Wesley Hilliard
A new glyph shows a small rectangle below the MacBook Pro display bezel, with social media flaring up talking about a potential Dynamic Island upgrade for the notched Macs. But this isn't that.
Apple moved away from notched displays on the iPhone in favor of a more whimsical approach to hiding the sensor housing called Dynamic Island. Speculation has suggested Apple could make a similar move on MacBooks in the future, but a new glyph isn't the hint we've been waiting for.
An X user named @IceCoolTech shared an image suggesting a glyph is showing the Dynamic Island on a MacBook Pro. The glyph is new, but we're confident it isn't showcasing Dynamic Island.
On previous versions of iPadOS and macOS, the MacBook glyph had a uniform bezel, similar to what is used today for non-notched MacBooks. However, this glyph showed up even when initiating Universal Control with notched display MacBooks.
In iPadOS 17.0.2 and macOS Sonoma 14.0, the glyph has changed to show a small black rectangle below the display bezel. If this were a dynamic Island, it would take up a significant portion of the MacBook's display, even for a glyph.
Glyphs can have more detail than this image shows, so a notch or even Dynamic Island cutout would easily be rendered at this size. So, it doesn't make sense why Apple would represent a feature meant to take up less space as a gigantic block.
Apple's previous Mac glyph for Universal ControlInstead, we assume this is the MacBook Pro running macOS Sonoma, which has a new screensaver with a clock when locked. That, or this could be showcasing some kind of notification block, though those usually appear on the right side of the display.
There are zero credible sources suggesting the Dynamic Island is coming to Mac anytime soon. Users hopeful for Face ID on Mac may suspect such a change, but the design doesn't allow for such sensors in the thin display, not yet.
Whatever this glyph is, it isn't a MacBook with a Dynamic Island. Perhaps it's an updated glyph to showcase the macOS Sonoma upgrade, or it could be a mistake on Apple's part.
Expect code divers to dissect the IPSW soon and find the name of this mysterious new glyph. We're willing to bet its name is something like "MacBook with Notification."
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Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
13 Comments
If the MacBooks actually get a Dynamic Island, maybe that means that FACE ID is coming with it! That would be awesome! (I have no idea why the notch cut-out on the current MacBooks is currently so wide.)
Apple Watches and iPhones now have an "action button." Could it also be built into iPads? MacBooks? iMacs? Mac Minis?
Sure looks like a dynamic island precursor to me.
Why would you bet on "MacBook with Notification" if notifications aren't centered like that?
'the design doesn't allow for such sensors in the thin display, not yet' - can't the tetraprism architecture in the iPhone 15 Pro Max lend itself to this?