Also, particularly given the new improved local dimming, for any content that wants a plain rectangle (video, games) seems like just blacking the menu bar area will work well. Macs aren't rotating devices either, so the notch is always going to be in the same semi-dead-space spot and easy to work around. That's quite different than iOS devices (even the iPad). And even with Apple's regrettable increasing of barriers to modifiability, on macOS there remains plenty of freedom to do UX adjustments and for developers to do whatever they want outside of Apple's rules. IIRC for example Apple forbid just "hiding" the notch with black on iDevices at least initially, but no such issues here. So overall really doesn't seem like it's a problem in this case, even for those who are fairly bothered on phones/tablets. A Mac screen isn't bad for it.
And of course, part of the highlighted point of these new machines is being able to drive a bunch of external displays too.
Or lack thereof.
Seriously, look at the promo images that Apple created for this product:
https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-14-and-16/
The vast majority of these images hide the notch by not showing the menu bar at all, which is not how a Mac is generally used. The other images make it less noticable by putting it over a dark background. Does that convey confidence in the design, by the designers that were tasked to make it look good?
The best thing you can say is: It's not that noticeable under certain conditions.
It’s not only a joke, it’s also that once you see it, you understand that the aesthetics of a notch aren’t based in sleek features, but in function-over-form.
How about not having a notch, like literally every other Apple (and non-Apple) laptop? Is that even conceivable?
Edit: 'Notch' not 'not'
So literally the least functional and useful of all possible options?
The notch isn't subtractive from previous generations' screen space. The bezel was removed except for the area where the notch is, adding a menu bar's worth of screen space. And the center of that menu bar is virtually always empty space. Your proposal is to add extra bezels back and subtract away a menu bar's worth of vertical space, just to remove a small protrusion that you won't even notice half a week into using the device.
“The design is not just what it looks like and feels like. The design is how it works.”
There's another foolproof way to tell that the notch (on the iPhone) is a bad design: Nobody is copying it.
Edit, to finish the thought: so it remains to be seen if other manufacturers will follow-suit this time.
Perhaps you’ve heard of this “pandemic” thing where an absurd number of professionals are working remotely and participating in virtual meetings?
> …in a way that many people find disturbing and unappealing.
But that the clearly overwhelming majority—if the iPhone is any evidence—simply do not notice enough to care about. iPhones with the notch have continued to sell in record-setting numbers, despite your own personal sensibilities.
> The best thing you can say about it is "it's not that noticable" and "you'll get used to it".
The best thing I can say about it is that it’s a phenomenally well-executed compromise that leaves a frequently-needed piece of hardware in an ideal place while reducing useless bezels, adding screen real estate, and cleverly occupying an area of the screen that is almost certainly the most underutilized in all of macOS. Compared to the alternatives (a thicker bezel with lost screen real-estate, a thicker lid with a worse-quality camera, or a camera placed elsewhere) it is quite literally the optimal technical choice.
That it’s aesthetically unpleasant to some people is actually the worst thing you can say about it, and if it’s anything like the one on my phone, I literally won’t notice it unless someone is actively pointing it out.
> There's another foolproof way to tell that the notch (on the iPhone) is a bad design: Nobody is copying it.
You are one quick Google search away from enlightenment, friend.
Perhaps, but having cameras on during a teleconference is counter-productive.
> But that the clearly overwhelming majority—if the iPhone is any evidence—simply do not notice enough to care about. iPhones with the notch have continued to sell in record-setting numbers, despite your own personal sensibilities.
I use an iPhone. I hate the notch. It doesn't bother me enough to switch platforms after a decade of iPhone usage, or getting an outdated iPhone, but it does bother me. With every new iPhone release, people like me are awaiting the end of the notch. Apple doubling down on this nonsense tells me: The notch is here to stay. They're trying to turn a flaw into brand identity. It's working, at least on people like you.
> The best thing I can say about it is that it’s a phenomenally well-executed compromise...
The reality distortion field at work. They could have made the notch massively smaller. They didn't because that notch is part of the brand. They could have just shrunk the bezel a tiny bit less to accomodate for a camera. They didn't, because again, they'd rather make it about the brand. The screen real estate argument is bogus. If that screen estate made a difference, they could've made the thing just a tiny bit larger.
> You are one quick Google search away from enlightenment, friend.
I'm not saying nobody ever copied it. I'm saying nobody is (still) copying it. It has been tested on the market, and the market said: No. Nobody wants a notch.
How does full screen mode work with this, I wonder?
I imagine the same will be true with a notched laptop display, especially if it is "hiding" in the menu bar.
But I am also surprised it's so big, I wonder if once you commit to notching there is a minimum width that becomes harder to mask perceptually...
For most people, the only thing it covers is the menu bar.
I don't care. You need to process the hell out of a selfie image so you don't look like a goblin anyway. I'm sure the ML wizards at Apple can figure this out.
> A thicker bezel means less screen space.
The notch is a huge bezel with cutouts.
> Sticking up over the display is a worse compromise. Putting it on the bottom of the display really isn't ideal.
I agree.
> For most people, the only thing it covers is the menu bar.
It's not about what it covers, it's about harmony. A small hole is also superior, though most Android phones do not get the positioning right either. No, I don't care about Face ID, especially in the era of COVID. A finger print reader on the side or on the back is superior.
Conveniently, these have a fingerprint reader still on the device.
The notch is a tiny part of what remains of the previous bezel. That space isn't usable on an older M1 MBP, either.
Why shouldn't it be?
That space was black on the old MBP. It's black on the new MBP. I've now got two newly usable strips where the bezel used to be. The top menu bar is already left/right split, so it fits fairly naturally in there; my movies won't be any bigger or smaller with it.
I went from iPhone SE to 13 and the notch there was a nothingburger. Thirty seconds after the "oh right, there's a notch" it's mostly forgotten.
https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/under-display-camera-phones/
The internal space that the module occupied was the only real disadvantage of the pop-up camera, restricting the space available for the battery. Although I didn't have any complaints about the battery life of this phone.