For Immediate Release
Press Contacts:
Renee L. Blodgett Tim Hurley Russell Brady
Dragon Systems Copithorne & Bellows Apple Computer, Inc.
617.796.0348 617.450.4237 408.974.6877
reneeb@dragonsys.com tim.hurley@cbpr.com brady2@apple.com
Dragon Systems Brings Speech Recognition Software to the Macintosh
WWDC, SAN JOSE, Calif. and NEWTON, Mass. May 10, 1999 Dragon
Systems, Inc. and Apple Computer, Inc. today announced that Dragon
Systems will create and market Macintosh-compatible products based on
Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the top selling retail speech product in
the U.S.* Dragon Systems Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder Janet Baker,
Ph.D. announced the companys plans during the keynote presentation
at Apples annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San
Jose.
It’s great news for our customers that Dragon is bringing their
world-class speech recognition software out on Macintosh,” said Steve
Jobs, Apple’s interim CEO. The underlying architecture of the Mac
platform, with fast PowerPC processors and outstanding audio support,
will make Macintosh the premier platform for Dragon
NaturallySpeaking. Dragon’s return to the Mac market is more evidence
of the great business opportunities available on Macintosh for
innovative developers.
We have received many requests for a Macintosh version of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking and working with Apple we’re going to deliver a
high quality speech solution for Macintosh users, said Dragon
Systems Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder Janet Baker, Ph.D. Over the
last year we have seen Apple bring out some very innovative products
and we think Dragon Systems will offer the ideal speech recognition
solution for anyone who wants to extend the capabilities of their
iMac, Power Macintosh G3, or PowerBook G3.
Dragon Systems products for the Macintosh are planned initially for
both American and British English, with the first U.S. product to be
released later this year. French, German, and Japanese are also
scheduled. Pricing, system requirements, and product specifications
will be announced at product introduction.
Dragon Systems has a long history of supporting products for the
Macintosh platform. Previously, Dragon Systems offered Dragon
PowerSecretary, a discrete recognition dictation system for the
Macintosh.
###
*PC Data, March 1999
About Apple Computer, Inc.
Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the
1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the
1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original
missionto bring the best personal computing products and support to
students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers,
businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.
About Dragon Systems, Inc.
Dragon Systems, Inc., is a worldwide leader in PC speech recognition.
Dragon Systems develops and markets high-performance, cost-effective
speech and language technology that, in multiple world languages
(including American English, British English, French, German,
Italian, and Spanish), enable users to create text, issue commands,
enter and access data simply by speaking. The company also licenses
technology worldwide through developers, distributors, resellers,
OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and ISVs (Integrated Software
Vendors). Dragon Systems ports its technology across multiple
operating systems and hardware platforms from hand-held devices and
PCs to workstations, and is pursuing leading-edge research and
development projects for computer and telecommunications
applications. Since introducing Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the first
large vocabulary continuous speech recognition system able to create
general purpose text, in 1997, the Company has received over 80 major
industry awards worldwide.
Founded in 1982, Dragon Systems has its headquarters in Newton,
Massachusetts. It has European subsidiaries in Munich, Paris and in
Marlow near London, and additional research laboratories in
Cheltenham, England (Dragon Systems GmbH, Dragon Systems SA, Dragon
Systems UK Ltd, and Dragon Systems UK Research & Development Ltd,
respectively).
