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Reggaenald

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Sep 26, 2021
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Same as with the iPhones, it’s a design decision somewhat necessary and actually quite good for marketing as well. I don’t mind it, I completely understand it and don’t expect it to be gone within the next 5 years.
If the notch puts you off, well, that’s your bad luck. Just like with the iPhones, it makes sense. It might not be pretty (to some), but it’s the best compromise currently.
 

Reggaenald

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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.
The notch will stay for some years. It’s somewhat impossible to have a mini LED display with camera holes and the camera and sensor modules seem to be too large to fit into the bezel and not affect the (Mini LED) screen. Obviously. If there was a way, Apple would have went there.
But the following is certain; the bezels won’t increase in size (again), they won’t (/can’t) move away from Mini LED for at least 3-5 years, the displays won’t get (considerably) thicker. Bet.
 

va1984

macrumors regular
Jan 27, 2011
240
398
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.
I think you're barking at the wrong tree. Most Apple products (not all) are attractive to a large group of people because they're well designed. Designed even in those details, like the notch. I don't think anyone is either pro- or anti- notch: you can design a beautiful phone/laptop/anything, with or without a notch. It's like having ports on your device. Done a certain way (e.g. a recessed block of black plastic in a slightly different color than the black plastic surrounding it...with little labels and stickers!) they are ugly, done in another way (e.g. like the ports on the front of the Mac Studio), they're attractive in and of themselves. Generally, people respond well to well designed stuff. Generally, Apple designs stuff gracefully.
There are plenty of exceptions, of course, to both those statements. Some people choose purely on the basis of function/utility/value and/or have no eye for design (just look at how many ugly cars are sold every year. Or clothes). And also, importantly, sometimes Apple screws it up, creating stuff that is un-Apple-like ugly, e.g. the case for the AirPods Max.
Personally, I don't miss the notch when I'm using the Studio Display or iPads. But when I notice it on my MBP, the associations are positive, because it's the same notch I've associated with my phone since 2017. It's in a part of the Menu Bar where nothing was happening and I still marvel at how well the screen wraps around the curves. In fact, I do wish the four corners of the MBP's screen were gently curved like the iPad Pro's. Perhaps the MacBook Air will have that.
 

James Godfrey

macrumors 68020
Oct 13, 2011
2,068
1,710
Yes yes and yes again… it’s an iconic Apple look it’s instantly recognisable as an Apple product in stores.

Just remember the camera rarely gets updated in Macs, I think the last update to the camera from their iSight camera to a 720p FaceTime HD camera was 11 years ago in 2011.

So I wouldn’t expect any major improvements to the webcam either for many many years now… all this talk/rumour about Face ID coming to the Mac, or under display cameras etc… just simply won’t happen anytime in the near future.

The only possible indicator that Apple will be trying to get rid of the notch will be when they start changing the size of it, much like with the iPhone… but I doubt it’s going to be high on Apples improvement list if I’m honest.
 

bobcomer

macrumors 601
May 18, 2015
4,949
3,699
The notch will stay for some years.
Then I wont be buying a Mac Laptop. I am buying a Mac Studio though. :)

It’s somewhat impossible to have a mini LED display with camera holes and the camera and sensor modules seem to be too large to fit into the bezel and not affect the (Mini LED) screen.
Other manufacturers do it quite easily. My work laptop has no notch and faceid (and touchid too), and it fits just fine. The camera goes in the bezel, not behind the screen.
Obviously. If there was a way, Apple would have went there.
I'm not convinced of that. They seem to do really idiotic things occasionally.

But the following is certain; the bezels won’t increase in size (again), they won’t (/can’t) move away from Mini LED for at least 3-5 years, the displays won’t get (considerably) thicker. Bet.
No bet, but I wont buy it without a thicker bezel and the cameras behind that. I'm just one person and irrelevant to Apple, but I wont settle for crap.
 
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bobcomer

macrumors 601
May 18, 2015
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News to me. When I make the background black there, I can't see it. If you can handle all the clutter on this page, you can probably handle the notch, even when it isn't hidden. But to each their own.
No, I don't have to handle the notch, I don't need an M1 laptop.
 

tegranjeet

macrumors regular
Apr 5, 2019
123
254
Boulder, CO
Isn't the argument that a notch proved more screen real estate a bit silly? We've been able to auto-hide the menu bar for ages. Basically you have the same real estate without having to hide the menu bar. Personally I like the look of having the menu bar hidden. Now that option is a bit weird to even have.
 

joshuabeg

macrumors member
Mar 23, 2022
68
295
Santa Clarita, CA
Could they possibly do the pill cutout/hole on the next MBP’s?

Notched - iPhone 13 ?
Notched - M1 MBP ?

Pill Cutout/Hole - iPhone 14 ?
Pill Cutout/Hole - M2 MBP? ?

Under-Screen Face ID/Front Camera after that…
 
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Reggaenald

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Sep 26, 2021
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798
Then I wont be buying a Mac Laptop. I am buying a Mac Studio though. :)


Other manufacturers do it quite easily. My work laptop has no notch and faceid (and touchid too), and it fits just fine. The camera goes in the bezel, not behind the screen.

I'm not convinced of that. They seem to do really idiotic things occasionally.


No bet, but I wont buy it without a thicker bezel and the cameras behind that. I'm just one person and irrelevant to Apple, but I wont settle for crap.
Does your laptop have a Mini LED display? Mini LED displays are considerably thicker than standart LCD or OLED screens. The modules on your device are probably spread out to fit behind the screen, too, not just the bezel. That’s impossible with the current MBP design. Face ID is too thick to be crammed there, too. But it will definitely come next year or the year after that. Also, what kind of „Face ID“ does your laptop have, how does it compare to actually Face ID tech?
And, yes, they doodoo some stupid things from time to time, Butterfly Keyboards come to mind, or too little clearance between the screen and keyboard. But with other stuff, they are on top of things. And to me, the screen on these MBPs is one of them.
If you think it’s crap, ok, it definitely isn’t, it’s a compromise and doesn’t affect you if you’re using the right settings. They literally just tried to push the menu bar into the bezel to give more real estate. And they succeeded at that.
 

Reggaenald

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Sep 26, 2021
864
798
Could they possibly do the pill cutout/hole on the next MBP’s?

Notched - iPhone 13 ?
Notched - M1 MBP ?

Pill Cutout/Hole - iPhone 14 ?
Pill Cutout/Hole - M2 MBP? ?

Under-Screen Face ID/Front Camera after that…
No. Not until they use OLED or micro LED screens. Cutouts in a Mini LED screen are not impossible, but stupid because you can’t properly illuminate around them.
 
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Reggaenald

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Sep 26, 2021
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Isn't the argument that a notch proved more screen real estate a bit silly? We've been able to auto-hide the menu bar for ages. Basically you have the same real estate without having to hide the menu bar. Personally I like the look of having the menu bar hidden. Now that option is a bit weird to even have.
I don’t have a notched MBP but opted to not hide the menu bar anyway. Some people run diagnostic apps in the menu bar, like iStat, and always want to glimpse at them without having to put their work on hold just to move the cursor to the top. I’m quite happy about this well needed feature.
 

yabeweb

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2021
824
1,742
I think the notch is here to stay for a bit, I thought it would bug me a lot, after one day having the 14 I have to say it was more transparent than i thought.

I do notice it, but it does not bother me at all in day to day usage.
Isn't the argument that a notch proved more screen real estate a bit silly? We've been able to auto-hide the menu bar for ages. Basically you have the same real estate without having to hide the menu bar. Personally I like the look of having the menu bar hidden. Now that option is a bit weird to even have.
Yes, but this way you do not have to hide the menubar and still get that space.
 

Reggaenald

Suspended
Sep 26, 2021
864
798
I think you're barking at the wrong tree. Most Apple products (not all) are attractive to a large group of people because they're well designed. Designed even in those details, like the notch. I don't think anyone is either pro- or anti- notch: you can design a beautiful phone/laptop/anything, with or without a notch. It's like having ports on your device. Done a certain way (e.g. a recessed block of black plastic in a slightly different color than the black plastic surrounding it...with little labels and stickers!) they are ugly, done in another way (e.g. like the ports on the front of the Mac Studio), they're attractive in and of themselves. Generally, people respond well to well designed stuff. Generally, Apple designs stuff gracefully.
There are plenty of exceptions, of course, to both those statements. Some people choose purely on the basis of function/utility/value and/or have no eye for design (just look at how many ugly cars are sold every year. Or clothes). And also, importantly, sometimes Apple screws it up, creating stuff that is un-Apple-like ugly, e.g. the case for the AirPods Max.
Personally, I don't miss the notch when I'm using the Studio Display or iPads. But when I notice it on my MBP, the associations are positive, because it's the same notch I've associated with my phone since 2017. It's in a part of the Menu Bar where nothing was happening and I still marvel at how well the screen wraps around the curves. In fact, I do wish the four corners of the MBP's screen were gently curved like the iPad Pro's. Perhaps the MacBook Air will have that.
You can use Displayature I think it’s called in the Mac App Store. I use it in my non notched MBP to curve the corners because I don’t like the 90° corners since I use a notched iPhone. You can use it to curve the bottom corners.
 
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James Godfrey

macrumors 68020
Oct 13, 2011
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Could they possibly do the pill cutout/hole on the next MBP’s?

Notched - iPhone 13 ?
Notched - M1 MBP ?

Pill Cutout/Hole - iPhone 14 ?
Pill Cutout/Hole - M2 MBP? ?

Under-Screen Face ID/Front Camera after that…
Remember the Notch was on the iPhone X, XS, 11, 12 and 13 and is also remaining on the lower end 14’s, so they have kept it around on the iPhone for 5 generations/years before even attempting to phase it out, so I expect the same time frame on the Mac as a minimum.
Yes, it'll evolve into a face unlock camera soon.
I doubt it, unless the lid become rather thick, similar to the iPhone thickness anyway.

Apple have also stated that ‘Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop as your hands are already on the keyboard’ so they have justified their reasoning (whether you agree or not is irrelevant).

For context, they also gave their reasoning behind the 11” iPad Pro not having miniLED, stating ‘that they feel their customers appreciate the portability and thinness of the 11” so they didn’t feel a need to bring the technology it to that model of the iPad Pro’ and here we are getting rumours that no miniLED is coming to the 11” iPad Pro again this year.
 
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leslieg

macrumors member
Jun 22, 2020
97
130
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?
apple have always said their vision for the iPhone is to be ALL SCREEN and they will keep pushing closer and closer. therefore I think the notch will only stick around whilst the technical limitation is there. as soon as they figure out how to remove it without sacrificing user experience/security, it's gone.
 
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