Am I too old for an Apple......?

Don't laugh, I am very serious about this...

I have my new iMac 27" now for two months. I purchased it for personal, not work-related use, such as Internet surfing, LightRoom/Photoshop etc.

Each system has it's quirks, so does OSX/Apple. Most of these quirks of OSX I either like, will learn to appreciate, can live with or can solve. I do not like the Magic Mouse - replaced it. Do not find the keyboard very good for extensive typing - will replace it with a Matias Tactile Pro. Most of the software agrees with me, and generally speaking I am happy with my recent purchase. Except for one thing.

People age, that is quite common, and I am no exception. I am 53 now. Aging manifests itself in many ways, one of them being eyesight getting less, particularly for near objects. Hence, I have reading glasses, and, for computer use, glasses optimized for use with a screen. As a developer by trade, I am in front of a 24" screen all day (Windows), set the system at a font size of 125%, and that's it.

At home, the 27" HiRes iMac screen is fine for photo editing. The screen has been color-calibrated, LightRoom and Photoshop work fine, Safari and al other stuff is great, trying my first had at Xcode, my Unix experience is surfacing again.... but all these application have one thing in common:

THE FONTS ARE WAY TOO SMALL!!!!

Not all of them, and in some cases it can be adjusted. But, for instance, the Menu bar, the url and bookmarks in Safari, everything in Xcode text editor.... too small for me to be comfortable. The info pop-up of this forum is an example also. This also means that the mouse pointer landing areas for commands is smaller as well, so I need more mouse movements to position the pointer on the command. It tends to overshoot.

There are tools like TinkerTools, but that does not really solve my problem. I serarched and searched, but found that Apple does not address this issue. So, I am left with one option only: to set the resolution of the display to e.g. 1920 x 1080... This makes the display of lettering larger, but introduces raggedy edges.. plus I would like my photos displayed at the highest resolution possible. All those pixels.... so why not use them !!!

I wonder... does Apple have an age limit in mind for it's users? Is it only targeting users with perfect eyesight, that can still focus at a distance of 10 inches. Because honestly, my first few hours with the iMac were spent searching for the font setting. I just assumed it was there, and when I began to realize it wasn't, it dawned on me that I might have made a big mistake.

I am sure that I am not the only one in the Apple community that is getting older. And I wonder if some have found a way around this issue. If you do... would you mind sharing it with us? It would be appreciated very much!

Thymen

The only fonts you can't make bigger that I'm aware of are the menubar fonts, and a third-party utility (TinkerTool System I think) can even do that (NOT recommended, however).

Finder prefs can make the icons and labels on-screen bigger, and Lion features some HiDPI tweaks like the mouse pointer remaining smooth when magnified (found in Universal Access). There's also a handy zoom there. The Magic Mouse had a nice double-tap to zoom in Safari (maybe you can find something like that to work with your present mouse), but Safari also has separate font controls. In short, there's no one universal fix, but once you get it set up it will stay that way.

Believe me, if anyone is ever going to come out with a truly "resolution independent" LCD screen, it will likely be Apple, but in the meantime, HiDPI (which will be more prominent in Mountain Lion) will probably be your best bet.

PS. You are MOST DEFINITELY not too old for the Mac. My eyesight's not what it once was either but fortunately it's getting worse in the exact opposite way yours is ... I see mid-distance and close up clearly but not far way.

We have guys on this board who are WAY older than you and they are coping, so maybe also discuss this with the optometrist on your next visit. That's what I had to do to get a prescription that was clear both far AND near without going to "bifocals."

Agreed with Chas.

My eyesight is very much like the Original posters, things up close get blurry, but I have things set and it's great.

Here for example is the settings for the Finder and desktop icons and text.

Short answer. If someone was too old for an Apple computer...then they would be too old for ALL computers (which I do not believe). This is why Apple has special system preferences called "Universal Access" (as "chas_m" mentioned).

You're not too old to use an Apple computer...and at 53 years old...you're younger than lots of our members!

When you're 93 years old...post back.

- Nick

I feel at 54 years young things keep getting better at Apple and will continue enjoying all they have to offer.

You're 53? Why you're just a young buck. Wait until your 64 and closing in on 65 like me. Mac not for oldsters? Give me a break. If I can do it, so can you. Get your self some computer glasses. Works every time. Does for me. Just keep in mind, you're not getting any younger. What are you going to do then?

Ach.... I know.. I'll get used to it, tweak what can be tweaked and learn to accept what can't be tweaked. I already have special glasses for use at screen distance, and that helps quite a lot. It is just that being able to set a 'scale factor' should not be to difficult to implement, I guess, since controls and texts are vector-based. With so many talented developers at Apple, I cannot imagine this has escaped their attention.... Besides, they age too, don't they?

If I change the screen resolution from 2560 x 1440 to 1920 x 1080 means an perceived size increase of 33 %. That, or 25% or so, would serve me right. But going to 1920 x 1080 degrades sharpness, and I would like to keep using the display at it's native resolution.

Fortunately, changing screen resolution is a piece of cake compared to Windows: there, it requires a reboot.....

Thymen

Fast approaching 60 here and sooooooooo pleased I discovered Apple before it was too late.

Sawday said:

Fast approaching 60 here and sooooooooo pleased I discovered Apple before it was too late.

Click to expand...

Fast approaching 63 here [I know you can't tell from my photo!], and the switch to my first Apple MBP just a few months ago was a welcome minor "challenge!" Definitely not something to be intimidated by!

I will be 64 in a couple of week's time. I found the fonts to be a little on the small size when I changed from Windows three years ago but I got used to them after about a Month. I wear Varifocals, have done for fifteen years now.

The short of all this is I found myself getting used to the font sizes after about six weeks and they didn't bother me after that.

Chin-up, you will find after a while it won't bother you either.

Impressive post, Thymen.

You've identified an issue that's vexed many switchers.

Old? Wait until you guys are approaching 75 then you will have a gripe. Struth things were much, much easier at 65 to say nothing of a new knee and shoulder!

Hi,
I have earlier raised the same questions, and got some help, but I´m certainly interested in bigger fonts.
Haven´t read this thread earlier and find it interesting. Unfortunately, I´m not yet familiar with all the commands, so when dtravis7 writes
Here for example is the settings for the Finder and desktop icons and text.
I certainly want to test this suggestion. But I don´t know how to get to Desktop, in spite of some time spent in various places. Complete path would be highly appreciated...

tada said:

Hi,
I have earlier raised the same questions, and got some help, but I´m certainly interested in bigger fonts.
Haven´t read this thread earlier and find it interesting. Unfortunately, I´m not yet familiar with all the commands, so when dtravis7 writes
Here for example is the settings for the Finder and desktop icons and text.
I certainly want to test this suggestion. But I don´t know how to get to Desktop, in spite of some time spent in various places. Complete path would be highly appreciated...

Click to expand...

- Go to the Finder (the desktop)
- Go to the "View" drop-down menu
- Select "Show View Options"
- adjust settings as necessary

- Nick

I am an age peer to you, got my 1st Mac in Nov 2011 & just got my 1st iPad yesterday (zoom is our friend IMHO there is no such thing as being " too old" to learn new things. I have no doubt that Apple appreciates us baby boomers, we as a rule aren't spending our money on things like daycare & diapers and can afford to buy their products.

Thanks Nick

tada said:

Thanks Nick

Click to expand...

You're welcome. Glad to help!

- Nick