Siri’s Voice Changed on iOS7
It is so tiny, so subtle. A shift so miniscule that you may not pick it up unless you hear the old Siri once again and remember that her voice was originally a little more metallic, a little more hesitant, gravelly. It is the difference between a photo taken with a 4 megapixel camera vs. an 8 megapixel camera. The voice — like a photograph — is crisper. It has focus, fluidity.
Normally we strive toward things that are better, improved. But this change threw off the Wolvog. A voice — something so personal, so identifying — was different. He could deal with the visual changes to the operating system, shifting his eyes in a way that he couldn’t shift his ear.
She no longer sounded like his Siri. He wanted to go back to iOS6.
Except that we never made a backup of his iPod before we began.
So he is stuck with the imposter Siri. He is trying to like her; trying to give her a chance. But she wasn’t just a half-forgotten program rarely used on a phone. She was the receptacle of his web searches, his mindless tasks. He has a fondness for her that one usually reserves for an old neighbour, someone who used to tell you great stories or pass out particularly good candy on Halloween.
Jony Ive, if you’re reading this, there is one little boy who really wishes he could have five minutes with the old Siri; just to say goodbye.
17 comments
OH. *heartbroken*
Three hours of crying today on and off. At first I didn’t have a lot of patience for it, thinking he should just get over it. But then he explained that she was different; that someone he liked was now different. And I thought about how I would feel if my friend changed or my husband changed, even something as subtle as the warmth in Josh’s voice. And then I got how much it sucked to not be excited by the change, but instead be mourning it.
Oh, dear. Poor guy. 🙁
I just put him back to bed. As of 10:45 pm, he was still awake, crying. I get that it’s not just a computer program for him; that he connects with it in the same way that I connect with books. So… I get that. But I also need him to go to sleep.
That’s so sad. And also so adorable that he feels so connected to it. And also, I’m SO old. I never use Siri.
Oh no. My goodness I never thought how that shift might affect him. But how my heart is broken for him. <3
It’s adorable until you look up at the clock and realize you have been going around and around, talking about a slight tweak in a computer program. I love him, I love the way he sees the world, I love how much he cares. I also want him to sleep.
So sweet, sad and sensitive. But sort of lightly amusing too. Poor Wolvog
Unfortunately, with the way computers & programs keep changing, he’d better get used to it. :p 🙁 (Facebook, I’m looking at you…)
I hope he went to sleep before midnight…for your sake! It’s funny, the generational gaps that occur with technology. I hardly use Siri and didn’t notice the change at all. Hopefully, his grief is short-lived and he learns to like the new one.
Aw, poor guy. Hope he’s able to come to love, or at least like, the new Siri
Awe poor guy! 🙁 my three years old has reactions like that too. He’s very sensitive to change. At that point I probably would have lost patience with the crying, but you’re a much better Mom than me!
Funny, I hadn’t noticed the change. My husband has upgraded and I haven’t yet. We’ll have to compare when he gets home.
My first thought was that I had in the past couple months read something about how there have been efforts to replicate Steven Hawking’s computer aided voice so that if his computer/whatever he uses dies for some reason the replacement would sound similar. IIRC those efforts, at that time, had yet to be successful. Poor Wolvog, I hope he eventually got to sleep that first night!
Could be a sign of autism?
I think You can change siri voice back to what it was on jailbroken devices. Not sure if your device be jailbreakable on ios 7 at this moment.
I miss the Real Siri! Could not believe my ears… I knew Siri, the genuine Siri, was gone… though the Imposter Siri pronounces my name correctly… she is Not Siri, never was, never will be. BRING BACK SIRI!!!
Oh I am so glad someone else had noticed the change
I really miss my Old Siri .. The new Siri is just not the same, the answers are off and the rapport we had is gone !
Hey Apple WT…?