Is a notch ok if it meant a bigger screen/smaller chasis?

[thenewperson]

The menus would just be on the right side of the notch. If you have many icons on the right side, then those will just be hidden. It does that now.

Or they could just add an overflow menu like they should have for a while.

 

[senttoschool]

Or they could just add an overflow menu like they should have for a while.

Yea, the point is that it's a very solvable UI problem.

But having more screen space can only be solved by increasing the screen size.

I will take the notch in exchange for more screen space.

 

[darngooddesign]

Yea, the point is that it's a very solvable UI problem.

But having more screen space can only be solved by increasing the screen size.

I will take the notch in exchange for more screen space.

You're getting more screen space in the same way that Spinal Tap's speaker was louder. But you are getting a chassis which is smaller in height by the size half the size of the notch.

 

[senttoschool]

You're getting more screen space in the same way that Spinal Tap's speaker was louder. But you are getting a chassis which is smaller in height by the size half the size of the notch.

Source?

Not that I don't believe you but Apple could decide to increase overall screen space instead of decreasing chassis size.

 

[dugbug]

Source?

Not that I don't believe you but Apple could decide to increase overall screen space instead of decreasing chassis size.

Well regardless you are still leaving potential screen real estate on the table if you keep a border at the top. A notch would give you usable indicators up there like where we have the icons and clock now.

 

[senttoschool]

Well regardless you are still leaving potential screen real estate on the table if you keep a border at the top. A notch would give you usable indicators up there like where we have the icons and clock now.

But it would only matter if you're using full-screen. 90% of the time, I'm not using full-screen.

 

[dugbug]

But it would only matter if you're using full-screen. 90% of the time, I'm not using full-screen.

I don't disagree with you, these changes are not life altering 😉 If they plan on notchizing all the things and put the menu bar up in the 'notch' area the bezels as we know them could be significantly thinner and symmetric all around. Interested to see how this will look.

 

[senttoschool]

I don't disagree with you, these changes are not life altering 😉 If they plan on notchizing all the things and put the menu bar up in the 'notch' area the bezels as we know them could be significantly thinner and symmetric all around. Interested to see how this will look.

I'm looking at my Macbook Air M1 right now. There is .75" that could be screen instead of a black bezel. I'd take a notch if I can use that .75" of screen.

 

[meson]

Looking at my M1 MBP, I believe the vertical resolution of the Touch Bar is about 60 pixels with the Touch Bar height of about 10mm (including the bezel). The current height of the top bezel is about 12mm. I suspect that the Touch Bar functionality is leaving the keyboard and finding a home above the traditional screen. The additional 16 pixels comes from no longer needing a bezel around the Touch Bar. When you account for the physical escape key and the Touch ID/power button, you've accounted for the space of the notch. To me, this is the only way adding a notch makes sense, and offers a way that it will go unnoticed much of the time.

When in use, you will have your normal rectangular screen. One configuration will likely leave the menu bar intact and allow for Touch Bar-like inputs above the menu bar. Then when you enter full screen mode, the menu bar will go away and drop down into the tabs taken up by the Touch Bar-like interface.

I think Apple is sold on the contextual options, but have learned that putting them on the keyboard is not where users would like to see them. It's an evolution of the old Apple ideal of a modular interface that made use of palettes of varying sizes needed for different apps. Now, rather than using slide-out trays and drop down menus, they are pulling some of the those contextual items out and placing them above the display where they are easily accessed, yet out of the way.

 

[darngooddesign]

I'm looking at my Macbook Air M1 right now. There is .75" that could be screen instead of a black bezel. I'd take a notch if I can use that .75" of screen.

I agree that Apple's bezels have been thicker than they needed to be, but what if the top bezel were just the thickness of the notch, you'd still have more usable space than now. Apple had great bezels on the TiBook, but then reversed course with every laptop that followed instead of just having a thicker bottom bezel for the hinge design. I get that the tapered edges didn't support having the camera in a tiny bezel, but there had to be a way to reduce them. It was probably a combination of the laptop sizes and LCD panels Apple chose.

 

[altaic]

When in use, you will have your normal rectangular screen. One configuration will likely leave the menu bar intact and allow for Touch Bar-like inputs above the menu bar. Then when you enter full screen mode, the menu bar will go away and drop down into the tabs taken up by the Touch Bar-like interface.

Haha, with the rumors of the touch bar going and the notch coming, someone had to say it.

The problem is, how would a user interact with such a "touch bar-like interface?" If it's above the menu bar, the mouse pointer shouldn't be able to get there, else one could overshoot the menu bar and make it fiddly. Alternatively, there's the possibility of a touch interface... which is highly unlikely. Also, I haven't personally analyzed the Monterey beta, but I'd imagine someone would have noticed code or assets hinting to such a major UI change in macOS.