The Macintosh Startup Chime

Michael Agge, writing for The New Yorker, on the removal of the iconic startup chime from the new MacBooks:

For me, the startup chime has always been a pleasing sound, suggesting a child suddenly striking the keys of a power chord or even the excited microprocessors themselves, getting organized, springing to life. The chime represents beginnings, fresh starts, new plans: the start of a pop song, the first turn onto the highway, the title page of an unread book. I often re-start my work iMac during the day to hear the chime — it’s a reset, the virtual equivalent of taking a shower.

The chime is dead; long live the startup chime.

★ Monday, 7 November 2016