Apple May Be Fixing Two of Mac's Most Annoying Limitations

The past few years have brought new growth and innovation to the Mac, thanks to Apple's silicon. But the Mac still has a few limitations compared to its potential. Fortunately, two of those pesky shortcomings seem to be on their way to finally being put to rest.

Two Mac Limitations: Cellular and Notch

Since the rough patches of the 2010s ended and Apple's silicon debuted, the Mac has settled into a nice rhythm. Apple is regularly releasing new Mac models and chips, and macOS is keeping up with iOS updates better than ever.

There are still some unusual issues, but it looks like Apple is planning to fix at least some of them soon.

We've had two interesting Mac-related reports in the last few days:

Apple is exploring the possibility of using its new internal modems in the first cellular Macs, according to Mark Gurman
Also, OLED MacBook Pro models should ditch the notch in favor of a hole-punch design, according to Omdia

Both of these changes likely won't arrive until 2026 or even 2027 at the earliest.

But when they do, they'll address two of my biggest gripes with the Mac right now.

Confessions of an iPad Pro User on a Mac

I should say up front that the M4 iPad Pro is my primary computer.

I've long preferred the iPad over the Mac for a variety of reasons, including the iPad's historical advantage in terms of investing in Apple hardware and software.

One easy example of this benefit is Face ID. The feature launched on the iPhone in 2017, and the iPad Pro got it a year later, in 2018.

I use my iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard attached pretty much 24/7. And I have to say, Face ID works pretty well when the screen is pointed at your face all day. This would be perfect for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and even the Studio Display.

But seven years later, Face ID for the Mac is still missing.

I feel the same way about cellular and the notch.

The iPad has supported cellular for its entire 14-year lifespan. However, for some reason, Apple never added cellular to the Mac. I thought this limitation would be addressed when Apple’s silicon Macs came out, but years later, I’m still waiting.

I like to work on the go a lot, and using a mobile hotspot with my iPhone isn't reliable enough — and it drains my iPhone's battery faster. The cellular functionality on my iPad Pro is a plus.

The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with the notch aren't that big of a deal to me, but they're still annoying. Not because the notch is that important, but because my iPad Pro never had one.

I understand that iPads have larger bezels to make them easier for users to hold, but the notch on a Mac still makes it feel dated to me.

Best comment by Dave Peterson

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I agree that Macbooks need a built-in 5G modem. It's so annoying that my MacBook Pro has to use Personal Hotspot when I'm on the road.

I don’t care about the notch. I have dark mode on, so the entire menu bar is black.

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If Apple needed to add a notch to the Mac, why didn’t they release something more modern like the iPhone 14 Pro and Dynamic Island tablet? The flagship iPhone ditched the classic notch two years ago, and the iPad has never had one, but it’s still the defining visual feature of the Mac.

Wrapping Up: What About the Touch Screen?

Somehow, I haven’t talked about the touch screen yet. Touchscreen Macs are reportedly in the works, but who knows if they’ll ever hit the market.

The reason for my omission is that I’d personally rather have cellular and a notch-less Mac than a touchscreen Mac. I think it would be great if the Mac supported touch, but I don't expect to use it much. I suspect that for many users, touch support is at the top of their wish list.

What do you think of these limitations of the Mac? Are you happy to see them change? Let us know in the comments.