Why do MacBooks have a notch?
MacBooks have a notch because Apple wanted the screen to run closer to the top edge of the lid while keeping the camera in the middle. Instead of a thick bezel above the display, the screen wraps around the camera, and the cutout is the part that is left over. Apple has said that much and not more.
What Apple said
Apple introduced the notch on the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro on 18 October 2021. The press release says the display “features even thinner borders and extends up around the camera”. It also presents the new 1080p FaceTime HD camera as an upgrade, and notes that the display has rounded corners at the top.
That is the whole official account. Apple’s pages do not list design alternatives it considered or give a reason beyond the thinner borders and larger screen area. Any longer story you read, such as a particular camera size forcing the cutout, is the writer’s guess unless it quotes Apple.
What the trade off is
You get more screen height in the same lid, and the menu bar fits in the extra space above your windows. In exchange there is a fixed shape in the middle of the menu bar, and some menu bar items can end up behind it. The hidden icons page lists the fixes.
Why developers care
Because the notch is in the same place on every Mac that has one, it is a predictable anchor. Apps can read the cutout area from macOS and draw something around it. That is why a category of notch apps exists. It is not an Apple feature. Apple supplies the geometry, and the apps supply the panels.
Related questions
- What the notch is and what Apple calls it.
- Whether the notch holds a camera and sensors.
- Which models have one.
For a wider view, read the MacBook notch explained. NotchStar uses the space under and around the cutout for ten small tools, and it opens when you point at the notch.
