Videos Show Menu Bar Behavior in Apps Not Updated for MacBook Pro Notch

[MacRumors]

When Apple unveiled the new MacBook Pro models with a notch to house the camera in the thinner display bezel, many observers pointed out potential problems for third-party apps that place additional content across the menu bar, in the form of dropdown menus that extend from the left or menu items that extend from the right.

The concern was that extended menus or menu items in the menu bar would be inadvertently hidden behind the notch. Based on new video evidence, that at least appears to be the case for non-updated apps that make extensive use of menu items, but not the case for apps that have extended dropdown menus.

Snazzy Labs YouTuber Quinn Nelson shared two videos on Twitter bemoaning the impact that the notch has on versions of two third-party apps that have not been updated to make way for the notch. In the first video, menu bar items for popular app iStat Menus are shown as being partially concealed behind the notch but still accessible using the mouse pointer.

By contrast, in the second video, when Nelson launches an old version of DaVinci Resolve, he discovers that the video editing app's extended dropdown menus avoid the area of the menu bar concealed by the notch, and that the mouse pointer is blocked from entering the concealed space.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1453143798251339778

The latter behavior is an intentional move by Apple. By disabling the active space under the notch area and blocking off the mouse pointer, this ensures that older versions of apps can't display menus in that space. At a system level, on the other hand, the mouse pointer can enter the notch area, where it can be hidden. This behavior also applies in fullscreen mode.

In the second video, Nelson goes on to complain that the notch is causing DaVinci Resolve's extended menus to take over the menu items of iStat Menus on the right-hand side of the menu bar. This is actually normal behavior in macOS running on any Mac, but the notch does reduce the amount of menu bar space available for both sets of content.

Monterey ensures that app menus are shown on either side of the notch by using a new "compatibility mode" that disables the active display area taken up by the camera housing. For what it's worth, Bjango, the developer of iStat Menus, doesn't believe that adding compatibility mode support to their app would change the behavior of the app's status items when other apps are in the foreground and isn't likely to solve the issue presented in the video.

Article Link: Videos Show Menu Bar Behavior in Apps Not Updated for MacBook Pro Notch

 

[macpot]

The guy is sooo excited like he discovered a new kind of atom or something... ?

This can be fixed in the next "Minor" update!

 

[hellosil]

The guy is sooo excited like he discovered a new kind of atom or something... ?

This can be fixed in the next "Minor" update!

Its like these things are brand new phenomena to him. ?
Also there is nothing to fix.

 

[TFK.]

This’s bad.. but still am buying two 16” MacBook Pros

 

[mystery hill]

Don't blame the developers. It's notch their fault.

 

[robertts]

I don't understand why this isn't handled at the system level. So, every Mac app needs to engineer a solution for the notch?

 

[Your Royal Highness]

OK it’s a legitimate concern but that guy and his annoying crackle is ??

 

[lupinglade]

Apple today != Apple yesterday

 

[Max Webb]

I get the issue, but it's not the end of the world, it will just take a small software fix to change how it works.

 

[MacGekko]

The guy is sooo excited like he discovered a new kind of atom or something... 😴

This can be fixed in the next "Minor" update!

But not as excited as the Youtube reviewers who unbox this product as if they are unboxing a treasure map. Who was the Apple flunkie telling us the notch was some sort of gift to the consumers? That sounded as believable as Zuckerberg decrying, "if we didn't care about fixing the nutbag conspiracy theories that spreads through our site like water, we wouldn't be researching the problem".

 

[ozthegweat]

Does anybody voluntarily watch videos af people displaying such obnoxious behavior?

 

[OS X Dude]

I don't understand why this isn't handled at the system level. So, every Mac app needs to engineer a solution for the notch?

Completely agree, especially considering that each Mac has its own kind of tailored version of macOS (this is why imaging no longer works for mass deployments). Even without that, there are so many metrics exclusive to these new MBPs that would allow the OS generally to detect that it was running on one of these and implement the Menu Bar alterations accordingly.

 

[contacos]

what I did not figure out yet is why the font of the items / icons in the menu bar is getting bigger when you add MORE icons to it, shouldn't it be the opposite? I do not like the bigger font / icons so I removed some icons like Adobe Cloud from the bar

 

[Wiesenlooser]

It's valid criticism that needs to be fixed but the guy is super obnoxious.

 

[ColdShadow]

There should be a way to fix it at system level,because expecting every single app’s developer to make an update for it isn’t realistic.

 

[alexfoxy]

Does anybody voluntarily watch videos af people displaying such obnoxious behavior?

He’s actually a really decent tech reviewer. Sure he’s a bit whacky in this video but he’s just easily excited..

 

[lupinglade]

Completely agree, especially considering that each Mac has its own kind of tailored version of macOS (this is why imaging no longer works for mass deployments). Even without that, there are so many metrics exclusive to these new MBPs that would allow the OS generally to detect that it was running on one of these and implement the Menu Bar alterations accordingly.

This is not possible because the menu bar is a hack over NeXTSTEP’s floating menus which made sense being managed by their owning process. macOS, having only a single menu bar, should be system-owned and managed but it isn’t because Apple never bothered to do it properly. The result: Apple has no control over a previously-built app’s menu bar (among many other issues). Hacks on top of hacks… not a good look.

 

[Marty80]

Let the returns and whining begin. While I am still waiting impatiently for mine.

 

[Janichsan]

However, [the app taking over the space from the menu extras] is entirely normal behavior in macOS running on any Mac and is unrelated to the presence of the notch.

Sure. But the notch aggrevates the problem by leaving less space in the menu bar.

 

[Royksöpp]

This phenomenon is perfectly normal for new screen sizes. Most apps will be updated within the next month. It’s annoying, but that’s the price we pay for adopting new technology.

 

[Michael Scrip]

You tell 'em Quinn.

So... what happens on older notch-less Macs if you have too many menu items *and* too many status bar items?

Did they just overlap?

I'm guessing Apple will update their app design guidelines to suggest developers reduce the number of menu items.

Notch or not... does DaVinci Resolve really need 14 menu items across the top?

 

[vjpulp]

It's valid criticism that needs to be fixed but the guy is super obnoxious.

You mean: obnotchious... ☺️

 

[CarlJ]

OK it’s a legitimate concern but that guy and his annoying crackle is ??

He is so thrilled to have something to be outraged about.

 

[ponzicoinbro]

Drugs and social media attention seeking is helluva drug.

Makes grifters forget that software updates and new guidelines are made for developers to follow.

 

[Marty80]

I do believe there is already a work around to this issue. it’s called bartender.