Microsoft released Windows 8 in 2012 and followed it with Windows 8.1 in 2013, and both versions used a set of short system notification sounds for events such as low power. The low battery chime became familiar to laptop users during that era because it played automatically when charge fell to a critical level. Years later, creators rediscovered it on soundboards and in editing libraries, where its instantly recognisable warning tone makes it useful for jokes about dying devices, drained energy and last-minute deadlines.