Apple Says Notch is a 'Smart Way' to Give Users More Space for Content on New MacBook Pros

[MacRumors]

The notch on the newly redesigned MacBook Pro offers a "smart way" to give users more room for their content and allowed Apple to make the bezels thinner and provide more screen real estate to customers, an Apple official has said during a recent media interview.

The inclusion of a notch on the entirely revamped MacBook Pros was a surprise and was one of the few last-minute rumors that surfaced ahead of Apple's "Unleashed" event last week. As expected, some social media users have criticized Apple's design choice of adding a notch to the display.

Addressing the company's decision, Shruti Haldea, a manager for the Mac product line and one of the presenters of last week's Apple event, said during an interview on the Same Brain podcast that the notch is a "smart" solution for the Mac as it provides users more room for their content by moving the macOS menu bar out of the way.

What we've done is we've actually made the display taller. Like on the 16-inch notebook, you still have a 16.0 active area on the diagonal in that 16:10-inch window, and we just grew the display up from there and put the menu bar up there. We just kind of moved it up and out of the way. So it's a really smart way to give you more space for your content, and when you're in full-screen mode, you have that 16:10 window, and it looks great. It's seamless.

Compared to previous iterations of the MacBook Pro design, the new 14-inch and 16-inch models do feature significantly smaller bezels. Apple says the bezels are 24% thinner than the previous generation on the left and right sides of the display, measuring only 3.5mm. On the top, thanks to the notch, the bezel is 60% thinner, also measuring at 3.5mm.

While the notch is noticeable at first, Apple is betting on some macOS software features, including dark mode, to help minimize how noticeable it is to some users in day-to-day use. For example, when macOS apps are in full-screen mode, the system adds a black border to the top of the display, hiding the notch while not interfering with a user's content. Developers can choose to have their app's content shown on either side of the notch.

The notch is one many changes to the new MacBook Pros. The new laptops feature an entirely redesigned chassis, additional ports such as HDMI and an SD card slot, MagSafe, a mini-LED display with ProMotion, and either the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, which are the first Apple silicon chips designed for professional consumers.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models became available for pre-order last week and will start arriving to customers on Tuesday, October 26. Both sizes can be configured with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, giving users substantial performance gains compared to the M1 Apple silicon chip. Learn more about the new MacBook Pros using our detailed roundup.

Article Link: Apple Says Notch is a 'Smart Way' to Give Users More Space for Content on New MacBook Pros

 

[davidako]

Shame they didn’t make any use of the massive chin. They deleted the tacky MacBook Pro text but just left it blank. Why not also grow the display down? Or did I just leak the plans for MBP2023?

 

[a m u n]

 

[till]

It's an odd bit of serendipity which allows the notch to work out for Apple in a way that makes a ton of sense, something only really possible on macOS. The menu bar has been there since System 1.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Apple does have a good point here. Especially if it was designed by Jony Ive’s. The notch was able to introduce a bigger screen factor on an iPhone X too comparing with iPhone 8 Pro Max.

It only took Apple 4 years to admit a NOTCH is necessary for a bigger screen.

Years later same concept is being assigned to the MacBook Pro line up.

The fact Apple is so proud of the notch is just amazing! Impressed by the creativity at Apple.

 

[andrewxgx]

Doing this without notch would be way smarter though

 

[LDN]

There's going to be some application or Terminal command to create an artificial forehead bezel anyway for those who really hate the notch.

 

[jlc1978]

Makes sense. since they've given back the space now occupied by the menubar to the screen.
A dark Menu bar background with light icons would make it nearly invisible all the time.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Apple: Can you Atleast introduce a stock plain black menu bar for the people that disapproved the notch, please?

Update: This is perfect, Apple. You don’t have to justify.

 

[zfletch74]

They could have gone the ridiculous Lenovo way and put the webcam in the chin.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Expecting new MacBook pro to have a smaller notch. Even more screen to see. Coming in, 2022.

 

[Aluminum213]

That’s one way spin ugly design

 

[RAS2MR]

Amazingly powerful machines in a transportable format, revolutionary in some ways, and mostly we are talking about "notch" and perceptions of thickness...Perhaps the notch and thickness issues will encourage some folks to cancel their orders so the rest of us can move up in the queue...

 

[sunny5]

The notch is big for no reasons. Is this how you defend iPhone's notch?

 

[MacFather]

Why not remove the notch and sell a webcam as a dongle?

 

[richinaus]

Amazingly powerful machines in a transportable format, revolutionary in some ways, and mostly we are talking about "notch" and perceptions of thickness...Perhaps the notch and thickness issues will encourage some folks to cancel their orders so the rest of us can move up in the queue...

People don't like change. they will get used to it [or will have to otherwise PC here we come].

 

[Daws]

When is the 20th anniversary of the notch? I want to start the countdown.

 

[Bug-Creator]

The notch is big for no reasons.

The notch is defined in the API that allow Apps to work around if they signal compatibility, hence it better stay the same size when (not if) FaceID gets added there in a later version.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

The notch is big for no reasons.

The notch could have been smaller but Apple is saving that for next year.

Tim in Fall 💻 event, 2022.

“This is the most powerful Mac we have ever built” It contains a smaller cut out for the camera. We think you are going to love it”

​

 

[topmounter]

And a snaggletooth will help you breath better

 

[Jeo_cz]

Expecting new Mac to have a smaller notch. Even more screen to see.

View attachment 1876943

Sure. But we will have to wait another 5 years for that.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Why not remove the notch and sell a webcam as a dongle?

I don’t think that will be compatible. Everyone will be looking for a dongle. If you don’t have a dongle… say no to the virtual meetings. You are pretty much screwed.

Imagine how much a dongle will cost. $99?

 

[mi7chy]

There's going to be some application or Terminal command to create an artificial forehead bezel anyway for those who really hate the notch.

There is...

https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/nASbe

 

[dannyyankou]

It makes total sense. If you push the menu bar up, it creates more space underneath it.

 

[Superhappytree]

It still looks bloody awful no matter how they or anyone else tries to spin it. It’s an eyesore. Not everyone likes using dark mode to try and ‘hide’ it either.

When you have to resort to using workarounds via software to try and disguise a hardware design decision then that is bad design. End of story.