Whoops! Did Apple just leak a notchless MacBook in macOS Tahoe?

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This would be the first notchless MacBook since 2020

MacBook Pro 2021 notch render
(Image credit: MacRumors)

Apple’s latest macOS 26 Tahoe is set to release later this fall, but it's currently in a public beta, allowing curious Apple fans to test out the latest features. With the most recent update, Apple may have accidentally revealed a notchless MacBook.

The potential new Apple laptop was spotted by Redditor Zealousideal-Bit-280, who shared a screenshot from the beta, which appears to show a MacBook sans notch.

Screenshot from macOS Tahoe public beta showing a notchless MacBook

(Image credit: Reddit - Zealousideal-Bit-280)

Interestingly, the screenshot appears to be a rather thin laptop, leading us to believe that the notchless model could be a MacBook Air or possibly an entry-level MacBook. We haven’t seen a notchless MacBook since 2020.

The notch arrived at a strange time with the MacBook Pro 2021, just as the company was removing the same feature from the iPhone 14 Pro models and introducing the Dynamic Island. It was not well-received.

At the time, Apple claimed that the notch was a “smart way to give you more space for your content.”

“What we've done is we've actually made the display taller,” explained Shruti Haldea, Pro Mac Product Line Manager at Apple, on the Same Brain podcast. “Like on the 16-inch notebook, you still have a 16.0 active area on the diagonal in that 16:10-inch window, and we just grew the display up from there and put the Menu Bar up there.”

When could the notch-free MacBook arrive?

The MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch)

(Image credit: Henry T. Casey)

Some claim not to notice the little bump out, but Apple users have been patiently waiting half a decade for Apple to get rid of the notch.

Current rumors say that the M6 MacBook Pro will feature a tandem OLED panel, similar to the one found in the M4 iPad Pro. This could spell the end of the notch with Apple moving to a punch-hole webcam, enabling the Dynamic Island to debut on a Mac.

Lending further credence to this theory is the addition of Live Activities arriving in macOS Tahoe, which utilizes the Dynamic Island on your iPhone to highlight things like live sports scoring.

The M6 MacBook Pro isn’t expected to launch until late 2026. If this screenshot hints at a notchless entry-level or Air device, either of those could launch in October, when Apple typically debuts its newest MacBooks.

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Scott Younker
Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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