Embracing the Notch: How Are You Adapting to the Most Controversial iPhone X Design Decision?

[Jimrod]

Have you tried Battlestar Galactica paper?

I expect Jony Ive had just been watching a bit much Iron Man and fantasizing...

 

[Jax44]

You all have Stockholm syndrome.

Is that different than Samsung Syndrome?

 

[Jsameds]

I wish it had been Samsung who had released the phone with a notch.

I would have been so refreshing to see them get this much praise from the MR faithful.

To be fair, that would have been a different situation.

- Apps wouldn't have been updated on the same scale to take advantage of the extra real estate and would have scaled poorly, either not using it at all, or blocking out actual display

- It would still have only contained their iris recognition which isn't nearly as good as FaceID

 

[barkomatic]

Of course the video excludes movie playback, which is where the notch has the biggest impact. Clearly, this site doesn't want to upset it's readers who own the iPhone X.

 

[PBRsg]

Have you seen one in person? Spent any time with it? I used to hate the notch until I went into the store to check it out. My opinion softened greatly after that.

To be more specific, I hate the fully round edges of the notch. It creates a really awkward space on either side. I could have put up with it if the edges were basically at 90 degrees with a slightly rounded corner.
[doublepost=1510751149][/doublepost]

Let me guess...you don't own an iPhone X.

No, because I hate the notch. I am not using language that is too complicated for you, am I?

 

[B4U]

The bigger issue is, there is no way to get into control center in horizontal apps.

 

[dilbert99]

Yes, esp. the gloves thing. Never occurred to me until I had to pull out the gloves for the first time this season. It was so awesome to not have to punch in my code or take off my gloves for Touch ID. Apple should do an ad based on that.

what do you do with your phone once unlocked with gloves on?

 

[mrklaw]

Of course the video excludes movie playback, which is where the notch has the biggest impact. Clearly, this site doesn't want to upset it's readers who own the iPhone X.

the notch only affects movie playback if you zoom in. And for most content that means you're chopping off the top/bottom of the video so you'd be clearly fine with losing a bit more..

 

[formerpc]

To be more specific, I hate the fully round edges of the notch. It creates a really awkward space on either side. I could have put up with it if the edges were basically at 90 degrees with a slightly rounded corner.
[doublepost=1510751149][/doublepost]

You didn’t answer my question.

 

[neuropsychguy]

For me, the most controversial design decision is the removal of Touch ID.

We see how Face ID is problematic in many cases. Touch ID has none of those issues. I want an iPhone X with both Face ID and Touch ID.

What problems have you had with Face ID?

 

[MacBebe]

The Notch is what differentiates the iPhone from other smartphones just like the Home button.

 

[840quadra]

the notch only affects movie playback if you zoom in. And for most content that means you're chopping off the top/bottom of the video so you'd be clearly fine with losing a bit more..

Agreed

I never understood the complaint about zoomed videos showing the notch on one side. Never mind that foreheads of people, and other sections of the videos are also chopped off when doing that.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

what do you do with your phone once unlocked with gloves on?

I have a pair of e-tip gloves so using once unlocked is no problem.

 

[RedGala]

So when you screen shot with the X, does the notch get included?

No. Screenshots come out as rectangular images with unrounded edges and no notch: https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBKZ7.jpg

 

[Surrix]

The notch was a brilliant marketing decision that differentiates the new iPhone from all other smartphones. They want to emphasize the notch: the iPhone X TV ad zooms right in to the notch.

 

[D.T.]

The bigger issue is, there is no way to get into control center in horizontal apps.

Sure there is, it's always top-right, relative to the orientation of the phone - same goes for notifications - and they both have a nice landscape layout as well.

 

[towdow3]

hold on. people are still whining like little babies about a "notch"? FOH whinya$$ C*&Ts lol

 

[flat five]

Agreed, permanently-black ears with icons would be less obtrusive. I suspect that we'll see that change soon after other phone-makers adopt the notch.

how about something like this:

(to me, i'd still prefer the current X over that version )

 

[nexesnex]

To be more specific, I hate the fully round edges of the notch. It creates a really awkward space on either side. I could have put up with it if the edges were basically at 90 degrees with a slightly rounded corner.
[doublepost=1510751149][/doublepost]

No, because I hate the notch. I am not using language that is too complicated for you, am I?

So you don't own and X nor have you seen one in person.

I agree there are a lot of iPhone Lemmings in the world. There are a lot of Samsung Lemmings too. But, I do have to say that I was really disappointed with the X design until I got one in my hands. It really isn't bad, and how they use it for the swipe gestures are quite nice.

 

[mainevent1536]

The bigger issue is, there is no way to get into control center in horizontal apps.

In any app that’s horizontal: swipe from the top right to get Control Center and top middle or left for notifications (from the horizontal vantage point; not the notch)

 

[fsprow]

The "notch," or sensor housing on the iPhone X is the single most polarizing design decision Apple made when creating its new flagship smartphone. Some people hate the way the notch eats into the display, while others appreciate that extra bit of visible space.

Love it or hate it, the notch is here to stay until Apple finds a better way to integrate the TrueDepth camera system into its iPhone lineup. Luckily, while the notch can be disturbing at first, most people find it's easy to become accustomed to. In the video below, we explore the notch, how it affects day to day iPhone X usage, how apps are compensating, and some ways to hide it.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Prior to the iPhone X's launch, the notch sparked a lot of discussion, much of it negative, but hate for the notch has died down as people have become used to Apple's design choice.

Apple's official policy is that developers and users should embrace the notch, and as apps have implemented designs that work around it, it's blended into the background and become less noticeable in day to day use.

There are still apps that have yet to adapt to the notch, but as optimizations continue, it'll disappear even further. Here at MacRumors, we've found that the notch isn't really bothersome at all.

One exception might be landscape mode, as it's more noticeable in that orientation when doing things like browsing Safari, watching YouTube videos, and playing games. Safari browsing is getting better, though, with a new Webkit API in iOS 11.2 that allows developers to design around the notch for a better full screen experience, and in the YouTube app, if you double tap on a video, it expands to a full screen mode that's easier to watch.

For those who absolutely hate the notch, there are a couple of new apps like Notcho, designed to edit wallpapers to add a black bar to the top, effectively hiding it on the Home and Lock screen. Notcho doesn't work within apps, though, and in our opinion, hiding the notch looks worse than accepting it.

Article Link: Embracing the Notch: How Are You Adapting to the Most Controversial iPhone X Design Decision?

 

[bchery21]

Doesn't bother me one bit.

 

[flat five]

The bigger issue is, there is no way to get into control center in horizontal apps.

that's not true.

swipe down from the top right of the (now) rotated screen.. same thing as vertical

 

[Supermacguy]

People are very adaptable. Learning to ignore the notch is of course human nature to adapt to unchangeable things or their surroundings. The bottom line is that it was and always will be a poor design compromise between the different hardware groups. As a person who builds apps and is also a graphic designer, I hate the notch, its design compromises visually, and the work to work around such a silly and honestly lazy choice. Looking at one every day only makes me upset that the company with more resources than God had to allow such sh*&&y design to prevail.
For people who don't mind it, good for you.
For people that hate it, and know it's a bad design, vote with your wallet and do not buy the iPX.

 

[Cyberius11]

I’ve had the X since 11/3. The notch hasn’t grown on me, and I find it to be a ridiculous design decision. If the screen was extended and the ears used simply for system notifications or whatnot that would be fine. But to force white bars in landscape in Safari (reducing the usable screen size even though it’s there and COULD be used) or forcing apps, photos and videos to display underneath it and cut off content is simply asinine in my opinion. I hate the notch and it’s the one thing that annoys me every time I touch the phone. I love Face ID and the removal of the home button. The camera is great and coming from the 7+ (and every + model prior) the smaller form factor is nice. But I can see it’s still going to be a struggle until apps are optimized for the weird design - and there are still apps years later that aren’t optimized for the + iPhones. So for me right now it’s like having a slightly larger iPhone 7 or 8 since many apps I use are letter-boxed right now with a black bar on the top and bottom. If I didn’t like Face ID so much and the fantastic screen I’d be swapping to the 8+.