Do you have a second to talk about negative space? It will be quick, I promise. It’s effectively that blank area between objects in a work of art. As the name implies, it’s defined by an absence, but implemented effectively, the negative space may, itself, become an object.
You probably know where I’m going with this, right? As other companies pushed to make the front-facing camera cutout as small as possible, Apple has continued to utilize the notch since the iPhone X. It was made smaller in a recent iteration, but it’s remained a constant, owing — in part — to the module the company uses for things like Face ID. This year, Apple finally dropped the notch — for two of the four iPhone 14s announced today, at least.
On the two Pro models, it’s been swapped out for an oblong object that many took to calling a “pill,” even before it was officially announced. The pill is not contiguous with the bezel, unlike the notch. It just kind of floats out there … well, like an island. A Dynamic Island, if you will. Reader, I’m here to tell you that when the company announced that name, there was audible laughter throughout Steve Jobs Theater.
The company has taken to getting a bit goofy in its presentations (though Craig Federighi wasn’t on screen hamming it up), but Apple was dead serious about a name that sounds like a three-person comedy troupe. What I will say is people only chuckled the first time. By the fourth or so mention, a guy behind me said “woo” when it was uttered.