Note how close the notch comes to cutting off Adobe Photoshop here. One more item and it’s hidden.
It seems as though no one told the macOS team that the MacBook Pro would have a ridiculous and senseless notch on it. At least, that’s the logical conclusion to come out of the fact that different Mac apps treat the notch differently, and others are completely broken by it.
When I first saw the notch on the MacBook Pro, I instantly wondered if anyone at Apple actually uses a Mac. It seemed unlikely. On my Mac, my menu bar items extend out under the camera. I consolidated most of Apple’s icons in the menu bar, but I have third party items, like Flux, Fantastical, iStat Menus, NordVPN, Alfredo, and much more. Even on my ultrawide monitor, they come close to the middle of the screen. Any Mac user who has been on the platform for years and has dedicated time to making their Mac work exactly as they want it to likely has the same problem.
Furthermore, some apps, especially pro apps, have more menus in the menu bar. The left side of the screen for the Apple menu, File, Edit, View, etc, can have many other options in pro apps. These extend to the area where Apple has cut a giant notch into their screen for a little camera.
As it turns out, macOS still doesn’t have a uniform way to deal with that, but every solution it tries to find is lousy. As one Twitter user (and owner of Snazzy Labs) shared, it’s an inconsistent mess.
“Who Designed This?!”
https://twitter.com/SnazzyQ/status/1453143510111059968?s=20
Quinn Nelson found some inconsistencies in the way the new MacBook Pro treats menu bar menus and status items. It’ll hide potentially important status items for menu items, block some menu items, obscure others, and work differently depending on what app you’re using. While Finder may let your mouse go behind the notch, as though it’s not something blocking the display, other apps will block off the area around the notch. This likely isn’t even up to third party developers, as it even works differently within Apple’s own apps.
https://twitter.com/SnazzyQ/status/1453143798251339778?s=20
It’s ridiculous. It’s as though Apple designed the MacBook Pro completely unaware of macOS. The inconsistencies mean you can’t ever expect the same thing from apps. It also means important information or menus could end up hidden behind Apple’s unsightly and utterly pointless notch.
Remember, this isn’t even for FaceID. It’s just a camera. It could have been as small as a hole punch or… you know, built into the bezel like it is on every other Mac.
Just Ditch the Notch!
Nelson even suggested improvements that are better than what Apple ended up doing, like scrolling or collapsing menus. Apple could have drop downs or other options available, like they do on iOS when menu items overflow the area they’re supposed to fit in. Instead, they simply hide items, sometimes quite literally.
However, the best thing Apple could do is eliminate the notch. No one wanted it on their iPhones either. No one wants a notch on their computer, they’d prefer more bezel for the camera anyway. It’s why Apple didn’t put a ridiculous notch on their iPad or other Macs. It, quite literally, just gets in the way.
Apple improved the MacBook Pro by leaps and bounds by listening to professionals and undoing changes they made in previous models. Now the best thing they could do is listen again and get rid of this ridiculous, pointless thing.