I've been spending time updating my apps to make sure they respect safe areas to avoid the notch at the top and edges.
And I'm left with the question: Was this REALLY a good idea? I don't think it was.
Stretching the UI under the notch at the top introduces a LOT of problems for all sorts of apps and what did we really get in return? 20 more px or so at the top? A slightly larger UI that we can't really use?
And didn't we all learn the problems involved with the Samsung Edge? That driving the touch screen all the way the edge of a device that you hold in your HAND was going to have constant problems with UI interaction?
The solution isn't "make the developers update all their apps so they can't use all this extra space they've been given." The solution is to leave some chrome around the edges of the device so that people can hold it in their hands.
You didn't give us extra space on the screen. You gave us a bunch more work to do to make sure we DON'T use all that extra space on the screen.
Please make sure the next phone abandons this stupid idea of notches in the UI and massive gutters around the UI that can't be used. Just pretend that your users are human and need to grip the phone. It's ludicrous.
Kenny
