MacSpeech
Encyclopedia
MacSpeech was a company that developed speech recognition
software for Apple Macintosh computers. It has been acquired by Nuance Communications
.
In 2008, its previous flagship product, iListen
, was replaced by MacSpeech Dictate
, built around Nuance's
licensed Dragon NaturallySpeaking
engine. Dragon Dictate for Mac, an upgrade for MacSpeech, was announced on September 20, 2010, by Nuance corporation, the maker of MacSpeech and NaturallySpeaking. The upgrade incorporates some of the benefits of NaturallySpeaking for Windows into the Mac Software. Other NaturallySpeaking features, such as training mis-recognized words by simply re-typing them using the keyboard, are not present in Dragon Dictate for Mac.
MacSpeech was established in 1996 by current CEO Andrew Taylor. MacSpeech was the only company that developed voice dictation systems for the Macintosh. Its full product line was devoted to speech recognition and dictation. On September 20, 2010, Nuance corporation, the maker of MacSpeech, announced a new product, Dragon Dictate for Mac, based on Nuance's superior NaturallySpeaking for Windows product. Nuance is expected to promptly announce whether Dragon Dictate for Mac allows training by typing misrecognized words, as NaturallySpeaking now does, but MacSpeech does not.
was IBM
's ViaVoice , but ScanSoft, the company that had exclusive global distribution rights to ViaVoice, merged with Nuance
and stopped developing ViaVoice for Macintosh. (The first dictation software for Mac OS 9 was Articulate System's PowerSecretary.)
At the 2008 MacWorld Expo
, MacSpeech's newly-revealed Dictate was a winner of the MacWorld 2008 Best of Show award.
In addition to Taylor, those involved from the beginning until the Nuance acquisition included, among others, Chief-Evangelist Chuck Rogers, CFO (later, VP) Michael Schwing, VP of Engineering Jeff Ganyard, early hands-on investors including Micah Solomon, and VP of Marketing Donald MacCormick.
Dictate began shipping to existing iListen customers in mid-February, 2008
On February 16, 2010, Nuance Communications
announced that they fully acquired MacSpeech.
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
software for Apple Macintosh computers. It has been acquired by Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
.
In 2008, its previous flagship product, iListen
IListen
iListen, developed by MacSpeech, is a speech recognition program for the Apple Macintosh. As of 2006, iListen is currently the only third-party software that allows inputting text using one's voice that works on newer Macintosh models...
, was replaced by MacSpeech Dictate
MacSpeech Dictate
MacSpeech Dictate was a speech recognition program developed for Mac OS X by MacSpeech. The first version of MacSpeech Dictate was released in March 2008 after being showcased at the Macworld Conference & Expo in 2008 and winning the Macworld 2008 Best Of Show award...
, built around Nuance's
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
licensed Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a speech recognition software package developed and sold by Nuance Communications for Windows personal computers. The most recent package is version 11.5, which supports 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Vista and 7. The Mac OS version is called Dragon...
engine. Dragon Dictate for Mac, an upgrade for MacSpeech, was announced on September 20, 2010, by Nuance corporation, the maker of MacSpeech and NaturallySpeaking. The upgrade incorporates some of the benefits of NaturallySpeaking for Windows into the Mac Software. Other NaturallySpeaking features, such as training mis-recognized words by simply re-typing them using the keyboard, are not present in Dragon Dictate for Mac.
MacSpeech was established in 1996 by current CEO Andrew Taylor. MacSpeech was the only company that developed voice dictation systems for the Macintosh. Its full product line was devoted to speech recognition and dictation. On September 20, 2010, Nuance corporation, the maker of MacSpeech, announced a new product, Dragon Dictate for Mac, based on Nuance's superior NaturallySpeaking for Windows product. Nuance is expected to promptly announce whether Dragon Dictate for Mac allows training by typing misrecognized words, as NaturallySpeaking now does, but MacSpeech does not.
History
The first commercial voice dictation product for Mac OS XMac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
was IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's ViaVoice , but ScanSoft, the company that had exclusive global distribution rights to ViaVoice, merged with Nuance
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
and stopped developing ViaVoice for Macintosh. (The first dictation software for Mac OS 9 was Articulate System's PowerSecretary.)
At the 2008 MacWorld Expo
Macworld Conference & Expo
Produced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
, MacSpeech's newly-revealed Dictate was a winner of the MacWorld 2008 Best of Show award.
In addition to Taylor, those involved from the beginning until the Nuance acquisition included, among others, Chief-Evangelist Chuck Rogers, CFO (later, VP) Michael Schwing, VP of Engineering Jeff Ganyard, early hands-on investors including Micah Solomon, and VP of Marketing Donald MacCormick.
Dictate began shipping to existing iListen customers in mid-February, 2008
On February 16, 2010, Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
announced that they fully acquired MacSpeech.