Britain's PC Users Would Rather Talk to their Computers than Type
Two thirds of Britain's PC users would swap their keyboard for a microphone according to MORI findings issued today. The research, conducted by MORI on behalf of IBM Speech Systems, found that even skilled touch typists would prefer to talk rather than type.
With technological advancements pervading both the workplace and the home, PC usage is becoming an integral part of everyday life. IBM's research reveals that almost a third of British PC users spend more than three hours a day on their computer and that they are as likely to use a PC at home as they are at work.
Of the PC users that can touch type half have received no formal training and are self taught. The research also highlights that only eight per cent of PC users learnt their touch typing skills at school. Women are twice as likely as men to be able to touch type and amongst British office workers only 28% of managers have accurate keyboard skills.
Duncan Ross, IBM speech business manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa says, "The research clearly shows that only a minority of PC users in Britain have the appropriate keyboard skills to make the most efficient use of their computers and the majority would rather be talking rather than typing. IBM's ViaVoice Millennium product family makes it easy for PC users to use speech to complete everyday computer tasks, whether they use a PC in an office environment or at home to surf the Internet."
The ViaVoice Millennium product family includes three offerings for different user needs and skill sets - ViaVoice Standard, ViaVoice Web and ViaVoice Pro. IBM's next generation of award winning speech recognition software offers new levels of usability and accuracy. UK RRP prices begin from 16339.99, and will be available in stores throughout the UK from October 1999.
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate.
IBM speech recognition technology is based on thirty years of speech recognition research and development. With a portfolio of more than one hundred patents, an established R&D business that includes researchers worldwide and a robust, proven speech technology available in many languages, IBM is a leader in speech recognition. For more information about IBM Speech Systems, visit the World Wide Web at www.software.ibm.com/speech
For more information about IBM e-business, visit the IBM web page on the world wide web at www.ibm.com/e-business
ViaVoice are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Technical details
The questions were placed on MORI's Omnibus, and a nationally representative quota sample of 740 adults were interviewed by MORI/Field & Tab across 165 constituency-based sampling points. Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) face-to-face in respondents' homes between 20-23 August 1999. Data have been weighted to reflect the national population profile.
