No, Apple did not invent predictive text entry
From the moment Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world a lot has been written about the lack of a keyboard. Mainstream media has been publishing articles about the big gamble Apple is taking by relying solely on an on-screen keyboard for input to email messages or IM messages. I agree that this is a gamble and we will have to wait and see how this is received by consumers. Most of these articles discussing the keyboard on the iPhone invariably get around to mentioning a great innovation by Apple for including the ability of the software to guess what word the user wants to input after just tapping the first letter or two. The iPhone uses a list of common words that start with those letters and then offers the option to just tap the word in a box to enter the whole word, thus saving the user the effort of tapping all the letters in the word. It is easy to see that this functionality is essential for an on-screen keyboard and is the only way such a keyboard would be tolerable.
This method of text entry was not invented by Apple, in spite of what these journalists are implying. This is called predictive text entry and it has been a stock feature on Windows Mobile devices for years and years. The Windows Mobile on-screen keyboard has always had this feature and the user can configure it to offer multiple word choices that pop up in the prediction box so the chance of the software offering the correct word is much more likely. It has always worked well and is nothing new, not by a long shot. The T9 text entry system has also had predictive text entry for some time and it works really well, especially on the Nokia phones that I’ve been testing recently. It learns over time what words you are most likely to input (even names and URLs) and it is uncanny how the word you want to enter is often the first choice in the list. Predictive text entry is a boon for text entry with keyboards on the screen and it will no doubt be useful on the iPhone. But come on, this is nothing new and Apple is not introducing anything new with this.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
The feature has also been on every Japanese cell phone that I have ever seen. If you’ve ever seen what they go through to input Chinese characters on a key pad, you’d understand.
-Matt
In fact all text messaging capable phones out there typically have this text predictive capability. On most Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorola and Samsung phones, this feauture usually known as T9 predictive input.
James – of course you’re right but this is what Apple is especially good at. When is the last time you saw a Windows Mobile, Nokia, or other media kit, briefing, or public demonstration talk about predictive text?
Apple has always been able to take existing concepts and “make them their own” by highlighting them in a way that is easy to pass along, compelling in a solving-a-problem way, and with enough of a twist in presentation in their OS to make the idea seem fresh.
The key market they’re targeting for early adoption will look at this as Apple “innovation” or just a “good thing”. And they’ll demo it to their friends and family when they get their iPhone. And another urban legend will begin. ;^)
Who said it was? Certainly not Apple. It’s been on my last three mobile phones. It’s a toss up whether it’s more annoying than helpful.
Can you list the articles, or the companies that published these articles incorrectly citing Apple as the inventor of the technology? Also, since you have said that “most” of the articles you have read stated this, can you also cite all these articles? I always like to review & understand what companies or authors are not being honest in their endeavors. Thanks!
I did not state that Apple is claiming to be the inventor of predictive text entry. I didn’t say that the articles I’ve seen (latest one on the NYT, just search for them) stated that Apple invented this. The impressions given by these articles that discusses Apple’s hot new text entry technology is definitely that Apple has created this field and this is what I am saying. If you mention Apple’s “new” technology in an article and don’t go on to say that a similar technology has been around for years then the reader can understandably assume that Apple created something new. Disputing that mistaken assumption is the purpose behind this article.
What difference does it make on who invented it?
Doesn’t make any difference I just don’t want readers to think that this is brand new technology, it is rather old.
The first time I used predictive text entry was on the Apple Newton back in 1992.
BlackBerry has had this forever. It’s funny, a significant number of people get annoyed with suretype, and they’re hitting physical buttons…I what’s in store for Apple.