Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Do You Think Apple Will Stick With the Notch?

tygurr

tygurr

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 19, 2021
55
275
There may have been a post on this already, so apologies if there has!

My questions are fairly simple. Do we think Apple will stick with the notch going forward? If they remove it, how long do you think down the line it will be?

I have seen some very mixed reviews since its introduction and can't imagine that is a good look nor good business for Apple in the future. My personal opinion is it is hideous and it completely put me off purchasing. I don't believe a notch should be anywhere near a laptop screen or desktop for that matter. I am hoping they remove it.

What are your thoughts?
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Nightspirit, richmlow, Saturn007 and 1 other person
tygurr said:
There may have been a post on this already, so apologies if there has!

My questions are fairly simple. Do we think Apple will stick with the notch going forward? If they remove it, how long do you think down the line it will be?

I have seen some very mixed reviews since its introduction and can't imagine that is a good look nor good business for Apple in the future. My personal opinion is it is hideous and it completely put me off purchasing. I don't believe a notch should be anywhere near a laptop screen or desktop for that matter. I am hoping they remove it.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Who knows what Apple will do other than maybe Tim Cook

Do I think they will? Probably till they get an under screen camera. IMO the Swiss cheese camera holes look ugly AF and aren't any better than the notch when it comes to usability.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JahBoolean and Reggaenald
tygurr said:
My personal opinion is it is hideous and it completely put me off purchasing.
Click to expand...
That's my thoughts as well, and why I never purchased a 14" MBP. I had one on order, but cancelled it. My M1 MBA wasn't enough for me, but now I've ordered a Studio Max, and am just assigning the mobile role to a Windows laptop.

The iPhone 14 is rumored to go a different way than the notch, so I wouldn't be surprised that the next iteration of the MBP will not have a notch.

I'd personally rather they go with a bezel camera like every other laptop made. My Lenovo even does FaceID with a bezel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Saturn007
russell_314 said:
Who knows what Apple will do other than maybe Tim Cook

Do I think they will? Probably till they get an under screen camera. IMO the Swiss cheese camera holes look ugly AF and aren't any better than the notch when it comes to usability.
Click to expand...
That's a fair comment.

bobcomer said:
That's my thoughts as well, and why I never purchased a 14" MBP. I had one on order, but cancelled it. My M1 MBA wasn't enough for me, but now I've ordered a Studio Max, and am just assigning the mobile role to a Windows laptop.

The iPhone 14 is rumored to go a different way than the notch, so I wouldn't be surprised that the next iteration of the MBP will not have a notch.

I'd personally rather they go with a bezel camera like every other laptop made. My Lenovo even does FaceID with a bezel.
Click to expand...
I just feel like now they have introduced the notch, they will feel like they cant go back on their decision straight away. Suppose it would make them look somewhat weak.

Mr.Blacky said:
The notch gives you more screen real estate AND a good camera.
Click to expand...
I understand that, but it looks awful. I would personally take a worse camera, tiny bit less real estate for a straight bezel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: diego and bobcomer
The notch is my favorite part of my current MBP 14”. I love it aesthetically and I do my best to highlight it by using pale color desktop backgrounds. Functionally, I love the extra vertical height it gives you — although the MBP is still not as good as the iPad in this respect, due to the latter’s better aspect ratio.
So personally I hope they’ll stick with it.
It seems obvious that they see it as a “pro” feature inasmuch as it enables slimmer bezels and more screen. If the rumored new MacBook Air design will indeed include white bezels, I very much doubt there will be a notch.

So my guess is in the near future…:
”Pro” stuff: thin belzels and notches, with more screen and better cameras.
Consumer stuff: larger (white) bezels and no notches, hence smaller screen at a given width, and less space for good cameras.
 
  • Haha
  • Wow
Reactions: diego and vercordio
I don't mind it and it serves a good purpose. Will probably be a few years at least until they remove it.
 
I'm not a fan of the notch, but I have to admit that now during use, I don't even notice it now. What I DO notice is the smaller bezels. Older MacBooks' and iMacs' bezels look ginormous and ancient now after using my 16" M1 Pro. Considering that you also technically get more functional real estate from notch, and now I don't mind the notch at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Misheemee and Christopher Kim
Seems like they’ll get rid of it this year for the pro models and no doubt in 2-3 years for the regular iPhone.

Tbh I’ve never noticed the notch so I can’t say that it bothers me that it’s there.
 
va1984 said:
The notch is my favorite part of my current MBP 14”. I love it aesthetically and I do my best to highlight it by using pale color desktop backgrounds.
Click to expand...
Hahaha, this made me chuckle although I believe you are serious.

To OP, I don't even see the notch and appreciate the better camera and more screen. But I completely understand your feelings and I am sorry it bothers you so much. I also like my electronics to aesthetically match the style I like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Misheemee, diego, LinusR and 1 other person
It's long been a pattern of whatever Apple has for sale now tends to have abundant cheerleading for exactly that. So notch is in play now, sling the notch rationale much more so than anti-notch. In Apple things (like iPads) that do not have a notch, those things obviously don't need the notch... so notch-less makes perfect sense there. In other words, the same people can passionately argue FOR and AGAINST notches... seemingly driven by where Apple chooses to include a notch.

However, if Apple goes pill as rumored with next iPhone, the "I love the notch" crowd won't bash Apple. Instead, they will immediately roll with the pill and then defend it vs. anyone who expresses discontent with it...

...until Apple goes with something else... and then whatever that is will become the one and only right option and all other options will be "ugly."

In other words, even very passionate opinions about such things don't seem to be legitimate opinions held by the individual but fluid ones... that shift as Apple shifts. Think of the extraordinarily passionate arguments against phones with screens bigger than 3.5" and then 4"... until Apple went "phablet." Then- seemingly overnight- nearly all such anti-phablet opinion evaporated. Apparently (one-handed use) hands grew? Apparently developer fragmentation was not so difficult to deal with? I'm still looking for all the pants with bigger pockets. ;)

Apple themselves just spoke very clearly about the notch with the new Studio Monitor having the camera but not having the notch. If notch was Apple "iconic" TO APPLE, Studio would have had it too.

Arguments like "it's not a notch, it's more screen RE to the left & right" should easily rationalize the pill rumor because pill would add even more screen RE "around" the center area. Select apps that could get some menu content "behind" the notch would not be a complete problem because you could see at least a little of whatever menu is "back there" with the added screen RE the pill option brings.

I think Apple will do away with the notch as soon as it suits Apple. And when they do, nearly all who so passionately evangelized notches will quickly flip to evangelizing whatever Apple has chosen as replacement. It's as it has always been... and presumably will always be.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: diego and Saturn007
HobeSoundDarryl said:
It's long been a pattern of whatever Apple has for sale now tends to have abundant cheerleading for exactly that. So notch is in play now, sling the notch rationale much more so than anti-notch. In Apple things (like iPads) that do not have a notch, those things obviously don't need the notch... so notch-less makes perfect sense there. In other words, the same people can passionately argue FOR and AGAINST notches... seemingly driven by where Apple chooses to include a notch.

However, if Apple goes pill as rumored with next iPhone, the "I love the notch" crowd won't bash Apple. Instead, they will immediately roll with the pill and then defend it vs. anyone who expresses discontent with it...

...until Apple goes with something else... and then whatever that is will become the one and only right option and all other options will be "ugly."

In other words, even very passionate opinions about such things don't seem to be legitimate opinions held by the individual but fluid ones... that shift as Apple shifts. Think of the extraordinarily passionate arguments against phones with screens bigger than 3.5" and then 4"... until Apple went "phablet." Then- seemingly overnight- nearly all such anti-phablet opinion evaporated. Apparently (one-handed use) hands grew? Apparently developer fragmentation was not so difficult to deal with? I'm still looking for all the pants with bigger pockets. ;)

Apple themselves just spoke very clearly about the notch with the new Studio Monitor having the camera but not having the notch. If notch was Apple "iconic" TO APPLE, Studio would have had it too.

Arguments like "it's not a notch, it's more screen RE to the left & right" should easily rationalize the pill rumor because pill would add even more screen RE "around" the center area. Select apps that could get some menu content "behind" the notch would not be a complete problem because you could see at least a little of whatever menu is "back there" with the added screen RE the pill option brings.

I think Apple will do away with the notch as soon as it suits Apple. And when they do, nearly all who so passionately evangelized notches will quickly flip to evangelizing whatever Apple has chosen as replacement. It's as it has always been... and presumably will always be.
Click to expand...
I'm sure there are some people like that. But I think practically speaking, you can simultaneously say "I'd prefer a notchless screen if possible" and "the notch doesn't cause me any problems in practice so I'm not going to sweat it" and not be some sort of apple apologist. I understand the compromises of why they did it, its not personally a big deal to me, and certainly not enough to dissuade me from a purchase.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HobeSoundDarryl
My impression is that most people are most disturbed by the notch before they purchase it, and after purchasing and using it for a while don't notice it much any more.
I therefore expect it is very low on Apple's list of priorities.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Misheemee and Raebo
? what? Is this a real thread?

Apple has not lost one single sale due to the notch.

As it stands, the notch is evolving into a pill/dot cutout in the next iPhone 14 Pro. This is already known from leaked renders.

It is a given that Apple will continuously evolve/minimize the notch, as they already did with iPhone 13, and are doing more dramatically with iPhone 14 Pro.
 
tygurr said:
There may have been a post on this already, so apologies if there has!

My questions are fairly simple. Do we think Apple will stick with the notch going forward? If they remove it, how long do you think down the line it will be?

I have seen some very mixed reviews since its introduction and can't imagine that is a good look nor good business for Apple in the future. My personal opinion is it is hideous and it completely put me off purchasing. I don't believe a notch should be anywhere near a laptop screen or desktop for that matter. I am hoping they remove it.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Probably, this is what will happen:

For this year’s iPhone 14, we expect a notch for the non-pro lineup, and the new design with thinner bezels and the circular hole + pill-shaped hole for the 14 pro series. My guess is that Apple will keep this designs, differentiating the regular iPhones from the Pro iPhones for the 2023 iPhones (iPhone 15). Beyond that, only Apple knows.
 
bobcomer said:
They did mine. I canceled my order for an M1 MBP 14" Max last year. So yes, they at least lost 1 single order.
Click to expand...
I'm sure they're really broken up about it too.

Apparently you don't know that the notch on the MacBook Pro, unlike the notch on iPhone, doesn't interfere with content or the usable portion of the display. They literally made the display taller, giving everyone more usable space than before, and the notch merely occupies unused portion of the status bar, in space that is already extra pixels.

Basically you chose not to buy it because Apple added more screen real estate. Real smart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: russell_314, va1984, LinusR and 1 other person
From a technical perspective, a notch will be necessary with LCD. So it's likely to be here for a long time.

LCD requires a back light so it's not possible to have an under-display camera. That's only possible with OLED.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Seanm87 and va1984
Macative said:
I'm sure they're really broken up about it too.
Click to expand...
I'm sure. I only commented because someone said they didn't lose 1 sale because of it, and since I know that they absolutely did, ...

Macative said:
Apparently you don't know that the notch on the MacBook Pro, unlike the notch on iPhone, doesn't interfere with content or the usable portion of the display. They literally made the display taller, giving everyone more usable space than before, and the notch merely occupies unused portion of the status bar, in space that is already extra pixels.
Click to expand...
Sorry, it does interfere if you have lots of menu items or icons in the top right. That doesn't really matter anyway, I hated the look of the notch more than anything. A *slightly* taller display doesn't buy me a thing if it irritates me to look at it.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Macative and Saturn007
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back