Dictation/Transcription

[Randy B. Singer]

The topic of being able to dictate your work on your Mac often comes up. Especially since the demise of Dragon for the Mac. There are a number of choices that users may not be aware of.

Apple licenses Dragon's technology and includes it in the Mac OS. The thing is that they have implemented it in dribs and drabs over the past handful of years. It gets better and better with each new release of the Mac OS, but it likely will never be the same as the commercial Dragon package was. That said, I'm told that the latest version(s) are quite good, even though they don't accept personalized training. So it might be worth trying if you have a recent OS installed and haven't tried it lately.

Use Voice Control on your Mac

Also have a look at:

MacWhisper/Pro/Whisper Transcription
https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/whisper-transcription/id1668083311?mt=12
https://www.computerworld.com/artic...-could-meet-all-your-transcription-needs.html

Talkatoo ($99/month; cloud-based but not browser-based)
https://talkatoo.com/mac-installation/

Dictate app by IBN Software ($17.50/year. Macintosh version only available from the Mac App Store. There is also an iOS version)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1124772331
https://ibn-software.com/apps/dictate
https://www.ibn-software.com
(This product gets glowing reviews on the Mac App Store!)

 

[pm-r]

There are a number of choices that users may not be aware of.

I would hope that Apple's Dictation has certainly improved somewhat but unfortunately not as much as I would have liked to see, and I cannot use or run the latest Mac OS versions, and I really rely on dictation because of a serious Rheumatic-Arthritis condition in my hands.

What I have been able to use is Google's based Voice commercial extension, but unfortunately, it only works with Google products and it makes Apple's Dictation seem rather pathetic.
chrome-extension://pjnefijmagpdjfhhkpljicbbpicelgko/settings.html

I have also noticed that since switching from OS X 10.9 Mavericks to OS X 10.11 El Capitan, apples enhanced dictation seems to take ages to load completely before it becomes operational.

Google Chrome's Voice in extension is instant when enabled. I only wish it worked globally on a Mac in other non-Google applications even if it's not free.

What fascinates me with Apple and their apparent purchase of Dragon for the Mac, is why on Earth it has taken them so long to improve their Dictation software and why it still has such a **** of a long way to go and improve.

Really quite upsetting for those of us, and those worse off, who really rely on such software to help with typing and voice-to-text implementation.

This was dictated using voice in with Google Chrome on my El Capitan running iMac.

I have to use Apple's global Dictation when using any other non-Google software and it certainly needs some tender loving attention to get it improved. Its progress so far has been rather pathetic in my opinion and the use that started with its release with OS X 10.9 Mavericks 10.9.x.


PS: thanks for mentioning and providing the links to the dictation software you mentioned, I'll take a look, but I don't remember seeing their names mentioned the last time I went browsing for any good Mac dictation software.

Actually, the last versions that Dragon for the Mac released had some pretty bad terrible reviews, so maybe Apple got taken in their purchase of the software.





- Patrick
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[Randy B. Singer]

What fascinates me with Apple and their apparent purchase of Dragon for the Mac, is why on Earth it has taken them so long to improve their Dictation software and why it still has such a **** of a long way to go and improve.

The answer, as with most things, is probably money. I'm willing to bet that Apple only licensed a part of the Dragon technology, at a vastly reduced price than if they licensed all of it. That way Apple can say that it has done something for the people who were left high and dry when Dragon was discontinued for the Mac, but they haven't paid through the nose for it.

Note that IBM purchased the Dragon technology for 19 Billion dollars in 2019. I'm a bit surprised that they licensed it to Apple at all. Apple had to discontinue the original Rosetta when IBM purchased the technology and wouldn't license it to Apple on reasonable terms.

I have to use Apple's global Dictation when using any other non-Google software and it certainly needs some tender loving attention to get it improved. Its progress so far has been rather pathetic in my opinion and the use that started with its release with OS X 10.9 Mavericks 10.9.x.

Of course, there have been 7 years of improvements that you haven't tried. So I'm assuming that you don't know if voice recognition/transcription got at least reasonably good in the Mac OS at any time in those 7 years.

PS: thanks for mentioning and providing the links to the dictation software you mentioned, I'll take a look, but I don't remember seeing their names mentioned the last time I went browsing for any good Mac dictation software.

That's why I posted about it. There are new products on the market now that users say good things about. (I don't use VR/T myself.)

 

[Slydude]

Thanks for the update Randy. I used Dragon for Mac for quite some time. It never seemed to work as seamlessly for me as it did for me but was better than the built-in functionality. IIRC the final version was a step backward for me.

I'll definitely take a look at the alternatives.

 

[MacInWin]

Note that IBM purchased the Dragon technology for 19 Billion dollars in 2019. I'm a bit surprised that they licensed it to Apple at all. Apple had to discontinue the original Rosetta when IBM purchased the technology and wouldn't license it to Apple on reasonable terms.

Wonder if IBM remembers the OS/4 fiasco and invoked Saint Payback-is-a-B***ch on Apple?

 

[pm-r]

Of course, there have been 7 years of improvements that you haven't tried. So I'm assuming that you don't know if voice recognition/transcription got at least reasonably good in the Mac OS at any time in those 7 years.

I'm sorry Randy, but I have tried it on various newer Macs over the years and found they had provided very few benefits or improvements to their voice-to-text software and that has been supported by most Mac reviewers over the same period of time.

Even Adam Engst has made similar comments among others saying the same thing:

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell in the current betas of iOS 14 and macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple has made no significant changes to either standard dictation or VCD. So we'll probably have to wait another year or more before such improvement could see the light of day.Aug 31, 2020

How iOS and macOS Dictation Can Learn from Voice Control’s Dictation - TidBITS

Oddly, Apple has two seemingly independent dictation capabilities available for both iOS devices and Macs. The standard dictation feature is, unfortunately, pretty weak in comparison with the dictation feature that you get when you enable Voice Control. Adam Engst looks at the differences and...

tidbits.com

All in all, Apple's total efforts and improvements have been what I in many others would call, rather pathetic. But at least we have something.




- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

Patrick, that article is two and a half years old, from 2020. I don't use dictation, but lots can happen in two+ years.

 

[pm-r]

Patrick, that article is two and a half years old, from 2020. I don't use dictation, but lots can happen in two+ years.

Certainly, lots can happen in 2+ years, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have happened with any drastic Improvement results in this case according to many and their comments and experiences up to and including the latest macOS 13: Ventura, in fact for many it seems that just it just quit working so a bit better excuse would be needed and I didn't find any worthwhile or dramatic improvements mentioned here:

has apple dictation improved with ventura - Google Search

- Patrick
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[Randy B. Singer]

...it doesn't seem to have happened with any drastic Improvement results in this case according to many and their comments and experiences up to and including the latest macOS 13: Ventura, ...

has apple dictation improved with ventura - Google Search

Have you actually read some of the results from your own suggested Google search? Many find Ventura's voice recognition features quite useable.