why doesnt Apple use thosse antiglare screens? [Archive]

dejo

Apr 26, 2006, 02:35 PM

When are they going to add antiglare? not so much for the antiglare but for the clarity. I noticed that compaired to all the new notebooks coming out, that while apple screens have the higher resolution, the text and "details" are washed out.

Apple's laptops ARE anti-glare! All those others are PRO-glare. They reflect everything under the sun. The reason things look "washed out" as you describe it is because there is anti-glare. Wasn't anti-glare supposed to be good for you? What happened?

Wellander

Apr 26, 2006, 02:38 PM

Hi,
The only macs that will maybe need them is the emacs.
And I do not think that the schools will want to spend alot of money on those.

Josias

Apr 26, 2006, 02:39 PM

oh, i mixed somethin' up. i thought antiglare was some silicone layer they usually call "crystal brite view", but does it have another real name?:confused: :p

starstreak

Apr 26, 2006, 04:02 PM

Lets not get rosey colored glasses here. As I mentioned (at least I think I did) it wasn't so much for the antiglare (as you pointed out, that part of it is bad) but it does look so much nicer.
I will put up my Dell XPS2 screen against any apple. Its brighter,clearer than the apple.
Yes I know the glare is bad on those but it looks soo much nicer. Blacks are darker,contrast is still better on the dell screen. So I thought it was just the dells. I went to Compusa and they had the apple screen next to the other laptops. You can see a difference.

I'm not here to start an argument with apple users, but seriously I asked other people there what they thought of the apple macbook screen vs the acer/HP screens that were there. Besides the mirror finish, everybody thought the apple looked washed out or "not as clear"

bousozoku

Apr 26, 2006, 04:25 PM

Anti-glare? Those things have worse glare. They do look pretty but they're difficult to use, in my opinion. I suppose that Apple's displays could use more contrast but they're hardly horrible.

MUCKYFINGERS

Apr 26, 2006, 05:10 PM

this is steve job's reality distortion field at its finest.

apple displays aren't antiglare, and they arne't the greatest in the world.

Lets not get rosey colored glasses here. As I mentioned (at least I think I did) it wasn't so much for the antiglare (as you pointed out, that part of it is bad) but it does look so much nicer.
I will put up my Dell XPS2 screen against any apple. Its brighter,clearer than the apple.
Yes I know the glare is bad on those but it looks soo much nicer. Blacks are darker,contrast is still better on the dell screen. So I thought it was just the dells. I went to Compusa and they had the apple screen next to the other laptops. You can see a difference.

I'm not here to start an argument with apple users, but seriously I asked other people there what they thought of the apple macbook screen vs the acer/HP screens that were there. Besides the mirror finish, everybody thought the apple looked washed out or "not as clear"

yeah... nerds are lame (not you)

exeterbohemian

Apr 26, 2006, 07:23 PM

the 'washed out' effect which seems to have been so prevalently noticed on apple lcd displays is quite easily remedied by calibrating the display. i did this on my powerbook almost immediately after i purchased it, and compared to most any other laptop display i've seen, it looks leagues better. as far as those glossy mirror-coated displays are concerned, my father has one on his sony laptop, and i must admit it is atrocious. i mean, the colors certainly seem brighter and more resilient, but with any amount of ambient light present, the glare becomes almost unbearable.

starstreak

Apr 26, 2006, 07:31 PM

eva01

Apr 26, 2006, 07:35 PM

ok lets forget the words antiglare. EVERYBODY seems hung up on that.

Apple has crappy screens. For such a great laptop, and it really is...I believe now over 80% of other manufactures have better screens. If you IGNORE the glare effect of the other laptops the screens are still brighter, clearer and vibrant. Apple really needs to get another manufacturer.

how the hell can you ignore the glare effect? I get headaches and would probably die from other manufacturers displays. Seriously if you don't know my medical history you don't want to my head feels like it wants to explode. And i was looking at a friends Dell with the Xbrite screen or whatever it is and had to take 3 fioricets 10 minutes after looking at it for that amount of time.

I love my powerbooks display.

steve_hill4

Apr 26, 2006, 07:47 PM

Right, I'll add my 2¢ to this one since I currently sell computer displays and laptops. I never have liked the screens that Sony and others sell that much. Sure they look nice in stores, but reflect evrything under the sun, (no pun intended). I have my MBP set to 25% brightness most of the time. I turn it up to 100% and it burns my eyes as I am not used to it, but it doesn't look washed out.

Now I am not saying the screens Apple use for their laptops are perfect, but they are better than most are overall. The viewing angle can let it down, but it still is okay at quite an angle, so compared to others, it is workable all over.

Also, the top end displays from most manufacturers use similar coatings/panels and brightness levels to Apple's displays. Sony release their x-black technology looks good most of the time, but for large displays needed in Graphic Design, they look awful.

I guess if Apple were into CTOs to a high level, we could end any discussion like this.

dejo

Apr 26, 2006, 07:52 PM

Apple has crappy screens. For such a great laptop, and it really is...I believe now over 80% of other manufactures have better screens. If you IGNORE the glare effect of the other laptops the screens are still brighter, clearer and vibrant. Apple really needs to get another manufacturer.

Well, you're entitled to your opinion...

bousozoku

Apr 26, 2006, 07:58 PM

...
I'm not here to start an argument with apple users, but seriously I asked other people there what they thought of the apple macbook screen vs the acer/HP screens that were there. Besides the mirror finish, everybody thought the apple looked washed out or "not as clear"

ok lets forget the words antiglare. EVERYBODY seems hung up on that.

Apple has crappy screens. For such a great laptop, and it really is...I believe now over 80% of other manufactures have better screens. If you IGNORE the glare effect of the other laptops the screens are still brighter, clearer and vibrant. Apple really needs to get another manufacturer.

Yes, you're not here to start an argument but you make interesting statements.

You can't ignore the glare unless there aren't any lights on in the room.

I wanted one of the 14 inch widescreen machines but in 10 minutes of playing with it, I couldn't deal with it anymore.

Apple displays almost always have higher density displays than others. I've not found a problem editing photos in the field on my PowerBook but with those specially-coated displays, I doubt I'd get much work done.

Eraserhead

Apr 26, 2006, 08:28 PM

I noticed that Apple is improving the screens with the new macbooks with higher resolution and better brightness.
When are they going to add antiglare? not so much for the antiglare but for the clarity. I noticed that compaired to all the new notebooks coming out, that while apple screens have the higher resolution, the text and "details" are washed out.
Apple don't use anti-glare screen's because they're reflective, one of my friends has one, they are no good for anything, they even seem to reflect artificial light, i hate to think what they'd be like in sunlight, they are completely a gimmick, if you like antiglare screen's buy a Dell laptop i'm sure you'll enjoy it.

However to be fair to dell their screen's generally have a higher resolution than Apple laptops as OS X doesn't have resolution independant display (unlike windows.)

starstreak

Apr 26, 2006, 08:32 PM

Glare is not that bad. Sure it's there, but I would rather live with that than with the blurry text and washed out colors.

eva01- I''m amazed your head dont explode reading the words on your screen. That's one of the reasons why I sold my 12in noteboook.

I was going to buy the macbook pro with the higher resolution and "brighter" screen, but even that seemed hard to read. Moving your head a few inches left or right is enough to make the sides dimmer. As bad as those sub $1k notebooks. Even on full brightness its dimmer than most of the 15in notebooks were still brighter and the whites were "whiter".

Steve- alot of people say the same thing you say. That they like the brightness at 25%. I find that unusable. I mean people who have PC notebooks say that too. But I yet to find one of them in person. Every place I goto had both pc and macs on full brightness. Granted its a store and you would need it turned up. But to use your mac at 25% I can then add in people's arguments about the antiglare. Because with your room that dark, you wouldnt have glare.

Eraser- that wasnt my point (buying a pc laptop), I was just asking if anybody knows if apple was going to change the screens. and why they use such "junk" ones in my opinon.

Peyton

Apr 26, 2006, 09:02 PM

I have a 12" pb and think its fine. There is no 'glare' to speak of, my complaint is it isn't bright enough. Esp. in sunny conditions.

plinkoman

Apr 26, 2006, 09:02 PM

i can understand if you think another screen is better, but how on earth can you call them junk? http://www.vwvortex.com/zeroforum_graphics/screwy.gif

of all the displays i've used in my life, this is the best/clearest/sharpest/easiest to read of all of them. they may not be the best, as there are some brighter ones, some with a higher contrast ratio, smaller refresh rate etc... but to call them junk???

calebjohnston

Apr 26, 2006, 09:04 PM

I like the 12" PB screen, too. Wouldn't mind it being a bit brighter though -- tends to look a little 'stale' sometimes.

generik

Apr 26, 2006, 10:31 PM

I get headaches and would probably die from other manufacturers displays.

Oh please stop exaggerating, even if you gorge your eyeballs out with a soup spoon you'd probably live to tell the tale. Takes huge amount of balls to inflict it on yourself though.

I really hate it when people try to form legitimate fair and unbiased arguments when it is in fact tainted by their own "love" of Apple. Geez. That said I do hate the glazed "anti glare" screens, but I really do think Apple need to spend more of that $2000 we pay into each laptop and source for a better panel, it has nothing to do with the glazing, those are cheap panels to start with!

eva01

Apr 26, 2006, 10:36 PM

Oh please stop exaggerating, even if you gorge your eyeballs out with a soup spoon you'd probably live to tell the tale. Takes huge amount of balls to inflict it on yourself though.

I really hate it when people try to form legitimate fair and unbiased arguments when it is in fact tainted by their own "love" of Apple. Geez. That said I do hate the glazed "anti glare" screens, but I really do think Apple need to spend more of that $2000 we pay into each laptop and source for a better panel, it has nothing to do with the glazing, those are cheap panels to start with!

Once again you don't know my medical history, i have been put in the hospital multiple times with an unknown disease. So please don't comment if you don't know my history.

Thank-you

PS it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much :P ;)

Sutekidane

Apr 26, 2006, 11:02 PM

They're not that bad, but I'd prefer not having it.

starstreak

Apr 26, 2006, 11:37 PM

generik- exactly. As of right now, there are alot of better screens on cheaper notebooks than apples. Apple is a great computer, but they need to update those screen more.

Yes, they added more brightness, but maybe better viewing angle? As in side to side? I swear, if your head isnt right in the middle, the sides are getting dim on ya. :)

"junk" was a bit harsh. Well..."nowhere near the best" hows that? This whole thread was just me wanting to find out if apple was gonna stick on a better screen.

eva01- relax. If youre medical condition is the reason why you can use a apple screen and I can't, then you cant comment here. ;)

G4scott

Apr 27, 2006, 12:16 AM

I'm not sure if "anti glare" is what you would exactly call those shiny screens, but I personally don't mind them. If I move my head more than an inch in almost any direction, the colors on my PowerBook's screen "change", and this is the last rev. PowerBook before the MBPs, so it's got a decent screen (after replacement for the stupid horizontal lines...) Also, the sides and corners seem to "fade" out on this screen. Even looking at my mobile phone, which seems to have one of these shiny screens, it seems almost brighter than my PowerBook, and with no fading in the corners at all.

Those shiny screens seem to have better contrast and brightness to regular, "matte finish" LCDs. Side by side, the colors are more vibrant, and the regular LCDs seem flat and dull. Sure there's the shiny coating, but in a desktop environment, where I could control the light, I don't imagine it's too much of a problem. My father has a Sony X-brite display right next to a 20" Apple Cinema Display, and honestly, they are both very good displays. The Sony's image just seems to "pop" more than the Cinema Display's.

On a laptop, I could see how it'd be a hassle, using it in different and uncontrollable lighting conditions.

generik

Apr 27, 2006, 12:18 AM

"junk" was a bit harsh. Well..."nowhere near the best" hows that? This whole thread was just me wanting to find out if apple was gonna stick on a better screen.

Apple Computers: Charging you the best prices (for us that is, haha!) for computers built with components that are nowhere near the best.

I like it! It has a good ring to it.

nbs2

Apr 27, 2006, 09:38 AM

Uuuh, how do you calibrate it? Please don't say you have to buy something!:p

No matter what people say, it is a fact that Apple screens have won many prices, much more than Acer, LG, Phillips, Smell and anyother company. The 30" competition between 30" ACD and Dell showed the Apple won. Apple screens are not only considered, but are professional quality. I believe they might be blurry sometimes, but I believe exeterbohemian that they are better at any point when calibrated!;)
Calibrate your display by going to System Preferences, Display, choose the Colors Tab, and select calibrate. That will let you calibrate you monitor just the way you want it.

I rememebr when I first saw the shiny screens on Xbrite, I thought they were pretty cool. But, after taking a step back not not being able to see the screen because of the flourecent tube that was reflecting, I realized that I hated it. While I think that there are better screens out there than mine (PB/1.25), I don't have any major problems with it. Do I think that the lighting can be a bit uneven at times? Yes. But that is about it. Do I think that my parents iMac G5 (Rev B) looks better than most screens I see on a regular basis? Yes. Pictures are clearer and display better there than most other monitors I look at.

starstreak

Apr 27, 2006, 02:22 PM

Josias- I'm not compairing it to the home screens. Those don't have the glossy coating on them.

And I dunno, while it has no bearing to what I'm talking about here, the apple lcd screens have good competition now. The Dell 24in has even beat the Apples 23in. I don't know about the 30in. but its a whole different animal compaired to LCD that the laptop uses.

bousozoku

Apr 27, 2006, 02:36 PM

Josias- I'm not compairing it to the home screens. Those don't have the glossy coating on them.
...

Coated monitors are being sold for home now, as well.

sk1985

Apr 27, 2006, 06:56 PM

ok lets forget the words antiglare. EVERYBODY seems hung up on that.

Apple has crappy screens. For such a great laptop, and it really is...I believe now over 80% of other manufactures have better screens. If you IGNORE the glare effect of the other laptops the screens are still brighter, clearer and vibrant. Apple really needs to get another manufacturer.
Truth be told I think macs us some of the BEST screens on the market. Like others have said calibrating the screen does help.

P.S. those shinny screens blow. I seriously hate them with a burning passion.

plinkoman

Apr 27, 2006, 08:44 PM

first you come here complaining that apple's notebook displays lack some anti-glare thing that ends up making other displays worse. then when everyone calls you on it, you say forget about the anti-glare stuff and continue complaining about apple's displays, first calling them "junk", then receding to "nowhere near the best". Apples displays are generally regarded as among the best in the industry. the only common complaints are brightness issues and the dead pixel policy (and also the line problem on the latest model 15" PB)

look man, this display i'm looking at (and no, i'm not being biased here) is the best looking lcd i have ever used (and yes, i actually have used quite a few). as with anything, there's room for interpretation and everyones personal opinions, but how on earth can you really think they are junk?

starstreak

Apr 27, 2006, 11:16 PM

In my very first post I said "not so much for the antiglare but for the clarity. I noticed that compaired to all the new notebooks coming out, that while apple screens have the higher resolution, the text and "details" are washed out."

Time and time again, I said I wasnt really talking about the antiglare but on how well those other screens look. IGNORING the antiglare. They seemed sharper and brighter without the blurryness(sp) I used the words antiglare because normally thats what the manufactures are calling those kinds of screens. Hows this: Xbrite, Hi-clarity, Brightview, etc, etc. Is that better?
I've changed my wording from "junk" to "nowhere near the best" Just because of apple lovers complain. As others stated it was MY view on how I thought the screen looked. I THEN asked if anybody else knew if they were going to change the screens. (I better mention that part before you start saying something else)

Compatiblepoker

Apr 27, 2006, 11:53 PM

Yeah, those things are awful IMO. I usually have the windows closed and stuff but I'm sure they're good if you got some major sun shining in.

technocoy

Apr 27, 2006, 11:58 PM

notebook display are necessarily "prettier" to look at, but you try doing some print with one of those xBrite dealies and you're gonna be hating it...

deep black is good for watching movies...

true black is a different story.

contrasting the hell out of something isn't the way you really see things in the world around you... shadows and such are never "Black".

bousozoku

Apr 28, 2006, 12:11 AM

first you come here complaining that apple's notebook displays lack some anti-glare thing that ends up making other displays worse. then when everyone calls you on it, you say forget about the anti-glare stuff and continue complaining about apple's displays, first calling them "junk", then receding to "nowhere near the best". Apples displays are generally regarded as among the best in the industry. the only common complaints are brightness issues and the dead pixel policy (and also the line problem on the latest model 15" PB)

i smell a troll... :rolleyes:

look man, this display i'm looking at (and no, i'm not being biased here) is the best looking lcd i have ever used (and yes, i actually have used quite a few). as with anything, there's room for interpretation and everyones personal opinions, but how on earth can you really think they are junk?

He's not a troll, he only seems like it. He's only rejected every argument because he's right. It has nothing to do with being a troll. No one else's opinion really seems to matter but he's not a troll. :D

starstreak

Apr 28, 2006, 12:35 AM

bousozoku- No.. Not rejected. What did I reject? That antiglare screens have glare? No, I agreed. That people love apple screens and they think its better than those with xbrite or whatever? No, to each their own. I never called anybody dumb for their thoughts. All I said was I didn't like the apple screens. And wanted to know if apple was releasing anything new.
Now, I asked that. Did ANYBODY answer my question on if apple was going to change the screen? NO. Did I get a bunch of people saying they loved the apple screen? YES. But that didn't answer my question, so I never really responded to it. 95% of those responding was responding to the words "antiglare" and I really wasnt talking about that.

But it seems when people missread the initial post, they start responding without reading anything else, so people just continue to post about how apple screens are so great because it doesnt have the glossy coating. And how the glosy coating makes everything bad. Ok fine. That's your thoughts. But that wasnt answering my question now is it?

Now, some people say its because its not "calibrated" thats why when you make the apple screen brighter it looks washed out and the words are not as clear. Ok fine. I need to goto Apple store and ask them to calibrate one of the macbooks. Just so I can see how much better it looks.

Heck, I was looking at buying a macbook 15in. Untill I was in the store and looking at the screen. Besides not being as bright as the Sony (lets not get hung up on name bands here, I just had a sz120 that I was returning with me when I went in) screen rez was for the Sony was 1280x800(I think) and when I set it next to the 15in, I could see a difference in screen. I could move a bit more side to side (yeah,yeah mac lovers call it screen privacy. I'm JOKING) on the Sony without the sides getting dimmmer. And overall the colors stood out better with sharper detail. So I didn't buy the Apple YET. Not to mention I was going to be doing alot of PC work on the Apple still and people here on macrumors said I should hold off a bit more untill more bugs are worked ou on the PC side.

wheezy

Apr 28, 2006, 12:53 AM

The shiny covers everyone is putting on their screens drive me nuts. I have an older 12" PB and wish the display was brighter, especially outside, but I'm certainly glad it doesn't have that super reflective cover on it. My friend had work had a nice new Dell with that shiny cover, and unless you pointed the monitor towards the floor it was like looking into a mirror. No good!

I do love my 20" Widescreen Dell though, oh yes I do.

starstreak

Apr 28, 2006, 01:02 AM

Fine I'll talk about the glossy coating since nobody seems to get past that and answer the original question.
I like the glossy coating. I dont use my laptop outdoors. I use it in office or in a building so direct sunlight wasnt an issue. Sure there is some glare, but it's not bad too me. I also don't need my screen at a really bad angle to remove the glare. Granted stick a lamp or a ceiling light behind me and it'll be bad. But to me, watching movies and working indoors looks better on those kinds of screens than the Apple screen. I already know people here like the apple screen. Thats fine. I just wanted to know if anybody knows if apple maybe chaning the screen.

majorp

Apr 28, 2006, 09:13 AM

i paid loads for a x-black sony 17" tft when they came out. i really wanted one. now i hate it. gimmick

cynikal

Apr 28, 2006, 01:35 PM

I have a solution to your problems..

Get some saran wrap and wrap your screen up with it. There, now it's shiney like the non-apple laptops.

Oh and if it's still not contrasty enough for you, command+option+control+. a couple times should do the trick.. ;)

My gf got a laptop with those shiney screens and i thought they were cool at first but then i realize, it's a gimmick.. it looks cool at first but if you had to use it on a regular basis, it would likely get on your nerves.