Chime after chime: Apple restores iconic Mac boot sound removed in 2016

As the saying goes: Out with the old, in with the… old. After temporarily ditching the iconic Mac "chime" in 2016, Apple is finally bringing it back with the upcoming release of macOS Big Sur. The Mac chime is iconic. On a functional level, it merely indicates that the computer hasn't identified any hardware or software faults …

[A Non e-mouse]

Hadn't noticed it had gone. I only reboot my Mac occassionally to apply patches. Otherwise I just suspend.

[SuperGeek]

Sentimental even

A bit like me. I like the startup sound of Windows ME (the only part of it I DID like mind!) so have baked it into my imgres.dll.mun file in Win 10!

The sounds never leave you..... You can take the sound out of the OS, but you can't take the nostalgia out of the sound!

[karlkarl]

Its this one for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNTgHhtQgmM

"The Microsoft Sound".

Reminds me of my time running some great (ironically DOS) shareware titles like Blood, Duke3D and Death Rally

[Anonymous Coward]

F#

They dropping Swift already?

[RLWatkins]

You guys gotta be having a slow news day.

Not a lot more to say about this story.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

At least it's not chyme after chyme

Have they fixed the winter vomiting bug yet?

[Neil Barnes]

Meh, sounds, animated effects, transparency

The first things to turn off when firing up a new OS/desktop.

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Meh, sounds, animated effects, transparency

In general I agree but the boot sound on a Mac is useful if you're trying to get into recovery or single user mode: it tells you when you can let go of the keys.

Likewise, some animations can reinforce the UX by extending the metaphor: think of button presses, slides in and out, etc.

But, I've never understood the fashion for transparent elements in the UI which only seems to distract.

[Lee D]

Re: Meh, sounds, animated effects, transparency

Yup.

And install Open-Shell (formerly Classic Shell).

But to be honest, I turn off the music as the very first action in every game I ever install.

Oh, and my desktop is a plain blue background.

[Anonymous Coward]

I am trying to think of some way of bringing Covid, Brexit or Hitler into this discussion. I have failed to do so.

[W.S.Gosset]

Massive thumbs-up, man. Massive.

[W.S.Gosset]

Too tums up

[Dwarf]

Anyone remember the screech and smash sound that the old PowerMac's used to make when the OS panic'ed ?

I recall a bunch of us looking out of the office window when we first heard that sound.

[The Sprocket]

Yes, I do. I think the first time I heard that was on my 8100/80. At least I think that was the box.

Scared the be-jebus out of me, really. "WTF just happened?" expecting to see smoke.