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Hate the MacBook Pro notch? This app makes it more fun

A new app from The Iconfactory has a new app — Notchmeister — that lets you add effects to the MacBook Pro’s notch, according to initial reporting by MacRumors. That even includes a festive option that dangles festive lights from it.

The notch on the latest MacBook Pros was a last-minute rumor that turned out to be true. It has been met with a mixed reception, and many users are finding ways to hide or mitigate its presence on the display. The Notchmeister app goes in the complete opposite direction, though, letting you actually draw attention to the feature.

Notchmeister lets you decorate the MacBook Pro’s new notch.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are five different customizations on the Notchmeister app. They include:

Glow: A white glow will appear around the notch when you hover your cursor near it. The glow intensifies around the mouse and moves with it.

Cylon:- A red dot will scan back and forth on the notch. When you hover the cursor near it, the red dot will stop and you can drag it back and forth. Very Battlestar Galactica.

Plasma Leak: White sparks will shoot out around the notch when you bring the cursor near it.

Festive: Little Christmas lights will dangle from the notch area when you hover the cursor over it.

Nano Reader: The best way to describe this feature is in the app description itself. “Our patented invention lets you know exactly where your mouse has gone.” Essentially a little X-ray type band appears below the notch and shows your cursor hovering over the camera sensor and other components.

This app is obviously meant for the latest MacBook Pros, but there is a simulation mode for older MacBooks, just in case you felt like you were missing out on the notch.

It’s a gimmicky and kind of silly app, but it’s a free download and worth playing around with. In our review of the MacBook Pro, we say of the notch: “I view it as a compromise, not a design flourish … it’s not a bad compromise. The notch seems more intrusive on the 14-inch model, which has less room across the menu bar to accommodate the protrusion.” We also say: “It’s the best MacBook Pro since 2015.”

Hopefully, Notchmeister makes the bulky notch on the MacBook Pro a little more bearable.

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Caleb Clark
Caleb Clark is a full-time writer that primarily covers consumer tech and gaming. He also writes frequently on Medium about…
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