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The iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island was an immediate hit last year. It’s a software feature that changed the narrative about Apple’s new notch replacement. Aside from its usefulness, the Dynamic Island gives the iPhone a clear identity in a sea of Android phones that all use the same hole-punch display design. You can easily tell an iPhone 14 Pro apart from old iPhones and from Android handsets. And you’ll be able to do the same with the iPhone 15 series. All four phones will reportedly feature the Dynamic Island at the top.
If a new report from an emerging leaker is correct, Apple will bring the Dynamic Island to more devices in the future, including iPads and Macs.
I’ve told you recently that the iPhone notch can’t go away. I argued that the iPhone notch, whether we’re talking about the traditional iPhone X notch or the iPhone 14 Pro’s pill-shaped cutout, is part of the iPhone’s identity. The iPhone is immediately recognizable in the wild thanks to these design elements.
I said at the time that Apple can’t ditch this powerful marketing tool, even if it perfects technology that will let it place all the front-facing sensors under the phone’s display. Rumors say we’re just a few years away from the tech Apple needs to fully hide its Face ID components under the active screen.
Fast-forward to late April and leaker analyst941 presents an interesting possibility.
Apple will supposedly add Dynamic Island functionality to all of its operating systems except for tvOS and watchOS. According to analyst941, the feature is planned for Mac in the next two to three years “as the new menu bar.”
Dynamic island is coming to all the OS’s except tvOS and watchOS. It’s planned for Mac in the next 2-3 years as the new menu bar.
— 941 (@analyst941) April 28, 2023
The leaker answered speculation about the Dynamic Island functionality on iPhones without cutouts in the display. If this information is accurate, Apple will turn the Dynamic Island into a multitasking shortcut on multiple devices. Regardless of whether or not there’s a camera present.
As it stands now, the Dynamic Island provides great functionality, allowing you to interact with apps that run in the background for quick information and actions.
And you’re correct, it won’t require an actual hole in the display. It’ll be completely virtual on some devices.
— 941 (@analyst941) April 28, 2023
The functionality can certainly be expanded in the future, whether it’s on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. And the leaker said that all Apple devices except the TV and Watch will get it. That might mean the Dynamic Island could be a virtual UI element in the upcoming realityOS software that will run on Apple’s mixed reality headset and future AR glasses.
All of this is speculation, of course. Even if the leaker is accurate, Apple could change its mind. That said, I wouldn’t mind an upgraded Dynamic Island experience on iPhone. And the feature certainly has its place on other devices, especially the iPad.
