Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

NeedMoreVideo

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
43
0
So I frequently "type" up technical design documents using voice dictation as part of my job.

Recently I tried typing up one of these document using Mountain Lion's built-in dictation instead of Dragon, which is what I have been using. I've found the feature to be less then stellar.

I did appreciate that I did not have to go through 45 minutes of training before I could start using it, and also that it did not demand a very expensive microphone (which I have for Dragon), but I was dismayed by very poor recognition even when using the expensive mic.

I was also dismayed with a general lack of controls in the built-in dictation. If I need to use a field-specific word (say RESTful), in Dragon there is a "vocabulary editor" dialog box where I can define how I would like to pronounce the word and how it should be typed. In the built in dictation I can find no way to define new words.

I also seem to be unable to find any analogue to the movement commands in Dragon such as "go to end of line" or "select sometext". I also find the correction box that requires the mouse to be both not-very-good guesses of what I was saying, and cumbersome to use.

I was hoping to not have to pay a bunch of money to stay on the upgrade path for Dragon with the built in dictation, but I guess it isn't there yet.

Has anyone else been successful in doing serious voice dictation tasks with the built-in dictation in Mountain Lion?

tl;dr; Built-in Siri dictation does not complete with expensive add-on software for voice dictation. What say you?
 

NewbieCanada

macrumors 68030
Oct 9, 2007
2,574
37
I don't have any experience with dedicated voice dictation, so I can't comment on how it compares, but putting that aside, I'd say the dictation is only useful in extremely limited circumstances.

I occasionally use it on the iPhone to reply to an email, when it will be difficult to type and I figure it will be quicker even if I have to retype some words manually. And i use it for reminders where it won't really matter if it gets the words wrong as long as the time is right.

"But I'd rather die for something's" = its interpretation of "But I'd rather die than have to use it for something like this post here in MacRumors."
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.