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Apple Awarded U.S. Trademark for Mac Startup Chime

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Apr 12, 2001
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Patently Apple reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has officially granted Apple a registered trademark for the sound that its Mac computers make after booting up.

The original chiming sound was created by Apple programmer Jim Reekes, who designed many of the system sounds for the Mac OS, including that iconic startup chime roughly 20 years ago. Apple has used several different variations on the chime over the years, including a shift in pitch to the current tone Apple notes as having been in use since early 1999.

startupchime-500x342.jpg
On the trademark application, which was filed in June of this year, Apple states that the chime is "a sound mark consisting of a slightly flat (by approximately 30 cents) G flat/F sharp major chord."

Apple uses the sound to signal that the diagnostic tests run at the startup of a Mac computer have found no hardware or software problems.

Other Apple trademarks include slogans like "There's an app for that" and "Think Different," and product labels like "Retina," "Time Capsule," and "Smart Cover."

Article Link: Apple Awarded U.S. Trademark for Mac Startup Chime
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/12/apple-awarded-u-s-trademark-for-mac-startup-chime/
Yeah, I kind of liked that sprightly "bing!" sound rather than the current "boooooong".

Onomatopoeia is sure odd when typed...
 
gpat said:
At least, one legitimate patent.
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This isn't a patent. McDonalds has a trademark on those stupid golden arches. They are not patented. Even the laws surrounding infringement and enforcement differ between the two.

iVoid said:
I didn't even know you could trademark a sound. Seems more copyright territory to me.

I hope the Simpson's creators have trademarked 'Doh!' :)
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I was thinking the same thing. Music/songs are typically covered by copyright. Perhaps the details preclude this kind of coverage. I don't know the laws around them well enough to know exactly what is covered. Perhaps someone who understands them will chime (hehe) in.
 
I quite like the current chime, but some of my favourites have to be the ones from Macs during my early years.

1. Macintosh Performa 5200 (fav chime by far)
2. TAM
3. Macintosh LC550
 
dreamyguy said:
The same sound was used in a Pixar movie, WALL-E, when he recharged to 100%. :)
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I sense an Apple-Pixar lawsuit coming up. :D

pgiguere1 said:
Mute it before shutting it down.
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There ought to be a setting in a control panel to mute the startup sound. Why that has never materialized is beyond me.

Apple's standard for usability is whether the machine works the way you work or whether you have to work the way the computer requires you. I've long wanted a way to mute the startup sound. My iMac is in my bedroom and I often start it up at night when my wife is in there sleeping. If I forgot to mute it last time I shut down (i.e., the machine requiring me work its way), I accidentally wake her up.

Beyond that, I question the value of the startup sound beyond branding. I'm not sure what purpose it serves or why Apple has retained that one aspect of the Macs from the old days when they so readily jettisoned everything else.
 
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It's A Wonderful Mac Quote

Great timing for the announcement.

Reminds me of a quote from one of the versions of the holiday classic It's A Wonderful Mac...

"Every time a Mac makes it's startup sound, a Dogcow does a precision bit-map alignment."

Although, I might be the only one around here who remembers that video from MacAddict back in 1997 (since it is not available on the web).
 
dreamyguy said:
The same sound was used in a Pixar movie, WALL-E, when he recharged to 100%. :)
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Pixar has very close ties with Apple since Steve Jobs was a majority stakeholder in Pixar prior to it being acquired by Disney. It's why you'll also notice the "Apple car" in the Pixar movie "Cars", as well :D there's also lots of references to Apple, Inc. in a lot of Pixar's short films.
 
There is a great (but loooong) interview with Jim Reekes regarding his early time at apple, and the origins of the Startup chime. It is a long watch, but some good old Apple history Lore.

http://youtu.be/QkTwNerh1G8


longofest said:
I actually liked the mac chime from my old PowerMac 6100 better than the current one. It was higher and brighter than the current one.

http://froods.ca/~dschaub/Files/Startup/spwr.aiff
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Clearly the current chime, in the octive used on the Quadra 840AV was the best :)
 
Oh, the pain in my ass when I turn on my MBA first thing in the morning and it's so loud it disturbs my family because I forgot to lower the volume before shutting it down the previous night. One of the very few things I have to fault about my precious.
 
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