KanjiTalk

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KanjiTalk was the name given by Apple to its Japanese language localization of the classic Mac OS. It consisted of translated applications, a set of Japanese fonts, and a Japanese input method called Kotoeri.{{cite web

|last = Joannidi

|first = Christine

|title = KanjiTalk: Frequently Asked Questions

|publisher = Apple Inc

|date = 2000-05-25

|url = http://support.apple.com/kb/TA33383?viewlocale=en_US

|accessdate = 2008-05-31

|url-status = bot: unknown

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426172241/http://support.apple.com/kb/TA33383?viewlocale=en_US

|archivedate = 2012-04-26

}} The software was sold and supported only in Japan. It was available for purchase through other resellers in the United States, but Apple did not support its use outside Japan.

Early versions of KanjiTalk were based on a proprietary Kanji script input system called 2.0 and 2.1.[http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922242/index.html CJKV Information Processing page 463] Developments following version 2.0 laid the groundwork for what eventually became Kotoeri, introduced with System 7.1.{{Cite web |url=http://www.transpac.com/projects.html |title=TransPac Software * Projects |access-date=2008-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705115713/http://www.transpac.com/projects.html |archive-date=2008-07-05 |url-status=dead }}

KanjiTalk 1.0 debuted in 1986, alongside Apple's universal System 3.0, and first distributed with the Mac Plus. It was followed with limited version updates, up to 2.0, 6.0, and then parallel updates with Apple's System 7.[https://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fapple.ism.excite.co.jp%2Fpage%2F漢字Talk.html&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 http://apple.ism.excite.co.jp/page/漢字Talk.html] Apple had intended to ship its new PowerBook models with System 7, but development of the new OS was taking longer than anticipated, so Apple released a special version of System 6.0.7.1, with support for KanjiTalk, in order to market its new laptops in Japan.{{cite web |date=2007-04-09 |title=漢字Talk 6.0.7 |url=http://apple.ism.excite.co.jp/page/漢字Talk+6.0.7.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226174617/http://apple.ism.excite.co.jp/page/%E6%BC%A2%E5%AD%97Talk+6.0.7.html |archive-date=2008-12-26 |website=apple.ism.excite.co.jp |language=JA}} The PowerBook 100 was co-designed and manufactured by Sony.{{cite news

| last = Rebello

| first = Kathy

| title = Apple gets a little more help from its friends. (possible alliance with Sony)

| work = BusinessWeek

| page = 132

| date = October 28, 1991}}{{cite news

| last = Ely

| first = Ed

| title = Apple's PowerBook: is it late, or perfectly timed?

| work = The Business Journal Serving Greater Sacramento

| page = 19

| date = November 25, 1991}}

KanjiTalk was succeeded by Apple's more standardized precursor to Unicode, known as WorldScript, from System 7.1 to Mac OS 9.2.2, before Mac OS X. This was a controversial decision, as it did not adequately provide for all of the traditional Kanji characters.[http://tronweb.super-nova.co.jp/characcodehist.html A Brief History of Character Codes], Steven J. Searle, originally written [https://web.archive.org/web/20001216022100/http://tronweb.super-nova.co.jp/characcodehist.html 1999], last updated 2004