Recent sightings of a notchless iPhone in highly popular Apple TV+ comedy "Ted Lasso" have led to sensational headlines suggesting this is a canny bit of product placement on Apple's part and that the iPhone 13 will be notchless. In actuality – and this could go without saying – the phone in question is very likely just showing a poorly superimposed display added in post-production.
Notchless iPhone in scene from "Ted Lasso"
The mythical notchless iPhone appears in two separate scenes in the second season of "Ted Lasso," specifically in episode six, "The Signal." In both scenes, an iPhone can be seen with an on-screen user interface identifiable as iOS, but without a notch at the top of the display.
The idea that Apple would reveal an unannounced flagship product in a pre-recorded show is certainly a tantalizing prospect, but it's a tenuous theory at best. TV shows routinely apply artificial overlays onto digital displays in post-production in order to make their contents clearer for viewers to see – in this case, an iOS Lock Screen.
Notchless iPhone in scene from "Ted Lasso"
That's not to say Apple isn't penchant to product placement in its shows, but the notch has been a mainstay of the iPhone throughout four generations of the device, and the iPhone 13 will be no different, with the notch continuing to remain on the front of Apple's upcoming smartphones. However, the iPhone 13 is expected to feature a smaller notch, and several reputable sources have indicated that the notch size will shrink in 2021, including Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Looking further ahead into the future, 2022's "iPhone 14" is expected to finally ditch the notch, replacing it with an Android-style hole-punch camera. Where Apple goes from there is unclear, but a rumor in 2019 claimed Apple has prototyped at least one iPhone with no notch, with the TrueDepth camera sensors for Face ID instead housed in the thin bezel above the display.
Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name.
Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing.
Test Settings
I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia.
Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
Thursday October 23, 2025 3:55 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is one of several tech companies that will contribute to the construction of U.S. President Donald Trump's 90,000-square-foot ballroom, reports CNN.
Construction began on the ballroom this week, and the White House's east wing was torn down. Trump claims that the ballroom will cost $350 million, and that it will be privately funded through donations. The cost has already increased $150 ...
Thursday October 23, 2025 7:44 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Starting today, the feature is available to residents of West Virginia. To set it up, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by Juli Clover
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down.
In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports.
The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by Juli Clover
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
That's a lot of work for someone to go through in post to remove that notch!
No, it’s more work to include the notch. Because they’re already superimposing the contents of the display. However adding the notch makes it more difficult because imperfections in the tracking/keyframing would be more obvious with a jittering notch on an iPhone display.
Why does Apple decide to maintain the Face ID on the era of face-masks while it also creates an undesired notch taking valuable screen space? Simple: FACE ID IS A GREAT EMOTIONAL SURVEILLANCE FEATURE AI face gesture tracking meta-data has a GREAT commercial value as businesses can buy peoples facial responses to products & services, same way most smartphones hear your voice 24/7 to offer targeted advertising (nothing new). Because it is a profitable business for Apple, it is here to stay way long and re-adapt into under-screen sensors..
The fact I had to ponder if this was satire or real, says a lot about the comments lately here and on social media.
A faked iPhone, because Apple is ashamed for the notch. Watching Ted Lasso in a few years from now would always remind them about the ugly notch they had.
