info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac) (05/02/84)
Date: Mon 30 Apr 84 20:42:45-PDT
From: uw-beaver!ERIK@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Japanese Macintosh
To: Info-Mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Cc: Erik@SRI-AI.ARPA
The Japanese Macintosh indeed poses a set of problems different from the
modifications required for European products. We want to find the best
way to make Macintosh approachable, attractive and affordable to
Japanese customers. Xerox J-Star, IBM 5550 and NEC PC-100 are some of
the systems we have evaluated in our quest for solutions and models. The
phonetic input method is indeed becoming a standard way to tackle the
problem of Kanji. Better solutions (such as Xerox's J-Star) do grammatical
pre-processing before conversion into Kanji, thus significantly simplifying
the task of the typist. Meanwhile, Apple will put out a Kana Macintosh as a
stopgap solution until the full blown Japanese (Kana/Kanji) system is
ready. The majority (if not all) of the Japanese MANAGERS do not type and
prefer to handwrite their notes: a keyboard is still associated with a typist
or secretary. Simplifying the typing process will certainly help in making
computers more appealing to managers. I hope this answers some of the
questions raised by the Macworld article on International Macs.
Joanna K. Hoffman
International Marketing Manager
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