Whether you receive an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch as a gift or purchase one yourself, you will need to use iTunes on a computer to manage your device's content. Apple has significantly improved the accessibility of iTunes and iOS devices. All iOS devices and Apple computers now come with their own screen reader, VoiceOver, already installed, which is activated by triple clicking the "Home" button. However, your computer's screen reader, not VoiceOver, is used to navigate and use iTunes. iTunes does not come installed on a PC, but it can be easily downloaded at the iTunes website.
This article will discuss how to perform common tasks in iTunes, such as adding music, making playlists, syncing a device with iTunes, and managing content. For this demonstration, I am using Window-Eyes 7.5.2 as my screen reader and the newly released iTunes 11.
(Author's Note: On November 29th Apple released version 11 of iTunes, which looks very different than previous versions. Although there are several ways to navigate iTunes, the instructions presented will make iTunes look and work much like previous versions.)
Getting Started with iTunes
Once the new version of iTunes is installed, you can format the program so that it looks like previous versions by typing either Ctrl + S or Alt + V and, then, arrow down to "Sidebar" and press "Enter." Even though the format will be the same as older versions, there have been some changes in the iTunes menus, so take time to explore them.
When iTunes starts, the cursor is in the Source list. The first item in the list is the Music Library playlist, which is where all music is stored. By using the up and down arrow keys, you can locate additional categories, such as movies and apps. The iTunes store is also in the Source list. When it is selected, information is automatically presented about purchasing from the store. Before purchasing anything, you will need to set up an Apple ID (an e-mail address) and password.
To control what is displayed in the Source list, either go to Preferences in the Edit menu or type Ctrl + Dash and, then, use the General tab to choose whatever you want to be in the list. Some options are TV shows, podcasts, and iTunes U, and you make your choices through checkboxes. The Preference dialogue box also contains options for handling CDs, setting up a portable device (such as an iPhone or iPad), and other controls.
On the PC, iTunes has a standard menu bar with options including File, Edit, and View. If the screen reader is set to read the navigation keys, they will be spoken. However, just pressing the alt key does not make the menus speak. Use arrows to navigate the menus until you learn the short cuts. A complete list of keyboard commands is in the Help section.
It is possible to use Tab and Shift + Tab to navigate through iTunes, but there's an easier way to navigate the Source list entries. Type the first letter of the section you want to locate (for example, "b" for books). To get to the top of the Source list (which is always the Music Library), press the "Home" key. With the cursor on any item in the Source list, typing F6 will move to the content section. For example, if the cursor is on the Music Library playlist, typing F6 brings the user to the list of all the songs in the library. The next F6 key stroke will tell how many items are in the category, and typing F6 again will bring the user to a search box. To search for a song album or artist, type the information into the edit box and press "Enter." There aren't any form controls to use. Next, press F6 twice as the first time will bring up the Music Library playlist while the second time will bring up the search results. Typing F6 a third time will display how many results there are. To clear the search box, type F6 once more and hit Tab twice. This will bring up the "clear text" button.
Adding Content
It's possible to add music that is already on your computer into iTunes, but you can also buy selections directly from the iTunes Store. CDs can be ripped directly into iTunes as well.
Adding Music from Your Computer
iTunes can play a variety of file formats, including MP3 and non-protected WMA files as well as its own M4A protected format. When adding a non-protected WMA file, iTunes will prompt whether to convert it to its own format or not add the file.
To add a single song to iTunes, type Ctrl + O and a standard Windows dialogue will open requesting the location of the file. Locate the file and press "Enter." Several seconds later, iTunes will make a three note sound indicating that the file has been successfully added. To add an entire folder, type Alt + F + D, which opens a standard dialogue box. Locate the folder and press "Enter." Once you hear the three note sound, the music has been added. If a large folder is added, the sound might play quickly, but files may still be in the process of being added. When new music is added from your computer, it will usually be at the end of your list of songs in iTunes.
Labeling Content
Although you may have had your music labeled with the artist and the title (for example: Taylor Swift — "I Knew You Were Trouble"), iTunes will read it as though the artist's name is part of the title. To change this, type Ctrl + I. In the dialogue box that opens, right arrow once to Info and fill in the edit boxes. The first edit box is for the title of the song, and the second edit box is for the artist. Other available fields include composer, year, and genre. There are additional tabs in the dialogue box, including Video and Options.
iTunes lets the user choose which information is presented for each song. In the View menu, select View Options or type Ctrl + J, which provides many options including song title, artist, genre, time, and much more. The View menu is where the user can set how iTunes is to be displayed. The first option is to have iTunes presented as a list, which works well with screen readers.
Adding a CD
In the general section of the Preferences dialogue is a box to choose how iTunes handles CDs. Two of the options are "Begin Playing" and "Ask to Import CD." While playing or ripping the CD, its content will appear in iTunes as a Source list entry. If the CD is an album, iTunes might recognize the tracks and label them correctly. If it is a homemade CD, you will have to do the labeling.
Making Playlists
A very useful feature in iTunes is the ability to make playlists. These lists are handy if you have more music than can fit on your device or if you want to listen to a specific artist or type of music. If you type Ctrl + N, a dialogue box will open for you to enter a title. Once the title is created, locate the song to be added, and type Shift + F10 or right click on it. Type the letter "a" for "Add to Playlist." Then, right arrow once to open the list of playlists, locate the name of the playlist, and press "Enter." All created playlists will show up in the Source list after the iTunes default categories, which include "Recently Added" and "Recently Played." You can either type the first letter of a playlist or use arrow keys to get to it. Deleting a song from a particular playlist will still keep it in your iTunes library.
The iTunes Store
The iTunes store has music, movies, television shows, ring tones, and more available for purchase. Locate the store in the Source list and press F6 to get to the search box. Enter search criteria (such as an artist, television show, or movie) and, then, press the "Enter" key. After a few seconds, type F6 again, and search results will be listed. On the results screen, there are links to narrow your results, including by media type and artists with similar names. Once you select a song, the title is listed with the artist's name under it and a button that says "Buy," which also includes the price of the song. Pressing "Enter" on the button does not do anything. Instead, you must locate the button with mouse hot keys. Once the button to buy the song is activated, you are prompted to enter your Apple I.D. and password. The first time your I.D. and password are used on a new computer or device, payment information must be entered. Once the purchase is made, the item downloads to the computer and is available to be synced with your Apple device.
Adding a Device
Before using an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, it needs to be synced with iTunes on your computer. A device can only be synced with one computer at a time. The device will come with a USB charger, which is used to connect it to a computer. Your screen reader should speak all the information about the setup process.
The first part of the setup process is to register your device. There is a prompt to enter an Apple I.D. and password or create an account. Additional information, such as your name, address, and phone number, needs to be added. The setup dialogue can be navigated by using the Tab and Shift + Tab keys.
Next is a series of radio buttons for setting different parameters for your device. Navigation is done by checking a radio button and, then, tabbing through the dialogue to decide how your device is to interact with the computer. This part can be confusing since the user must tab through all the radio buttons before coming to specifics for the selected radio button. For example, the "Summary" radio button controls how iTunes backs up the device, whether iTunes automatically opens when the device is connected, when the computer checks for updates, and more.
After checking the "Summary" radio button, tab past the other radio buttons, including "Info," "Music," and "Apps." Eventually, information relating to the "Summary" radio button will be displayed. Most choices in this series of controls are made through checkboxes. Once selections in each area have been made, activate the "Apply" button. (If you make a mistake, it can easily be undone.) Next, tab past the "Summary" button, and the next control is the "Info" button. Controls when this button is checked effect how the device and computer synchronize e-mail, contacts, etc. Repeat the process with the other radio buttons.
Once the device is registered, it will show up in the Source list. To locate it, type the letter "d" and down arrow until the device's name is spoken. It should say your name and the type of device. For example, when I locate my iPhone in the Source list, Window-Eyes says, "Janet's iPhone." Another way to get to the device is to type the first letter of your name. Hitting the Tab key three times from this location begins the same dialogue box with the radio buttons for your device to interact with the computer. If the device is closed, using the right arrow once will open the content on the device. This does not affect the device, but it does allow for viewing what content is on it.
The iTunes Store on an iOS Device
In order to use the iTunes Store, your device needs to be connected to the Internet either through Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. The store opens with a series of tabs at the bottom of the screen. These tabs include Music, Movies, and Search. Activating the More tab brings up additional options, including Tones and Audio Books. The Search tab brings up a standard edit box with a "Search" button. Results are clearly listed with the title, artist, price, and a button to play a clip. The price is presented as a button, and activating it brings up a dialogue box to enter a password. Your Apple I.D. should already be automatically entered. Once the necessary information is entered, the item will download to your device. In order to get the content from your device into iTunes on your computer, type Alt + F + T or activate the File menu and arrow down to Transfer Purchases.
Conclusion
iTunes is very usable with a screen reader on a Windows based PC. It takes time to learn everything, but with some practice and patience it can be done. At this point, iTunes isn't 100 percent accessible with a Windows based screen reader, but it's close. Apple's onboard screen reader, VoiceOver, makes the devices extremely user friendly for people who use a screen reader.
Resources
Apple Accessibility:
(877) 204-3930
AppleVis Website:
This website contains a great deal of information for VoiceOver users. There are podcasts about different apps, ratings for apps, and a forum for asking questions.
