Apple Technology Addresses Hearing Loss

For decades Apple has addressed the digital divide between technological innovation and the disabled consumer. According to a new article out of Australia, the company’s most recent features have “taken aid for the disabled [even] further.”  

For example one new element called, Assistive Touch, was devised to help those with “physical disabilities, such as an inability to move fingers accurately to tap, swipe or even hold the device.” Also Siri, the iPhone’s new “intelligent personal assistant,” which assists with navigating functions via auditory commands, has been remarkably helpful for blind users. Lastly, like its Mac predecessor, the iPhone has also been configured visible and vibrating alerts, insuring that the hearing impaired can witness incoming messages.

Additional features of the “iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 feature FaceTime video calling via Wi-Fi, which offers “high-quality video and [a] fast frame rate,” both of which are “ideal for those communicating with sign language or lip reading.” Newer models like the 4 also have and Mono Audio, allowing a user to switch between channels when using earbuds in case they have better hearing in one ear or the other.

While there is always room for improvement when focusing on this particular digital divide- as the article suggests, Apple is doing a great job addressing the technological needs of those with hearing loss.

CLICK HERE to read the original article and learn more about tech features for those with hearing loss and the physically disabled.