Notchless MacBook users may have a reason to rejoice thanks to a new app designed by developer Chris Jones. Called Notch Pro, the app adds a black notch below the top center of a user’s screen to emulate the new MacBook Pro’s most controversial design decision.
Jones’ notch is arguably even better (or at least flashier) than Apple’s thanks to a slider that lets users modify the black box from about the size of the front camera on the small side to a comically long stream covering about three-quarters of the top screen.
Apple introduced the now notorious camera notch to its new line of MacBook Pros last month. The design move takes a page out of the iPhone’s playbook and is intended to increase the overall amount of screen real estate available to users.
Not everyone loves it, though. Critics have taken to social media to lament the notch, while others have noticed bugs that can break the user interface. And some have taken issue with one key omission from the notch: Face ID. After all, facial recognition is why the iPhone has a notch to begin with, and the fact that the MacBook Pro relies on Touch ID means the notch’s sole purpose is a bigger screen. In our testing of the new MacBook Pro, we found the notch gets easier to ignore over time, kind of like it does on the iPhone. And clearly if you want to add a notch to your older MacBook, you’re into the vibe.
But if you hate the notch and want a new Pro, you can work around it by entering full-screen mode (or use a dark wallpaper, which does a lot of heavy lifting to distract from the bar). Third-party developers like MakeTheWeb have created solutions that turn the entire menu bar black, essentially mimicking the design from older MacBooks.
