3 ms·

I strongly encourage folks to think about the the notch not as "space taken away from a 14in display" but rather that a smaller display was expanded to fill all

I strongly encourage folks to think about the the notch not as "space taken away from a 14in display" but rather that a smaller display was expanded to fill all usable space. macOS UI paradigms lend themselves very well to a notch in the top, as top area can be split into two regions, one for menus and one for status widgets as we have long been doing anyways. Just like iOS utilizes the left region for time and the right region for status. I think with a couple of usability tweaks, and giving folks a little while to get used to it, they'll get over it. And probably really like it. Kvetching will continue until boredom ensues. [edit] Sent from my M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro... ExtraPro. Did I mention it's for Pros?

zozbot234 5y ago
> but rather that a smaller display was expanded to fill all usable space. We used to call it a "New Second Display" back in the day. But that assumes that you're properly hiding the notch by using a dark background for that area.
pseudalopex 5y ago
> top area can be split into two regions, one for menus and one for status widgets as we have long been doing anyways Some people use lower resolutions or apps with more menus than you apparently.
- arcticbull 5y ago
  There's definitely going to be edge cases, although if I were still a macOS software developer, I would update my app immediately to nest my menus more when operating with a notch. I think there's more that Apple - and also third-party developers - can do to make this a well-crafted experience. This is definitely a V1 but I see paths to it getting better! Never could say the same for the Touch Bar haha. I'm certainly not going to say you're holding it wrong. I sympathize with the frustration of this breaking your use case. Apple's never been one to avoid scrambling a few eggs.
  - pseudalopex 5y ago
    The only problem with the touch bar was it replaced a row of keys. Lots of menus isn't an edge case for the kinds of people Apple said the MacBook Pro is designed for. Having different menu layouts on different screens isn't what I'd call a well crafted experience. It's interesting you assume it's my use case. I just know not to speak for everyone.
goldcd 5y ago
Couldn't agree more I was definitely in the 'notch wtf?!' camp (and still don't own a notched device) However I've managed to adjust to various devices having all manner of weird pixel/aspect ratios - and I'm definitely a fan of this after the everything has to be 1080 wilderness years. I can't help but think a lot of this could have been avoided, if notched screens had just been positioned as the dimensions without the notch - and then offered a 'screen plus' mode that extended the published resolution to use the space on either side of the notch. ~We're not ripping you off, we're offering you extra pixels if you want. Maybe late adoption of OLED is also to blame - with an OLED a notched screen can look just like a shorter one - and then you're given a choice.
- arcticbull 5y ago
  I think what folks tend to miss is if you subtract out the notched area, you're left with a bog standard 16:10 display. It really is extra bonus space.
  - goldcd 5y ago
    That's my point. If they had just advertized notched screens with the minimum square resolution and positioned the pixels on each side of the notch as an optional bonus, I think we'd all have been grateful.
    - arcticbull 5y ago
      Setting expectations is critical to success.

zozbot234 5y ago

> but rather that a smaller display was expanded to fill all usable space. We used to call it a "New Second Display" back in the day. But that assumes that you're properly hiding the notch by using a dark background for that area.

pseudalopex 5y ago

> top area can be split into two regions, one for menus and one for status widgets as we have long been doing anyways Some people use lower resolutions or apps with more menus than you apparently.

arcticbull 5y ago
There's definitely going to be edge cases, although if I were still a macOS software developer, I would update my app immediately to nest my menus more when operating with a notch. I think there's more that Apple - and also third-party developers - can do to make this a well-crafted experience. This is definitely a V1 but I see paths to it getting better! Never could say the same for the Touch Bar haha. I'm certainly not going to say you're holding it wrong. I sympathize with the frustration of this breaking your use case. Apple's never been one to avoid scrambling a few eggs.
- pseudalopex 5y ago
  The only problem with the touch bar was it replaced a row of keys. Lots of menus isn't an edge case for the kinds of people Apple said the MacBook Pro is designed for. Having different menu layouts on different screens isn't what I'd call a well crafted experience. It's interesting you assume it's my use case. I just know not to speak for everyone.

goldcd 5y ago

Couldn't agree more I was definitely in the 'notch wtf?!' camp (and still don't own a notched device) However I've managed to adjust to various devices having all manner of weird pixel/aspect ratios - and I'm definitely a fan of this after the everything has to be 1080 wilderness years. I can't help but think a lot of this could have been avoided, if notched screens had just been positioned as the dimensions without the notch - and then offered a 'screen plus' mode that extended the published resolution to use the space on either side of the notch. ~We're not ripping you off, we're offering you extra pixels if you want. Maybe late adoption of OLED is also to blame - with an OLED a notched screen can look just like a shorter one - and then you're given a choice.

arcticbull 5y ago
I think what folks tend to miss is if you subtract out the notched area, you're left with a bog standard 16:10 display. It really is extra bonus space.
- goldcd 5y ago
  That's my point. If they had just advertized notched screens with the minimum square resolution and positioned the pixels on each side of the notch as an optional bonus, I think we'd all have been grateful.
  - arcticbull 5y ago
    Setting expectations is critical to success.