One of the most instantly recognizable sounds in electronics may be about to go the way of “You’ve Got Mail,” as Apple is reportedly doing away with it signature startup sound on its Mac computers.
Business Insider, citing blog Pingie.com, reports that the single note chime did not migrate to Apple’s newest MacBook Pro announced last week.
The chime-less startup is likely the result of the way the new MacBooks turn on: with no power button, the computer simply starts anytime the cover is lifted.
Additionally, a FAQ page for the older Macs indicated that the “startup sound” was a way to reset a computer’s non-volatile random-access memory. A mention of the chime sound is not included in the new MacBook FAQ page.
Pingie.com writer Dan, who owns one of the new laptops, points out that the writing was on the wall for the chime’s discontinuation, as Apple’s newest products, including the iPhone, don’t have startup sounds.
Still, Business Insider notes that the chime had been a part of Apple’s computers for almost as long as Apple has made computers: the tones began singing from devices in the 1980s, and were reconfigured to today’s chime in 1998 with the iMac G3.
Here’s the sounds all Mac users will be missing (if they buy the new MacBook):
And for a trip down memory lane, here are the different variations of Apple’s startup chime through the years:
Apple Says Goodbye To The Startup Chime with the New MacBook Pro [Pingie.com]
Apple is killing off its iconic startup chime [Business Insider]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist