Apple has killed the iconic Mac startup chime with the release of its new MacBook Pro.
As first noted by Pingie, the startup chime which confirmed to users that the notebook had passed its Power On Self Test, is no longer.
Over the years the chime has changed. The first being a “bong.” Quadras brought in a chord composed in a C major on a Korg keyboard. It was pitch shifted a few times. Power Macs brought in an electronic jazz guitar strum. The 20th Anniversary Macintosh had a poppy remix of the classic bong as a tribute to the original Mac. But all Mac computers post the iMac G3 have had the same sound – an F-Sharp cord sound modulated from a PowerMac startup sound.
Apple has updated its support documents to confirm the change.
Previously, Apple's instructions for resetting NVRAM read:
Hold these keys until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for a second time.
They have since been updated to:
Hold these keys down for at least 20 seconds to ensure that your Mac completes the process correctly.
Will you miss the Mac startup sound or did you find it annoying?
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Comments (16)
Comments are closed for this article.
0
Vaper Boy - October 31, 2016 at 1:18pm
bring back the bong!
0
matrixmaniac - October 31, 2016 at 6:19am
Not sure why people can be more annoyed about that missing start up sound than about the missing head phone jack... But anyway, I do agree that Apple does too many too stupid decisions these days.
0
evilsearch - October 31, 2016 at 2:40am
i love the sound, for God sake bring the tone back!
0
Brownest - October 31, 2016 at 1:44am
I don't get it. The sound takes no physical space, negligible ROM space and fulfilled a useful function. Why kill it? Change for improvement (e.g., the shift from Motorola to IBM to Intel CPUs) is smart, change for incremental improvement (e.g., removal of 3.5mm jack) is debatable, but change for the sake of change is dumb.
0
paulMOGG - October 30, 2016 at 11:55pm
I will miss the start up sound it was a feeling of security when you heard it and without looking you knew you were on your way !
0
Kk - October 30, 2016 at 11:24pm
Seriously what is wrong with Apple recently? Are they making poor decisions?
0
Doung Marath - October 30, 2016 at 11:02pm
The technology never ends
0
Jayseee - October 30, 2016 at 10:48pm
I hated that annoying sound that would wake up everybody in the house when turning on the computer
1
Bay huy - October 30, 2016 at 5:54pm
It's just to rip you off that's why! First they connect the power button to the keyboard plastic 3-layer so when you spill liquid your access to the power button is cut! And you need to go to apple just to turn the Macbook on! You were cut from the option to use external keyboard!
1
JBoutame - October 30, 2016 at 5:25pm
It's sad to see the treasured traditions fade away. New users are unaware of the value such small things take away from customer loyalty, Macs are becoming ever more like the PC world. Greatness is just one of the options. It's not an assured quality. It can only be earned without compromise.
1
joshWUa - October 30, 2016 at 5:12pm
Like I said they are dissecting the MacBook and it's disappointing every year.
0
gamerscul9870 - October 30, 2016 at 5:22pm
Like I said, they are beefing up the Mac which continues to improve yearly. It's flash player all over again where people didn't realize we were moving towards a greater change but didn't realize it at the time and eventually have moved on. It will soon be the same case here where many changes will eventually be worth switching to.
0
Guest - October 30, 2016 at 6:49pm
Not improving. Ports>>>>no ports
1
James - October 30, 2016 at 5:07pm
Apple is changing significantly under Tim Cook.
0
gamerscul9870 - October 30, 2016 at 5:18pm
Tim is shaping Apple for the better. He's the one who has bought everyone what they asked for so long.
0
James - October 30, 2016 at 6:05pm
Like this MacBook Pro right??? Jaja you cant connect the iPhone on it but you can connect an android phone thats the people want...
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