There have been subtle changes that may reduce confusion for Mac users, thanks to the new M4 chip MacBook Air unveiled this week. The mute button on F10 has been updated from a simple speaker icon to a speaker with a line through it, instantly conveying its function as the mute button.
The following buttons, F11 and F12, feature icons of speakers with a line for low and high volume to indicate volume adjustment. Apple has maintained the speaker icons on F10 as the mute button for quite some time, dating back to at least the PowerBook G3 in 1999. This icon has been a consistent choice for Apple throughout the years.
This change to the mute button can also be seen in the Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Air, marking the first time the function row includes a mute button with a speaker icon containing a line through it. In contrast, the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro still utilizes the simple speaker icon, similar to previous Mac models. It is expected that Apple will gradually transition to using speaker icons with lines through them in related products moving forward.
Source: MacRumors
TLDR: The mute button on the new M4 chip MacBook Air now features a speaker icon with a line through it, signaling a mute function. This change is also reflected in the Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Air, indicating a shift in Apple’s design approach for mute buttons.
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