macOS Hides the Notch on New MacBook Pro in Full-Screen Mode

[MacRumors]

The new MacBook Pros, for the first time in a Mac, feature a notch. While some have been quick to criticize Apple's design choice, it turns out that the notch may not be entirely visible in day-to-day use when using apps in full screen, as when macOS apps are in full-screen mode, it essentially disappears.

According to Apple's marketing material, when macOS apps are in full-screen mode, macOS places an artificial black bezel at the top of the display that essentially hides the notch. When users are not in full-screen macOS apps, the notch remains, and the macOS Menu Bar has been made thicker to accommodate the notch.

The inclusion of a notch allowed Apple to make the bezels on the new 14-and 16-inch MacBook Pros considerably thinner compared to the previous 13-inch and 16-inch models. The new displays, for the first time in a MacBook, are Liquid Retina XDR displays and include ProMotion technology. The new MacBook Pros are available to order starting today and will begin shipping next week.

Article Link: macOS Hides the Notch on New MacBook Pro in Full-Screen Mode

 

[IsaacM]

Great design solution! It's really a win-win.

 

[kalafalas]

I absolutely love this. Especially with the miniLED screen it’s going to look great. Compared to my current MacBook, now basically the menubar is the bezel and all my apps have full-screen real estate, even in not full screen mode.

 

[jz0309]

well, look at that - who would have thought??? 🙄
Notch haters, get on with life, it's going to stay for years to come

 

[Rychiar]

the lack of Face ID is a crime. its so much better for this form factor than the other devices even

 

[rorschach]

Sooo…why not just keep the top bezel at that point? Extra space just for a taller menu bar?

 

[G5isAlive]

and yet people that with no intent to buy one.. will still complain

 

[rorschach]

the lack of Face ID is a crime. its so much better for this form factor than the other devices even

Well you’d need a display as thick as an iPad Pro.

 

[ooans]

Do people actually use programs in full screen like that? I surely dont!

Maybe watch a photo full screen at times, thats the only time I'd notice this!

 

[nikhsub1]

So they make the bezel much bigger on the top then call this hiding the notch? Okay, semantics I guess. I'd rather have the full screen and see the notch but whatever.

 

[iamyash]

when not using apps in full screen mode, you can see the notch so best thing to do is set a black wallpaper or something similar to hide the notch 🙂

 

[CalfCanuck]

Amazing - a company with lots of UI experience gave us the best of both worlds - more screen when using the notch, or a smaller, notch-less screen when needed.

 

[zakarhino]

the lack of Face ID is a crime. its so much better for this form factor than the other devices even

Face ID on a MacBook is a waste of time because to authenticate an unlock or purchase you need the user to press a button... a button such as the one with Touch ID already in it.

That combined with the fact that many of us like to cover our cameras with a sticker means Touch ID is the better option all around. Not sure why people are so upset that MacBooks don't have Face ID.

 

[_Spinn_]

I guess this makes the notch better. On my iPhone the notch doesn't bother me at all - I'd rather have the notch than a bezel. But on a laptop I'm not so sure...the slightly larger bezel doesn't bother me.

I still can't believe they added the notch without adding FaceID.

 

[zakarhino]

Do people actually use programs in full screen like that? I surely dont!

Maybe watch a photo full screen at times, thats the only time I'd notice this!

I do when I want to maximize screen real estate when using a single window such as an IDE, Logic, Firefox, etc. I think many people use full screen mode for that purpose.

 

[nutmac]

While I wish the notch included a Face ID array, I can't recall using an app that shows anything where the notch would be.

Apple should include a black menu bar option.

 

[DesertDrummer]

Do people actually use programs in full screen like that? I surely dont!

Maybe watch a photo full screen at times, thats the only time I'd notice this!

I do all the time. VSCode, Xcode, MS Teams, Calendar, iTunes even. I much prefer switching desktops with a quick keystroke (or, more often, finger-flick) than trying to find a particular sub-optimally-sized window.

 

[blazerunner]

Do people actually use programs in full screen like that? I surely dont!

Maybe watch a photo full screen at times, thats the only time I'd notice this!

Most people don't. I don't know why full screen is pushed at all. It's largely useless and for anyone who does any multitasking, it creates problems rather than solving any.

 

[8CoreWhore]

Cool... works for me....

 

[Madhatter32]

This news actually make me feel a lot better about the notch. I cannot image using a screen with a huge notch in full screen mode without this technology.

 

[umbilical]

So this begins a new race to remove the notch.

 

[dlondon]

I would be good if they have an option for just the clock on a black bar in full screen mode.

 

[danvalor]

For all the people stuck with legacy vintage devices heres a new wallpaper so you can feel fancy.

 

[DesertDrummer]

So they make the bezel much bigger on the top then call this hiding the notch? Okay, semantics I guess. I'd rather have the full screen and see the notch but whatever.

The problem is, they can't really do that. Existing software hasn't been written to understand that a small portion of the top of the screen might be covered by a notch, so if they just fullscreened things ignoring the notch, many programs might be rendered difficult or impossible to use properly.

 

[zachz]

Well you’d need a display as thick as an iPad Pro.

I’m embarrassed that I’ve never once thought of or considered thickness when it came to FaceID on a MacBook…

Maybe they‘ll do something similar to Huawei’s laptop and put the camera and FaceID tech in a pop out on the keyboard 😂