Apple Announces Chinese Dictation System -- On 28-Nov-95, Apple announced a Chinese Dictation Kit, which converts spoken Mandarin (Putonghua) speech into simplified or traditional Chinese text. Users configure the system for their speech patterns by reading several pages of text into the kit's special Apple Dictation Microphone (which comes with the kit); though this configuration process consumes almost 30 MB of disk space, the result is a 700K user profile that can be moved between machines on a floppy disk. Users typically start at about 40 characters per minute, and work up to 60 or more characters per minute with extended use. The dictation kit software includes over 3,500 single characters and more than 12,000 multi-character words, plus error correction features and the ability to customize the system's vocabulary. The Chinese Dictation Kit requires a Power Mac with 4 MB of free RAM, System 7.5, Chinese Language Kit 1.1.1, and 16-bit sound. It's expected to be available in early 1996 at an estimated price of $300. [GD]

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