iOS 14.5 Adds New Siri Voices, No Longer Defaults to Female

[Ethosik]

Or better yet, Vision from the Avengers. ?

In terms of great voices, I think my favorite is Shannon McCormick. Agent Washington from Red vs Blue and Ozpin from RWBY.

Sean Schemmel might be fun too. I want Goku telling me things!

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

I keep forgetting there are 386 different genders. Thank you Apple for reminding me.

even Siri isn't immune to social justice initiatives

So they are removing gender now lol

Unbelievable apple now it says voice 1 and voice 2 why can’t they use gender or does that not work now days

Why are we changing the world for a tiny minority of people? Leave male and female alone

Wow. Someone actually includes men when referring to equality. How long before the feminists protest they are being marginalized?

This is the kind of nonsense Apple prioritizes - defaulting to a neutral voice so as not to hurt feeings rather than making Siri actually work properly.

Everybody: Why can't apple just give us some options ffs

Apple: gives options

MacRumors forum members: No not like that

 

[Neodym]

I’ve always thought standard female voices on assistants are disgustingly promoting the cliché of someone’s secretary being a woman (hence a woman in an office is probably the secretary).
Not sure why people in the progressive Silicon Valley thought it just felt natural to give firm and rude orders to a woman.

It‘s funny how people read a meaning into something like this, without knowing about the backgrounds. Perhaps the choice has been made, because studies exist, saying that female voices are generally experienced as nicer - even by women. Not always, but as a general trend.

Besides - Siri has been purchased by Apple (the startup which developed it), so if you want to accuse someone of something, you should do your homework first and target the original developers ...

 

[jimbobb24]

I’ve always thought standard female voices on assistants are disgustingly promoting the cliché of someone’s secretary being a woman (hence a woman in an office is probably the secretary).
Not sure why people in the progressive Silicon Valley thought it just felt natural to give firm and rude orders to a woman.

Women make great secretaries. Why all the hate? The real reason is probably more like why women are often tour guides - data shows people just give better reception to women and they less threatening.

 

[Kylo83]

I can just see the Siri team in a meeting.
Scene:

INTERIOR - Apple Park

SIRI TEAM MEMBER #1
Damn Tim is gonna be pissed when he hears that we have bupkis for the next release and no idea on how to make Siri not suck

SIRI TEAM MEMBER #2
Hey, we could tweak the voices and change some options and call it Siri inclusion and diversity. Should be able to have it done by end of the day. Marketing will know how to spin this into a "leading industry innovation" story and Tim will be thrilled. And our asses will not only be saved, but be the asses of the 14.5 heroes

APPLAUSE SIRI TEAM MEMBERS

Haha so true

Everybody: Why can't apple just give us some options ffs

Apple: gives options

MacRumors forum members: No not like that

because that’s no options getting rid of male and female to be inclusive is wrong; why not give us options to remove home bar

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Haha so true

because that’s no options getting rid of male and female to be inclusive is wrong; why not give us options to remove home bar

you seem pretty sensitive, i hope you can cope with this massive change.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Need a James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough voices.

 

[Devyn89]

Because we trust the science (except biology).

How to spot when someone only understands biology at grade school level.

 

[Kylo83]

you seem pretty sensitive, i hope you can cope with this massive change.

Sorry I don’t like real life being changed to make a few people happy somethings in life are facts

 

[Bluetoot-]

The story behind Handel’s Water Music has always amused me. I’m not sure what’s fact from legend, but I almost don’t want to know. The story is fantastic as it is.

 

[4492865]

Why is Siri so bad?

If Siri was good it would know the answer to that question.

 

[barkomatic]

Sometimes I'm not in the mood for the polite Siri voice. Maybe one day they'll be a Siri that talks back.

 

[jonnyb098]

Apple continues to make us wait for bug fixes while they implement pandering features.

 

[russell_314]

The fact that Apple spent time to even change the default shows how far out of touch they are with Siri. Fix it so it works. I don’t care if it sounds like a freaking robot. Siri is absolutely trash and this is coming from someone who likes apple products. ???

 

[blacktape242]

im offended.....i dunno about what, but im offended.

 

[Lost Hills]

FYI, I have heard that most (but not all) of the spoke audio alerts in aircraft (Stall/wind sheer/etc.) are female due to the fact that they are easier to hear in a noisy environment, and pilots have a higher rate of understanding/obeying vs a male voice.

All male voices in the Boeings I flew

 

[ajfahey]

Siri is female? How do we know?

 

[ajfahey]

im offended.....i dunno about what, but im offended.

I'm offended too because it can be very dangerous socially to let our guard down and just chill out and not be angry and offended all of the time.

 

[Blowback]

HAL would be fun. I imagine current Siri voices are synthesized rather than samples of actual people talking, hence the difficulty. But still, character voices would be so much frickin fun it'll make hot coffee shoot out of your nose.

Samuel Jackson....from Any movie!

 

[ajfahey]

Women make great secretaries. Why all the hate? The real reason is probably more like why women are often tour guides - data shows people just give better reception to women and they less threatening.

I wonder if anyone has considered the fact that its just easier for all human hearing to accurately discern a higher pitched voice under high background noise conditions? My son has a low voice. My daughter a higher voice. I am always having to ask my son to repeat himself. My daughter, never. I also have to have my wife repeat herself often, but that's a different matter entirely.

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

Hey, Siri! What's Oprah reading these days? So useful.

 

[sbailey4]

I understand not defaulting to one and letting you choose but why get rid of gender?

Because the human race is going totally and completely nuts! Soon there wont be "barking dogs" and meowing cats" because someone may be offended stating that dogs sound like dogs and cats sound like cats. We will have to say "animals making noise" instead. SMH

 

[Devyn89]

Because the human race is going totally and completely nuts! Soon there wont be "barking dogs" and meowing cats" because someone may be offended stating that dogs sound like dogs and cats sound like cats. We will have to say "animals making noise" instead. SMH

adding options doesn’t mean anyone is offended... it means they added options. The original options still exist. Sounds like you’re the one offended by options existing.

 

[chinito77]

I’ve always thought standard female voices on assistants are disgustingly promoting the cliché of someone’s secretary being a woman (hence a woman in an office is probably the secretary).
Not sure why people in the progressive Silicon Valley thought it just felt natural to give firm and rude orders to a woman.

Maybe I'm missing the sarcasm here but female voices have been proven to be easier to understand, across all languages. Or perhaps you are they type of person who always plays the victim?

 

[sbailey4]

you seem pretty sensitive, i hope you can cope with this massive change.

HAHA folks are offended that males sound like males and females sound like females to the point where you cant list that as an option and HE's the one that sensitive? ROFLMAO