Apple has done away with the traditional startup chime on its new MacBook Pro lineup because the machines automatically power on when the lid is opened.

Pingie.com was first to note the removal of the sound from Apple's new 13-inch and 15-inch laptops – both the models featuring Apple's new Touch Bar (as well as the 13-inch version without a Bar) automatically boot when opened or when connected to a power source if the battery is dead, so the sound has apparently been deemed surplus to requirements.

macbook_pro_2016_roundup_header
The iconic chiming startup sound was originally made to indicate that diagnostic tests have found no hardware or software issues. A similar sound has accompanied almost every Mac boot sequence since 1991 and the most recent F-sharp chord incarnation was first used in the iMac G3.

Originally, a C major chord was recorded by Apple engineer Jim Reekes using a Korg keyboard, and what most people hear these days is a pitch-shifted version of the sound made by the Macintosh Quadra family of professional computers, first released in 1991.

According to the book The Sonic Boom: How Sound Transforms the Way We Think, Feel, and Buy, Reekes' "earconic" sound came out of a desire to replace the older tritone boot sound heard on earlier Macs. Reekes wanted to use a more meditative sound to indicate the Mac had passed its initial Power On Self Test (POST) checks, a sound he later called a "palate cleanser for the ears".

According to Reekes, Apple executives didn't particularly like the sound, but it managed to make the final code that was shipped in all Quadra 700 Macs. The chime was tweaked a few times in subsequent Macs, but allegedly, Steve Jobs himself prevented any further alteration of the sound when he came back to Apple in 1996.

The Mac startup sound can also be heard in 2008 Disney-Pixar movie WALL*E. When the titular robot character has reached 100 percent power after positioning his solar array, the booting chime goes off.

Apple has updated its support documents to reflect the change. As noted previously, Apple has also removed the backlit Apple logo on new MacBook Pro models.

Update: As noted by a MacRumors forum poster, the boot chime can be turned back on and the automatic boot turned off using a few simple Terminal commands.

Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

LewisChapman Avatar
117 months ago
I've heard it's been changed to 'cha-chingggg!'
Score: 162 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garirry Avatar
117 months ago
The Apple we knew and love is now dead. RIP Apple.
Score: 140 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RedBear Avatar
117 months ago
No more glowing logo. No more extension cord with a multi-thousand dollar laptop. No more control over when my computer boots up.

And now, no more startup chime.

It's official. Apple is dead to me.

Tim Cook, please resign. If you really care about the survival of the magic and heart and soul of the Apple that Steve Jobs created, you need to resign. You are killing everything that ever made Apple special.
Score: 127 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DerfBWH Avatar
117 months ago
I understand it's not that big of a deal for many, but for those of us who have been using Macs since the 90s and prior, this is an incredible shame.
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Telos101 Avatar
117 months ago
For once we can say with true sincerity, "This would never have happened if Steve Jobs were alive."
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
117 months ago
No more glowing logo. No more extension cord with a multi-thousand dollar laptop. No more control over when my computer boots up.

And now, no more startup chime.

It's official. Apple is dead to me.

Tim Cook, please resign. If you really care about the survival of the magic and heart and soul of the Apple that Steve Jobs created, you need to resign. You are killing everything that ever made Apple special.
It's slight hyberbole to declare a glowing logo, an extension cable and a startup chime is everything that made Apple special.

The magsafe connector is more important and useful than any of those things.
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...