That's the image that does it for me. It's horrendous...
And look at that mahoosive bezel below the screen! Was shifting the screen down a touch just too obvious?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New macOS 'Compatibility Mode' Options Let Developers Decide How Fullscreen Apps Handle the Notch
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
And look at that mahoosive bezel below the screen! Was shifting the screen down a touch just too obvious?
Mockletoy
macrumors 6502a
The notch expands the useable area of the screen while taking up a bit of space that in my workflow is always empty/wasted anyway.
I call that a win.
People expected things to look better without Jonny... not to see more notch!
aevan
macrumors 601
Basically, this is the best MBP in so many ways, incredible performance, best in class screen, outstanding battery life…. But you won’t be buying because of the notch? One that you can, as the text explains, hide completely and just not use the extra space having the same screen you always had?
I don’t believe anyone who says this is the reason, really. It’s like saying you wouldn’t date a runway model rocket scientist because you don’t like how their elbows look.
Anyway, if Air rumors are true, all MacBooks will have notches for at least 5 years and probably longer.
aevan
macrumors 601
They do, they just need a reason to dump on Apple. Since there is no Touch Bar, the ports are back, MagSafe is back, keyboard seems great and performance/battery life is amazing…. The notch is the one thing they can hang on to.
Of course, not only is it a non-issue, it’s actually a clever way to give you some extra space for the Menu Bar.
Arsenikdote
macrumors 6502a
I think you are missing the gain here. You get an additional 74 pixels in height to your screen all day every day in every app. It has nothing to do with FaceID or future machines.
aeternitas
macrumors regular
This is apple PR in forums. There’s been a barrage of comments about the same thing everywhere.
I okay with the notch. But I do wonder how the mouse pointer will react when it crosses over to the notch.
It really can't "submarine" and disappear. So, one option would be that it would travel around the outside of the notch and then back up the other side and into the menubar once again. Depending upon how they animate the mouse pointer it might be pretty seamless but I can imagine that it might seem a little odd at first.
The other possibility is that it will jump instantly from one edge of the notch to the other, kind of like a space-time wormhole for the mouse pointer. I guess the latter is much more likely, just like when you navigate the edges between two displays.
It really can't "submarine" and disappear. So, one option would be that it would travel around the outside of the notch and then back up the other side and into the menubar once again. Depending upon how they animate the mouse pointer it might be pretty seamless but I can imagine that it might seem a little odd at first.
The other possibility is that it will jump instantly from one edge of the notch to the other, kind of like a space-time wormhole for the mouse pointer. I guess the latter is much more likely, just like when you navigate the edges between two displays.
akb
macrumors regular
That’s not what I’m arguing. I don’t take issue with the notch so much as I do with it being much bigger than it needs to be.
Get used to the Help menu being widowed off to the other side because the notch is wider than it should be.
It’s a compromise that is not necessary within the context of this model’s own design. It’s Apple protecting perceptions of a future machine at the expense of this one.
Prabas
macrumors 65816
Hey, at least some people think before writing non sense!
How’s this for PR: I hate how the bottom part of the chassis looks like. It looks like something from 1990s.
akb
macrumors regular
I’m totally not missing the gain. I understand why there is more real estate by doing this.
I just want it to be better.
Mockletoy
macrumors 6502a
Because it’s the truth. It’s just … basic math.
Omitting a webcam would be stupid in the age of Zoom.
What’s missing is simply FaceID. The large notch is obvious for the intent. Also surprisingly missing is center stage. We can already predict what’s coming on he next version.
I'm on a 2014 MBP. It's not getting Monterey but it'll be receiving updates for a few years yet. If I spend 3k+ on a replacement I want it to be everything I want it to be.
One question is, now we have a notch, is it here to stay? If so then at some point I'll have to end up with a notched MBP. But not this one. And you just know HDMI 2.1 and Face ID are round the corner. So yes, for me this has delayed the purchase of my next MBP.
Lol.. oh man 😛
Extra as in, more than the usual 16:10 aspect ratio they usually use.
So? They are running FaceTime in windowed mode.
I think Monterey will have compatibility mode, basically putting older apps under the notch in fullscreen mode. It will be no different than today.
Just thinking out loud here, could Apple not add an option to simply drop the menu bar down below the notch and black out the top section? I don't have a problem with the notch itself, but I am concerned how a crowded menu bar will work. My current set up doesn't leave much wiggle room...
Last edited:
Yup, FaceID is obvious. I mean why such a huge notch? It’s just a preparation so Apple can economically use the same design when they add FaceID later.
N69AP
macrumors member
The problem with the notch is not that it cuts into the 16:10 area (it doesn't). It's just downright distracting to see a chunk of display missing, even if it's only cutting into "extra" space. It doesn't really matter that you still have a full 16:10 area below—the aspect ratio is not the issue. It's the visual interruption.
And how does macOS use that extra space anyway? It moves the menu bar up and then stretches it to fill the space. I don't mind the notch on the iPhone because it's a small device where every pixel counts. It also serves a greater purpose because it houses the earpiece, Face ID, and proximity sensor, while the MacBook Pros just have a camera and an LED.
I don't see much utility having an extra strip of 74 pixels on an already large laptop display. It might as well be a bezel because it's mostly dead space anyway. For me personally, I don't think seeing an extra row and a half in Excel is worth the downgrade in aesthetics. But I'm clearly in the minority here since most people seem to be defending the notch. And who knows? Maybe once I see it in person I won't mind it at all.
But I'll probably just sit this one out and wait for the redesigned, high end Mac mini. At least then I'll be able to choose a display that better suits my taste.
And how does macOS use that extra space anyway? It moves the menu bar up and then stretches it to fill the space. I don't mind the notch on the iPhone because it's a small device where every pixel counts. It also serves a greater purpose because it houses the earpiece, Face ID, and proximity sensor, while the MacBook Pros just have a camera and an LED.
I don't see much utility having an extra strip of 74 pixels on an already large laptop display. It might as well be a bezel because it's mostly dead space anyway. For me personally, I don't think seeing an extra row and a half in Excel is worth the downgrade in aesthetics. But I'm clearly in the minority here since most people seem to be defending the notch. And who knows? Maybe once I see it in person I won't mind it at all.
But I'll probably just sit this one out and wait for the redesigned, high end Mac mini. At least then I'll be able to choose a display that better suits my taste.
Last edited:
Arsenikdote
macrumors 6502a
Apple PR? I think a lot of people are just trying to dispute statements by reactionary people that are false. That actually feels less like PR to me since they are staying the truth xD
I don’t think people need to like the notch, to each their own. I won’t tell someone they should or should be happy with the design decision. But it also is understandable that people might comment so the design decision is at least represented correctly without the knee jerk reaction that is typical on this forum.
Mockletoy
macrumors 6502a
I hate clutter so I use Bartender to keep my menu bar organized and mostly empty anyway.
What Apple did was logical and useful - moving up
the two used sections of the menu bar to the unused space of the bezel, freeing up precious screen space. Instead of Apple, I would update the OS so that the background of the menu bar can be only black, and then the "notch" would be a none issue.
Arsenikdote
macrumors 6502a
Love the response! I am wanting to get mine in my hands to see how distracting it might be as welll!! I am hoping it won’t be a big deal or I can just tweak my background to help it disappear more 😛
One thing though is you always get 74 pixels more since the menu bar that uniformly went across the display is now moved up. The menu bar itself doesn’t get the whole extra space but your desktop does. But you are right, it is only 3% extra space, but the number of times I wish I could just fit a little more on my display…..lol
who knows, excited to see if I like it or not, but it is also likely here to stay so it’s not like I have a choice anyway!
Why is the notch so big anyway. It only houses a camera and an LED? No Face ID features. Only reason that comes to mind is marketing, i.e. giving the product a recognizable look.
staypuftforums
macrumors 6502a
They put a notch... on a laptop. Still can’t get over that. LOL.
And it starts at $2,000 US.
And it starts at $2,000 US.