Apple has finally put one of the most annoying and potentially embarrassing aspects of the MacBook Pro to bed: the Mac startup chime is no more.
Instead the new MacBook Pros, both with and without the new emoji bar, will silently boot the moment they switch on.
The chime, first introduced with the Macintosh Quadra line of computers in 1991, was used to signal that the computer had passed its initial diagnostic tests and would start the boot sequence. The first chime was a C-major chord, but was changed to the F-sharp chord starting in 1998 with the first iMac.
While you’ve been able to mute the startup chime if the computer was muted before switching off, the often loud and obnoxious sound has been more embarrassing than helpful to most Mac laptop users.
From annoying librarians to drawing unwanted attention to yourself in a coffee shop or train carriage, the startup chime should have died years ago. Either way, it’s time to raise a toast to the Mac startup chime; may it never break the silent switch-on ritual ever again.
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