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NOVEMBER 12, 2003
By Alex Salkever A Failing for Apple in the Classroom [Page 2 of 2] OPEN-SOURCE SOLUTION. Apple claims that it's not ignoring blind users. "A screen reader is something that's important to us, and we continue to evaluate our options in that area. Accessiblity is something that has been important to us through the entire development of OS X," says Chris Bourdon, senior product-line manager for OS X. Still, this is no ordinary piece of software. And the threat to Apple's nascent education comeback is real. Apple has acknowledged as much by recently hiring a software engineer who specializes in screen readers and mounting a search for new leadership for its accessibility-features group. The good news: This is a case where Apple can take lemons and make some tasty lemonade. What it needs to do is build a screen reader and then release it into the open-source domain, much like it did with the Safari Web browser. MONEY-SAVING MOVE. This strategy would have several advantages. First, Apple would silence critics and eliminate any school-district fears of lawsuits and bad publicity. Also, by releasing the product into the open-source domain, Apple would do a huge service to the visually impaired community. Screen-reader software for Windows costs $800 and $1,300 for professional licenses -- more, in many cases, than a standard PC. An open-source screen reader would allow millions of blind users to save money by buying Macs instead of PCs. Programming a screen reader from scratch could cost tens of millions of dollars and would require at least a handful of highly competent engineers. It's not a trivial undertaking. If Apple wants a quick leg up, it could always buy an established player such as GW Micro, a small Terra Haute (Ind.) outfit that makes an increasingly popular Windows screen reader. Or it could take on the task itself. Once Apple has built the program, two engineers could probably maintain it with the help of an active open-source community. A programming group tailor-made for the endeavor already exists. As part of the GNOME Linux effort, a team of developers has started building an accessibility module to bring the Penguin to those with disabilities. BOOMERS' BLURRY SIGHT. What would such an effort cost Apple? Certainly less than $30 million. Considering that it still gets close to 40% of its revenues in education sales and that Jobs & Co. has $4.5 billion in the bank, that's pocket change. Still need convincing? Chong estimates that about 5 million Americans right now are legally blind or suffer serious visual impairment. That number will soar in the near future as aging baby boomers lose their sight. So, Apple might need a screen reader to even be considered a viable computer by many millions of Americans. Meanwhile, Microsoft (MSFT ) is working feverishly on its next-generation Longhorn operating system. Redmond has sworn that the new version will provide backward compatibility to Windows screen readers. That'll be a pretty tough trick to pull off since it involves multiple levels of interaction between Windows, Longhorn, and third-party applications such as the screen-reader. WELL AND GOOD. If Apple gets a reader up and running ASAP and screen readers on Windows platforms get gored by Longhorn, then Jobs would have an significant advantage in selling to schools for the same reason he now has a disadvantage. In the final assessment, open-sourcing a screen reader for OS X could make Apple a stronger player in the education field. Equally important, it could do well by doing good. The move would help sight-impaired kids learn more effectively. It might help older blind users -- members of a community that generally lags behind the rest of America in income -- gain better access to affordable technology. And it would ensure that Apple keeps selling to baby boomers with dimming vision. What's not to like?
 Salkever, Technology editor for BusinessWeek Online, is alternating with Charles Haddad on Byte of the Apple Edited by B. Kite
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