On Thursday, Apple unveiled the latest MacBook Pro, with a fancy new multi-touch
screen sitting above the keyboard in place of the function keys. And of course,
instead of focusing on the exciting new features of the laptops, people are
pointing out all the bad things.
I'm not saying you're not allowed to be disappointed that this shiny new
computer doesn't have an SD card slot, or that the 15-inch model "only" has 16
GB of RAM. But people are saying that Apple doesn't care about the Mac any more
because they removed the startup chime.
That's right, it's apparently a huge deal that these Macs don't make a loud
"BOOOOONG" sound when you first turn them on.
Now, I am aware that the startup chime
had a purpose, to signal that
the startup diagnostics passed and the machine is fine to continue booting. But
do we really need our computers to audibly tell us that every time we turn them
on? There are other sounds a Mac can make at startup which indicate a fault; by
removing the startup chime, it makes those fault sounds much more obvious.
I bet you never shut down your Mac other than restarting it for software updates
and maybe to use Boot Camp. So you probably hear that chime incredibly rarely
nowadays anyway.
So why the big fuss about the lack of a chime on these MacBook Pros? Nostalgia.
Because that's just how it's always been, so changing it must immediately be a
sign of doom.
On 512 Pixels,
Stephen Hackett says:
However, the startup chime is ingrained into the experience of having a Mac,
I'm sad to see it go. It’s tradition. It’s like losing the Happy Mac all over
again.
"Tradition". "Part of the experience". These things may be true, but forgetting
how loud your system volume was last time you shut down your computer and
disturbing a quiet room with a BOOOOONG isn't a good experience.
Paired with the fact that apparently these computers
turn on as soon as you open the lid,
even if they were shut down, I think this is actually a great feature. Clearly
Apple is attempting to design these laptops to feel like they're always ready to
use in an instant. You don't even need to care whether it's in sleep mode or
turned off. Just open the lid and your computer is there waiting for you. Isn't
that a great idea for the experience of using a Mac? Having a startup chime
would break that illusion.
Keeping things around just because they've always been there isn't how you
design future generations of products. Just ask the headphone jack on your
iPhone 7.
Nostalgia may be a nice feeling once in a while, but it is not a feature.