Don’t Panic: Your First Trip to the Apple Store

by Josh de Lioncourt

So there you are. You’ve walked into your local Apple Store and you, an average visually impaired Jane or John Smith, are ready to get your hands on the first Mac you’ve ever ventured near. In fact, this will be the first time you’ve ever been able to walk into a computer shop and actually use any one of the machines on display.

Your breath quickens, and your heart rate doubles as you approach the display counter. You reach out, sliding your hands across the glossy countertop. One inch…two…

And there it is. A beautiful, shiny, slick and sexy MacBook Pro. Your hands fall instinctively into place on its keyboard. This is it. This is the moment of truth…

Only, you have no idea what keys to press. How do you make VoiceOver start? How do you try out this alien operating system without the slightest clue where to turn or what to press? You’ve got a swiss army knife, a paperclip, and some duct-tape in your backpack, but you’ve never been the MacGyver type. What do you do? What do you do?

First, imagine that that MacBook before you has the words, "Don’t panic" written on it in large friendly letters. Mr. Douglas Adams, bless his soul, would tell you just the same, and few could have matched his insight or his enthusiasm for Macintosh computers.

Of course, a much better solution would be to know a few of the most basic things about using VoiceOver and the Mac OS before going to the store. That’s where this entry comes in. We’ll tell you what you need to know to begin exploring the shiny new Mac that sits before you.

We’ll try to keep these instructions specific enough to be helpful, but general enough to apply to any flavor of Mac you happen to try while at the store. Remember, Apple Store employees are there to help. They may not all be VoiceOver experts, but if you run into trouble they can usually find the answer to your question.

First things first. Apple keyboards are mostly the same as keyboards on any computer, with only a few exceptions. We’re only going to focus on a couple of these exceptions, and let you explore the rest of the keyboard on your own time.

To begin with, locate the space bar on the Mac’s keyboard. Immediately to the left of it will be either three or four keys. These keys are, as you move to the left away from the space bar, the Command, Option, and Control keys respectively. If the keyboard you’re examining has a fourth key, it’s the FN or "Function" key. Remember these keys. You’ll need them.

Across the top row of the keyboard from left to right are an Escape key and then a series of Function keys ranging from F1 to F12, just like most PC keyboards you’re probably used to.

Now it’s time to get VoiceOver talking. In most cases, a simple press of Command-F5 will do the trick. Hold down the Command key while you press the F5 key on the top row. Depending on the model or configuration of the Mac in question, you may also need to hold down the FN key, (remember the FN key? It’s the fourth key to the left of the space bar.), as well. VoiceOver should let you know its on, and then announce where you are. If it still doesn’t, ask an Apple Store representative for help. It’s likely that the volume is muted or low, and the ways in which you can adjust the volume can vary widely from Mac to Mac.

To use VoiceOver in its most basic way, you only need to know a couple of things. First, all VoiceOver commands require the Control and Option keys. Hold these down and press the Arrow keys to move in the specified direction. Focus will follow VoiceOver’s navigation by default. Control-Option-Space will activate a control, such as a button.

To explore the rest of the keyboard and learn where the keys are placed in more detail, use Control-Option-K to enter Keyboard Help, where VoiceOver will announce each key as you press it. Pressing Escape will exit this mode.

You can access the Mac’s menu bar at any time with Control-Option-M, and then use the VoiceOver navigation commands above to explore the options available.

Lastly, the very first thing you should do is check out the VoiceOver Quick Start. This is a brief tutorial and takes you a little deeper into how to use VoiceOver. Start the tutorial by holding down Control-Option-Command with your left hand, and pressing F8 with your right.

With the commands above and the VoiceOver Quick Start under your belt, you’ll be able to have an enjoyable and rewarding first experience with the Macintosh platform and VoiceOver

And who knows! If you’re lucky, you may leave the store with a brand-new MacBook…or, as we like to call them, "Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with."