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I don't understand the point of the notch / shrinking the bezel. Sure, you get more screen real estate...that you can't actually make use of. In normal mode, they expanded the width of the menu bar to fill the new space, so you get no extra usable screen space there, just bigger menu buttons. And when running a full screen app, it turns all that extra screen space black, as if it didn't even exist. So if you can't use the extra space, what's the point of it? Just to make the screen look more high end?
 
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The iPhone notch mostly fits within the MacBook's newly thin bezels. The iPhone has had 1080p front-facing video for years, and it has even MORE sensors packed into that small area.

Don't let Apple gaslight you into believing the notch was necessary here. It was not. In a few years, they will shrink it by 20% and call it a "Revolutionary" achievement.
Would it make you a lot happier if it was 20% smaller?
 
Option 1. I get a 16:10 screen without a notch but lose 74 pixels to the menu bar.

Option 2. I get a 16:10 screen plus 74 pixels of extra vertical height dedicated to the menu bar.

Yeah, I’ll take option 2.

I understood the post perfectly fine. Rather than slinging criticism, please articulate your suggested alternative. Be specific.

Well there's nothing about Option 2 as you presented it that precludes the absence of a notch... So no, you really didn't understand his point.

You can have a 16:10 screen plus 74 pixels of extra vertical height without a notch. It's not exactly difficult. Or is there a reason you seem to think this is impossible?

You lot seem to be jumping to the conclusion that "more screen real estate" is only possible by including a notch.
 
Don't mind the notch. However, the million dollar question is what the developers opinion on the notch are and how programs that utilize full screen will adapt to the notch.
It's 100% up to Apple. Developers can't do anything with this portion of the screen.

Except where fullscreen is truly fullscreen, like in games.
 
Well there's nothing about Option 2 as you presented it that precludes the absence of a notch... So no, you really didn't understand his point.

You can have a 16:10 screen plus 74 pixels of extra vertical height without a notch. It's not exactly difficult. Or is there a reason you seem to think this is impossible?
Where, exactly, does the camera array go? It either goes above the new 74 pixels (and additional screen real estate could be, once again, gained with a notch), it goes somewhere else, it does not exist, or it goes behind the screen (not currently possible).

So again, be very specific with what you offer as an alternative.
 
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The notch isn’t the end of the world, but let’s be honest here—it’s bad design.
Could have been more subtle. I wonder why it's so large. Is it just a camera!?

I'm starting to think it's this big because Face ID will require no design change next year.
 
You know, if we never had a notch in iPhone this may have greatly turned me off, but I'm so used to the notch in my iPhone it doesn't bother me on Mac. Do I wish ALL notches would disappear? Of course I do. Do I care at all at this point? Not really. Great devices for those who need them
 
Could have been more subtle. I wonder why it's so large. Is it just a camera!?

I'm starting to think it's this big because Face ID will require no design change next year.
iPhones have had 1080p front facing cameras for a while now, it's definitely possible to integrate better webcams sans notch, Apple is just making a design statement is all.
 
Where does the camera array go in today's laptops?

I can't tell if you're trying to be facetious here or if you legitimately don't understand how such a design is possible.
You are being intentionally vague. Every camera array causes the bezel to be thicker than if there were no camera (I challenge you to show me a case where this is not true). As I said in my earlier post, whether the gain is 74 pixels or 40 pixels or whatever, the result is the same. The camera is taking up some space that could be used for screen. The notch mitigates that in a way that (on a Mac) has no practical negatives.
 
The notch isn't 'great' but it's a passable compromise. It's not as bad as some are making it out to be, but it's not great. A camera hidden in the display would be 'great.'
 
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Where, exactly, does the camera array go? It either goes above the new 74 pixels (and additional screen real estate could be, once again, gained with a notch), it goes somewhere else, it does not exist, or it goes behind the screen (not currently possible).

So again, be very specific with what you offer as an alternative.

Stop and actually think for a moment. Surface Laptops have a 3:2 aspect ratio (i.e. closer to square than 16:10) with webcams and they manage to do so without a notch.

Apple's new Macbook Pro is attempting to gain vertical screen real estate by "reclaiming" part of the bezel.

Where do their camera arrays go? Do you seriously need a picture drawn out or something?

16:10 screen + 74 pixels for menu bar and then the camera array goes in the bezel, like it has since laptops included webcams. How are you struggling with this?
 
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You are being intentionally vague. Every camera array causes the bezel to be thicker than if there were no camera (I challenge you to show me a case where this is not true). As I said in my earlier post, whether the gain is 74 pixels or 40 pixels or whatever, the result is the same. The camera is taking up some space that could be used for screen. The notch mitigates that in a way that (on a Mac) has no practical negatives.
I'm not being vague at all, you're simply slow to grasp things.

Display = 16:10 screen area sitting under 74 pixels (for the menu bar)
Camera array goes in the bezel like it always has.

The result is only the same if you don't know how to count; and the bolded is a stupid statement. Why not argue for a 3:2 or a 1:1 screen with that logic?

Oh and the Dell XPS' bezels say hi.
 
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Stop and actually think for a moment. Surface Laptops have a 3:2 aspect ratio (i.e. closer to square than 16:10) with webcams and they manage to do so without a notch.

Apple's new Macbook Pro is attempting to gain vertical screen real estate by "reclaiming" part of the bezel.

Where do their camera arrays go? Do you seriously need a picture drawn out or something?

16:10 screen + 74 pixels for menu bar and then the camera array goes in the bezel, like it has since laptops included webcams. How are you struggling with this?
And Surface laptops have a thicker top bezel than the new MBPs. Apple wanted to eliminate most of that bezel when not in full screen mode. How is that a bad thing?

If you truly hate it, I doubt it’ll take long for someone to write a utility that moves the menu bar down 74 pixels and blacks out the top of the screen so you can pretend your laptop has a fat top bezel?
 
Surface Laptop 4 has massive bezels with a 720p webcam. Not comparable.
Wasn't exactly the point of the comparison.

I was trying to get him to see how silly his argument about "more screen real estate" mandating a notch was. Screen aspect ratio has nothing to do with bezel thickness; like at all.
 
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And Surface laptops have a thicker top bezel than the new MBPs. Apple wanted to eliminate most of that bezel when not in full screen mode. How is that a bad thing?

If you truly hate it, I doubt it’ll take long for someone to write a utility that moves the menu bar down 74 pixels and blacks out the top of the screen so you can pretend your laptop has a fat top bezel?
I'll get used to it... I just can't stand it when people come on here and speak authoritatively about things they have no clue about.

Apple's notch is a design statement, they didn't do it to give you more screen real estate or whatever nonsense people want to believe.
 
Stop and actually think for a moment. Surface Laptops have a 3:2 aspect ratio (i.e. closer to square than 16:10) with webcams and they manage to do so without a notch.

Apple's new Macbook Pro is attempting to gain vertical screen real estate by "reclaiming" part of the bezel.

Where do their camera arrays go? Do you seriously need a picture drawn out or something?

16:10 screen + 74 pixels for menu bar and then the camera array goes in the bezel, like it has since laptops included webcams. How are you struggling with this?
It doesn’t matter what the aspect ratio or total pixel count is. That’s what you’re missing. No matter what, the camera takes some portion of the display area. Stop there until you understand this.

The ’notch’ is really better thought of as ‘ears’ that ‘add’ space above whatever resolution/aspect ratio a given device has.

Since you seem to need a picture, however, it’s literally in the first post of this thread!

1634612068279.jpeg


If I can’t explain it to you:
1634612570170.png


So again, if you disagree, be specific with what you’d do differently. Use math and give us specific numbers to work with.
 
It doesn’t matter what the aspect ratio or total pixel count is. That’s what you’re missing. No matter what, the camera takes some portion of the display area. Stop there until you understand this.

The ’notch’ is really better thought of as ‘ears’ that ‘add’ space above whatever resolution/aspect ratio a given device has.

Since you seem to need a picture, however, it’s literally in the first post of this thread!

View attachment 1870700


If I can’t explain it to you:
View attachment 1870703

I understand perfectly, what I'm saying is you're talking nonsense.

You keep harping on about "more screen size" ... Okay then, if screen size is important, why not have a 3:2 screen instead of 16:10? Why not have a 4:3 screen? Heck why not a 1:1 screen?

Screen real estate is important right? Why not ask for those aspect ratios?

What you're missing (over and over) is that the "more screen size" problem can (and is often) be solved independently of the so called "thick bezel" problem.

You can have a 16:9 screen with thick or think bezels, you can have a 3:2 screen with thick of thin bezels; they're different variables completely.

So if you care about screen size, why are you settling for a measly 74 pixels and not a better aspect ratio? That's the question you need to answer here.

Admittedly webcams are an afterthought in most computers these days, but a 1080p camera isn't the reason we have a notch. Apple is simply making a statement with the design. We have 1080p front facing cameras cell phones after all.
 
a 1080p camera isn't the reason we have a notch. Apple is simply making a statement with the design. We have 1080p front facing cameras cell phones after all.
Which other laptops on the market have a 1080p webcam with thin bezels?

The goal of the new MBPs were to address the biggest issues:
1. Lack of ports
2. Poor webcam in WFH times
3. Bezels that make it look like its stuck in 2014

Apple fixed all of these with compromises. The notch is a compromise. If Apple didn't think the notch was a compromise, and was merely 'branding', why did they reduce the notch on their newest phones?
 
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People here must be into vaporwave if this is about the aesthetics.

Seriously though, a straight top edge of the screen necessitates either wasted space at the top or a pinhole camera. It is always a tradeoff and personal preference. There are always some people who prefer each one of the various options for this design issue.
 
Yea, people are just hating on the notch, as they need something to complain about. Most complaining were never going to buy it anyway.

Apple have stuck it where it's out the way, and even doesn't affect full screen apps.
There is a legitimate concern. Just because you ignore it (as several people have posted it), doesn't mean its not there. Even taking the OP screen shot. Just one or two more drop down menus and it is out of space.
 
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