Developer Marco Arment Shares Thoughts On iPhone X's Notch (marco.org)

Developer Marco Arment writes about the infamous notch on the iPhone X, which Apple has told developers to embrace rather than ignore: This is the new shape of the iPhone. As long as the notch is clearly present and of approximately these proportions, it's unique, simple, and recognizable. It's probably not going to significantly change for a long time, and Apple needs to make sure that the entire world recognizes it as well as we could recognize previous iPhones. That's why Apple has made no effort to hide the notch in software, and why app developers are being told to embrace it in our designs. That's why the HomePod software leak depicted the iPhone X like this: it's the new basic, recognizable form of the iPhone. Apple just completely changed the fundamental shape of the most important, most successful, and most recognizable tech product that the world has ever seen.

Comments

Obligatory

[DontBeAMoran]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Please note:
I have an iPod, iPhone, Mac mini and Apple TV. This is not a troll, only the truth that can be seen even by Apple users.

Anybody who needs to identify

[fred6666]

with a unique, identifiable and recognizable shape for their phone is an idiot. Just like anybody who needs everyone to know what phone brand they use.

Courage?

[sh00z]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Who is 'Developer Marco Arment'?

[that this is not und]

And why should we care?

Has Apple trademarked 'the notch'?

At times in the past, Apple has chosen to blatantly 'wear' mistakes they have made. Will this be the same? Will there be further generation 'notces' even when the notch is even less necessary?

Will 'screen protector' stickers with a darkened 'notch' area on one side become the trendy thing to stick on your older Apple Gadget?

Re:Who is 'Developer Marco Arment'?

[Anubis IV]

Marco Arment was the original developer behind Tumblr, the original developer behind Instapaper (i.e. the first big "read it later" service on mobile), is currently the developer for the Overcast podcast app and service, but is probably most well-known in Apple tech circles these days as a blogger and podcaster (he hosts a few podcasts, the biggest one being the Accidental Tech Podcast with John Siracusa and Casey Liss).

As for why you should care? You shouldn't. Mind you, I read his blog and regularly listen to his podcasts, so I'd lump myself in as a fan of the things he has to say (which isn't to say that I agree with them, just that I like hearing them). I was fine with Slashdot covering his blog entry last year when he railed against the quality of software that Apple was putting out, because even though he later regretted having made that post, it still did an excellent job at coalescing and reflecting a broader sense of dissatisfaction among Apple users at the time. But his random thoughts on the shape of the iPhone X? Even I don't think that warrants Slashdot coverage. It was something I enjoyed reading yesterday, but it doesn't warrant reposting here.

Re:Who is 'Developer Marco Arment'?

[JohnFen]

And why should we care?

I care about this for the same reason I care about the headphone jack: I fear that other manufacturers will copy this shit from Apple.

It may just be me, but

[93 Escort Wagon]

I’ll be sticking with my notch-less iPhone 6S for a while longer.

While there are certainly different tiers of smartphones, we’re really at the point where these are more or less commodities. They’ve been powerful enough to keep using multiple years for some time now.

So sorry, Mr. Veblun, but I won’t be spending $1000-1200 on a phone.

Re:Apple continues to degrade functionality

[JohnFen]

The Essential Phone does this, in a slightly less obnoxious manner (since the cutout is smaller) -- and receives much ridicule about it.

Justifiably, in my opinion -- it's a terrible design decision. It could be OK if the status bar sat below the cutout instead of being cut in half by it.

mark of quality !

[swell]

Isn't it obvious? The 'notch' screams QUALITY so loud that even non techies are eager to part with their $1,000. Combined with the clearly identifiable Apple Watch, these proud owners will turn their noses up at the rest of us unwashed common folk.

Seems like non-Apple people care more about looks

[SuperKendall]

The funny thing about the notch to me is I don't really care about it, it seems like non-Apple people are making a bigger deal out of this than the Apple people...

I thought Apple people were the ones who cared about superficial looks, but that does not appear to be the case.

On a side note I didn't get the part of the video where he was swiping up to home, he was pretending he meant to scroll instead? But who does that from a tab bar, honestly. The rest of the video was amusing though.

Re:Not worse than the headphone jack

[JohnFen]

Removing the headphone jack is about waterproofing.

Why couldn't Apple figure out how to make a waterproof device with a headphone jack? Other devices have been managing it for years.

Re: In real use that will almost never matter.

[TimMD909]

You people who don't rotate end up shooting videos vertically. You are the root of all that's evil in this world and YouTube. Rotate your damn cell phones.

Duct tape

[goombah99]

I just put a piece of duct tape over my old Iphone 6 so everyone will think it's an iphone X

Re:Seems like non-Apple people care more about loo

[0xdeadbeef]

I thought Apple people were the ones who cared about superficial looks, but that does not appear to be the case.

This is how a fanboy admits that Apple really fucked up the aesthetics.

But who does that from a tab bar, honestly.

"It's not bad ergonomics if I can train myself to stop doing it."

Re:Where is the compromise?

[StikyPad]

The compromise is that it's asymmetrical from top to bottom, or from side to side in landscape. Rounded corners are ridiculous too IMO -- they certainly weren't a "feature" in CRTs -- but at least they seem like a deliberate choice. The notch feels like they tried to cram too much on the front of the phone. Personally I would have preferred removing everything from the front except a fingerprint-through-glass sensor. If an edge-to-edge screen is *that* important, then do it all the way. If it's not, then leave a bezel. A notch is a half-assed compromise.