Apple Kills Start Up Chime in New MacBook Pro Models

No more startup chime for new Retina MacBook Pro models

Apple has been on a killing spree of sorts with its new MacBook Pro models. The physical Escape key and function keys are gone, the traditional USB A and mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt 2 ports are gone, the SD Card slot and MagSafe are gone, and the iconic startup chime is missing, too. It’s sad to see—or hear—the startup chime go, but it seems Apple has a reason for axing the sound.

No more startup chime for new Retina MacBook Pro models
Apple drops the startup chime from new MacBook Pro models

When Apple introduced the Mac, startup times were slow enough that the chime was an important signal to let you know your computer was really on and booting up.

The new MacBook Pro models don’t have a traditional power button and instead turns on when you lift the lid. Playing the start up chime every time you lift the laptop lid would get old pretty quick, and considering how quickly our Macs start up, the chime doesn’t serve a useful purpose any more.

That’s well and good if you can see your MacBook Pro’s display, but not if you can’t use your eyes. Hopefully Apple is giving the visually impaired some way to quickly tell if their MacBook Pro turned on and has started the boot process.

The startup chime isn’t the only iconic feature to go away. Apple also ditched the glowing Apple logo from the laptop, which was probably necessary because of how thin the display housing is—a thinner lid means less space for extra stuff like glowing logos. It’s also possible the glowing logo let too much light leak through to the display, making a bright spot in its center.

Still, losing the start up chime is a little sad. I mentioned on this week’s The iOS Show I hope a developer makes an app that plays the start up chime when the lid has been closed for at least an hour. Someone get on that.

8 thoughts on “Apple Kills Start Up Chime in New MacBook Pro Models

  • I’m at my wits end with Apple’s constant “know-it-all” and “Apple knows what is best for EVERYONE else” attitude and approach.
    It would have been so simple to just make this matter–the startup chime–be a System Pref item.
    Make the default mode be OFF, but still allow a User to turn if ON if they want or need to for any reason.

    On my current (older) system, I have turned OFF the Startup Chime.
    I had to use some third-party software (that fooled with the Terminal?) to get it to happen.
    I like it off. I want it off.
    Apple should have built that feature into its System Prefs.

    Now they go and make it the other way: always OFF.

    Apple build the controls so that WE can make our own choice as to what we want OUR computers to do….and when. We know what is best for us!!!

  • It’s not always the same sound! If certain things don’t work, the chime can tell you what the problem is.

    Then it could chime in if there is a problem, but otherwise be silent.

  • Actually, the chime has a lot more reason for its existence than just to let you know that things are happening, despite the fact that the system is slow. It’s telling you that the initial self-test is OK.

    It’s not always the same sound! If certain things don’t work, the chime can tell you what the problem is. You can’t always rely on displaying an error message or alert because, for example, the video system (card, back then) might be fritzed.

    One of the Apple service docs has a list of the tones and what they meant.

  • Does anyone know if the new Mac Book Pro shuts down the machine when you close it( clam shell mode )? I’m wondering if it can be used with an external monitor but with the notebook closed.

  • “The new MacBook Pro models don’t have a traditional power button and instead turns on when you lift the lid. Playing the start up chime every time you lift the laptop lid would get old pretty quick, and considering how quickly our Macs start up, the chime doesn’t serve a useful purpose any more.”

    Sigh, sometimes I want to open it without having it turned on, say for cleaning.

    Otherwise I am glad that the startup chime is fading away. In a quiet environment it can be as jarring as Chrysler Air Raid Siren.

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