New Apple MacBook Pro drops much-loved startup sound, along with lots of old features
The change might have been made to avoid owners embarrassing themselves in libraries
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There’s not much that hasn’t changed in Apple’s Macs over the last 20 years. But one thing has stayed: the distinctive chime that plays when you turn them on.
But the new MacBook Pro, released last week, will no longer make that sound. And it appears to suggest that the noise – which arrived with the iMac G3 in the late 90s – is on its way out.
The new computer doesn’t make any sound at all when it’s turned on. That perhaps makes sense, since the computer is also made so that it’ll turn on every time it’s opened, but also means that it removes one of the most iconic things about Macs.
The sound also does serve a purpose. It only plays if the computer starts up OK, and is a way of telling that the machine has restarted if the screen isn’t working or there’s another problem.
But there was also no easy way of getting rid of the sound, which meant that restarting your computer in a quiet area where you didn’t want to be noticed was next to impossible. Given that the computers turn themselves on, it would be even harder to go unnoticed while switching on your brand new MacBook without the sound.
Apple trademarked the noise in 2012. In its application it described it as “a synthesizer playing a slightly flat, by approximately 30 cents, G Flat / F Sharp major chord”, which is exactly what it was.
The company confirmed the removal of the sound with a change to the FAQ page for the new MacBook Pro, which doesn’t mention the sound. Working versions of the laptop have been used to prove that it isn’t present on the computers either.
The startup sound might be one of the oldest things to be dropped from the new computer. But it's far from the only or most important one – the company also got rid of its famous MagSafe charging technology and other ports, and added new features like a touchscreen in the keyboard.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments