New MacBook symbol
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A new symbol shows a small rectangle under the MacBook Pro's display bezel, and social media is sparking talk of a potential Dynamic Island update for notched Macs. This is not the case.
Apple has moved away from notched displays on iPhones in favor of a fancier approach to hiding the sensor housing called Dynamic Island. There are rumors that Apple may make a similar move on MacBooks in the future, but the new glyph isn't the clue we've been waiting for.
User X, @IceCoolTech, shared an image suggesting the glyph represents the dynamic island on the MacBook Pro. The symbol is new, but we are sure that it does not demonstrate the Dynamic Island.
In previous versions of iPadOS and macOS, the MacBook glyph had a single frame, similar to the one used today for MacBooks without a notch. However, this symbol appeared even when running Universal Control on a MacBook with a notch.
In iPadOS 17.0.2 and macOS Sonoma 14.0, the glyph has changed to show a small black rectangle below the display frame. If it were a dynamic island, it would take up a significant portion of the MacBook's display, even for the glyph.
Glyphs can have more detail than shown in this image, so a cutout or even a Live Island cutout can easily be rendered at this size. So, it doesn't make sense why Apple would present a feature that takes up less space as a giant block.
Apple's previous Mac symbol representing universal control
Instead, we're guessing this is a MacBook Pro running macOS Sonoma, which has a new splash screen with for hours when locked. This or that could be some sort of notification block, although they usually appear on the right side of the display.
There are no reliable sources suggesting that Dynamic Island will be coming to Mac anytime soon. Users hoping for Face ID on the Mac may suspect such a change, but the design doesn't yet allow for such sensors on a thin display.
Whatever this symbol is, this is not a MacBook with a dynamic island. This could be an updated symbol showing an update to macOS Sonoma, or it could be a bug on Apple's part.
Expect code divers to analyze 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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