“Without SwitchXS, I wouldn’t be able to use my MacBook Pro. Mac OS X is no longer the future, it’s the now and SwitchXS is the way.”

I’m Michael Phillips, a journalist and artist from Tampa, FL USA. When Mac OS X first arrived, I was most excited, but also a tad nervous. I have Spinal Muscular Atrophy and rely on a single switch and scanning to access my Mac. The assistive technology that I was using in Mac OS 9 had no signs of making its way to Mac OS X and there was nothing new on the horizon. That is, of course, until I was introduced to SwitchXS.

Even though I prefer my MacBook Pro, I enjoy a day out, if only to show off my iPod (Photo supplied by Michael Phillips and used with permission.)

With SwitchXS, I can do everything I want to do in OS X. For instance, I’m a Mac journalist, mostly focusing on game reviews and interviews. I also wrote the chapters on Card & Board Games, Roleplaying Games and Online Games for Peachpit's Macintosh Bible. Using SwitchXS I can play and review games such as Massive Assault, Neverwinter Nights, Shadowbane, Myst IV Revelation, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and World of Warcraft with ease. Of course, after I play a game, I have to write about it, but that’s not a problem. SwitchXS works seamlessly with Word for Mac OS X. SwitchXS also allows me to use high-end creative apps, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and GoLive. Every app that I need to use, SwitchXS can deftly handle.

See how I play World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament 2004.

Thanks to SwitchXS, I’m not stuck in the purgatory that is Mac OS 9. I can use the apps I want to use, all while using Apple’s latest hardware and Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). Without SwitchXS, I wouldn’t be able to use my MacBook Pro. Mac OS X is no longer the future, it’s the now and SwitchXS is the way.