Not everyone who loves the Mac is also a fan of the C Major chord

Jun 9, 2014 06:22 GMT  ·  By

The Macintosh startup sound has quite a bit of history behind it and it’s iconic enough that we can all agree no one will ever associate it with anything else except the Mac. But it’s getting really, really old.

They say it’s best to leave on a high note, and in the case of the C-Major chord used as the startup chime for every Mac in existence, 2014 couldn’t be a better time to hand the stage over to something else, or just let the curtains drop.



Start with the wholly redesigned OS X 10.10

If they’re going to reinvent the Mac OS visually, why not do a little nip and tuck around the audio resources, right? Some of the sounds, including the error “bong,” are somewhat annoying and intrusive to the ear. In fact, almost the entire OS X sound library is really dated. Apple needs cleaner sounds with less attack and better EQ settings. And for the startup chime, many of us could do away with it completely.

That doesn’t mean removing it from the system, of course. A simple ON / OFF toggle for the thing would be just fine. Actually, it would be more than fine, it would be awesome! Since like forever Mac owners who don’t want to hear the startup sound have had to install actual software to get rid of it, or type in a Terminal command.

Apple, we know it’s a trademark thing of the Mac, but come on. A little flexibility please!

It’s a nightmare in a library / coffee-shop / office environment

If you’re a longtime user, you probably know what it means to forget your volume at maximum when you last shut down your Mac, then turn it on in a public space, like a quiet coffee shop or a library.

In my case, I have to torture my colleagues at work every morning with this thing because: a) I rarely ever remember to set the volume low before power off; b) I recently installed something that messed up my Mac and had to clean-install it; c) the Time Machine backup I have includes every setting I need, except a startup sound killer.

I’m the only Mac-using hipster on the floor, so you can imagine the love these people carry for me in secret.

It’s just not necessary anymore

Back in the ‘90s, when Steve Jobs selected a single version of Jim Reekes’ chime for every Mac, computers were all the rage! They were still a novelty for many people and every single feature had to be emphasized.

In Apple’s struggle to stay relevant in the Windows-dominated computer market, they had to create something that truly set it apart. Among many things, the pounding C-chord chime made a lot of sense then. Today, it’s no longer relevant.

An elegant OS is one where the screen lights up to complete and utter silence, or to something warm and curvy, like the PSP boot-up melody. These days it’s all about simplicity.

Apple's own iOS is the perfect example of that. It starts up with a white Apple logo atop of a dark background. It’s simple, classy, tasteful, immortal, and just something you could never object to. Now, imagine listening to this every time you powered on your iPhone or iPad.