpreter to relay the conversation. ASL is a language that many profoundly deaf people use. Clips is a great app but it's not deaf friendly - it doesn't allow me to create captions but rather uses speech recognition to create captions - it won't work for signing deaf people. It needs to provide a way for them to type words and create captions. The addition of Scribble to WatchOS is much welcome.
    The signing Deaf community isn't the only deaf community. Mainstreamed and oral deaf adults aren't Deaf, but they're still deaf. The facts state that 90-95% of mainstreamed deaf children didn't get ASL access. Nyle DiMarco even said it. I was one of those kids. What's weird is people still trying to, in some sort of way, give me some kind of grief because I was raised in a way that I didn't ask for and now I'm working to try to learn a new language. I'm not going to use a language that I still have trouble using with my close Deaf friends for one of the most important moments of my life. I need access to language that I understand. CART was the best for me to understand and spoken is the best way for me to talk about stuff that I talked about with Tim. Otherwise I'd be sitting there stumped or attempting to fingerspell most of the conversation.

    And you're right, Clips isn't Deaf friendly in the sense that if you signed in a video, it's not going to pick it up. But it is deaf friendly in the sense that a hearing person can speak into the app and it's going to be captioned. And if it's not perfect, they can tweak the captions so that it is and then those of us who can understand written English will know what's being said.
    SpamSandwichanome
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