IMO, it was necessary stop gap. But ditching the notch means finding a home for the Face ID stuff. Where would those electronics reside?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I'm reminded of the late 1950s/early 1960s. "I won't buy a car with tail fins!"
Yeah, some people can hate a design element so much that they're willing to boycott a manufacturer/manufacturers until the design changes. However, they're nearly always a small portion of the buying public. Chances are that when the design aesthetic finally does move on, it's not because the manufacturer needs to regain the boycotter's business. Aesthetics change in order to signal "new product."
Now, in the case of tail fins, there was zero functional need - it was purely ornamental/"new product." Rocketry and the Space Race were very hot in pop culture. Ironically, those big tail fins reflected the late 1940s/1950s science fiction aesthetic. When people learned that real space rockets had much smaller fins and far fewer curves...
The Notch gets into more fundamental design considerations - it signals and accommodates functional hardware changes. The question for designers (and consumers) is, to what degree should those changes be expressed/signaled in design?
The Notch carries more symbolism and function than the typical design change, as it's tied to several major changes - elimination of the Home button, elimination of Touch ID, introduction of Face ID, and introduction of the edge-to-edge (or more accurately, corner-to-corner) display. And note that there was also controversy over Apple including Touch ID in the Home button rather than placing it elsewhere (though not nearly as much). The corner radius (vs. squared-off) display has also been controversial, but to a far lesser degree.
That's a lot of change in one package. As tiresome as some debates become, we're not likely to be rid of this one until the next major functional change.
Yeah, some people can hate a design element so much that they're willing to boycott a manufacturer/manufacturers until the design changes. However, they're nearly always a small portion of the buying public. Chances are that when the design aesthetic finally does move on, it's not because the manufacturer needs to regain the boycotter's business. Aesthetics change in order to signal "new product."
Now, in the case of tail fins, there was zero functional need - it was purely ornamental/"new product." Rocketry and the Space Race were very hot in pop culture. Ironically, those big tail fins reflected the late 1940s/1950s science fiction aesthetic. When people learned that real space rockets had much smaller fins and far fewer curves...
The Notch gets into more fundamental design considerations - it signals and accommodates functional hardware changes. The question for designers (and consumers) is, to what degree should those changes be expressed/signaled in design?
The Notch carries more symbolism and function than the typical design change, as it's tied to several major changes - elimination of the Home button, elimination of Touch ID, introduction of Face ID, and introduction of the edge-to-edge (or more accurately, corner-to-corner) display. And note that there was also controversy over Apple including Touch ID in the Home button rather than placing it elsewhere (though not nearly as much). The corner radius (vs. squared-off) display has also been controversial, but to a far lesser degree.
That's a lot of change in one package. As tiresome as some debates become, we're not likely to be rid of this one until the next major functional change.
So basically the poll options are;
- I agree with you.
- I agree with you.
- I would agree with you if I was smart enough.
The iPhone 6 design was the ugliest iPhones apple have ever shipped. I have no idea how they thought that was good.
it looked good at the time, but really none of the iPhone designs have aged all that well.
Giant bezels and small screens. The fact is what we have now is just head and shoulders above the previous models.
It's tech, it doesn't usually age well. And iPhone 4 is my favorite iPhone but they look ridiculous now.
Those bezels and home button look as classic as an old Porsche. Still, there is something about a physical home button (even if it’s haptic).
I barely notice the notch also. It never bothered me with my X. I’ve never heard anyone in public say they hate the notch. I’ve only heard people on MacRumors say it.
Well, considering the iPhone 6 was one of the best selling iPhones in Apples history, I’d say the design wasn’t superseded by consumers who clearly favorited it. Oh, and the design of the iPhone hasn’t drastically changed, it’s been fairly consistent across the board.
- Hindsight is 20/20
- The iPhone 6 story was dominated by the size.
The notch is awesome because it lets everyone around you know that you've got an expensive iPhone and not the otherwise-identical cheap versions.
OnePlus only has a tiny teardrop and it's rumoured the next Sammy won't have any holes/protrusions whatsoever. If Android can do this then iPhone should be able to.
[doublepost=1563245870][/doublepost]
You say that. However, I have a OnePlus 6T and the XR and although the XR is a nice phone I don't think it's any better than the OP6 and that's an unbiased opinion. In fact the OP has a fantastic Amoled display and Oxygen OS is really rather good.
The notch is simply a design sacrifice to allow the technological secure advances that Face ID bring to exist. Complain all you want but the notch doesn’t bother me. I think a hole punch would annoy me a lot worse
[doublepost=1563247739][/doublepost]
[doublepost=1563247739][/doublepost]
I wouldn’t have bought this device PERIOD...
Every time I read another thread like this I take my XR up and just look at it for awhile and try to understand what the BFD is about the notch. Every app I have accommodates it without a problem. I don't even think about it or see it after awhile until I bump into one of these threads again.
This whole topic has become the equivalent of a cult movie, right? No one else gets it but it's really special if you're into it? That's the only way I can understand the periodic and enthusiastic revival of brouhaha over "The Notch Thing".
This whole topic has become the equivalent of a cult movie, right? No one else gets it but it's really special if you're into it? That's the only way I can understand the periodic and enthusiastic revival of brouhaha over "The Notch Thing".
And it's usually complaints from people who don't have a phone with a notch. It's a non-issue for me and everyone I've talked to that has an iPhone with one.
It’s not hindsight for me, it was ugly to me at the time.
[doublepost=1563250412][/doublepost]
Well most put a case on it anyway, but those antennas lines were pretty ugly in my opinion. I go careless so I noticed it more.
People could mistake that for the note 9. There isn't room for a logo or any branding so the notch was used.
^- exhibit a. Some people don't want to be seen as an android user.
The notch is certainly better than those Samsung designs with the black bars at the top and bottom. At least the notch is distinct and clearly defined, unlike those bars which try to pretend they don't exist.
Do people REALLY focus on the notch that much? I dial my phone, I text, I play a few games. If a silly notch gives you that much anxiety, there is clearly a larger issue.
So it’s either people vote to agree with you, or they choose a condescending option of “No, even Steve would have put a spin on the lack of symmetry”.
I’ll choose another option, that doesn’t contain any of the OP’s bias....You can find it in the many threads already covering this....
We should start a poll like "Do you have a great phone and the answers will be A. Yes I have an iPhone, B. No I have an Android phone, C. I don't own a phone."