What is "mobile" (was Re: Fwd: Screen Reader Audio on Mobile)

On 06/10/2015 18:17, Richards, Jan wrote:
> Hi Patrick,
>
> I don't think there can bright line between mobile and non-mobile, as we tried to explain in the note:
> http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-accessibility-mapping/#wcag-2.0-and-mobile-content-applications
>
> Do you think there is anything more that needs to be added to that section?

Although the note starts off explaining that the term is a bit fluid, it 
then proceeds to still try and define characteristics that are somehow 
unique to "mobile" - or rather "issues that are different from the 
typical desktop/laptop" - thus reinforcing once again the distinction 
which it just explained isn't as clear-cut.

While the issues it then goes on to explain are of course valid, they 
apply to individual aspects (such as "a small screen display", "a 
touchscreen interface", "on-screen keyboards", "gesture interactions" 
etc) which can certainly happen on desktop (e.g. desktop with a small 
screen, or a browser window set to be smaller than the fullscreen size; 
a desktop with an attached touchscreen, a laptop with a touchscreen, a 
two-in-one device like the Surface).

As it's of course too late to now backtrack from the "mobile" 
terminology (and instead make smaller, more focused TFs/extensions such 
as a "touchscreen extension"), I'd think perhaps the note should clarify 
that indeed there is no such thing as "mobile", but that the term is 
used as an umbrella term for various characteristics (small screen, 
touchscreen interface) that are typicially associated with 
"mobile/tablet" devices...and then, instead of trying to reinforce that 
"mobile" is indeed a special case, simply explain that of course in 
isolation, these issues apply just as well to traditionally "non-mobile" 
devices under certain conditions (with examples as above, e.g. 
desktop/laptop with a touchscreen).

P
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Patrick H. Lauke

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Received on Tuesday, 6 October 2015 17:50:56 UTC