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Anti-glare Option on MBP Downsides: Scratches & Smudges

mpqtpie

mpqtpie

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 11, 2005
53
0
Florida
I just got a new 15" MacBook Pro with the anti-glare option. I love it because there's less glare and it's not oversaturated (my personal preference). There are downsides though!

1. It seems to scratch easily. There are already a couple of small scratches in the screen. Not sure if this was just done during the manufacturing process, but I don't have the desire to try a "test" scratch. But feeling the texture of the screen, it feels a lot like covering an iPhone with a "matte" protective sheet. It's definitely a glossy screen with a thin matte sheet over it. So I think the durability might be questionable.

2. It's difficult to remove smudges. I spent a half hour when it first arrived, removing some sort of oil smudge from the middle of the screen. I noticed that when I touched the screen, it seemed to soak up the oil from my hand. It doesn't seem to clean easily.

I'll post updates here as I notice any more issues with the screen.

Is anyone else with an anti-glare option having these issues?
 
Thiol

Thiol

macrumors 6502a
Jan 26, 2008
693
0
mpqtpie said:
2. It's difficult to remove smudges. I spent a half hour when it first arrived, removing some sort of oil smudge from the middle of the screen. I noticed that when I touched the screen, it seemed to soak up the oil from my hand. It doesn't seem to clean easily.
Click to expand...

Have you tried iKlear? That works wonders with the previous generate matte screens...
 
R

Ride9650

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2007
352
0
I think its been about the same as any matte screen I've seen.
I'm not so sure the scratch thing is a issue though, I remember when I first saw the screen i was like "WTF?" as it indeed appeared to have a TON of scratches.

I first tried the micro-fiber cloth that came with the computer, which didn't work, but then decided to try a small wash cloth which completely cleaned off the screen. Not sure what it was, but I was breathing a huge sigh of relief.

As for the smudging, I can agree with you there. Every time I go and wipe away a stray piece of dust, it leaves a huge mark of oil!
 
Bill Gates

Bill Gates

macrumors 68030
Jun 21, 2006
2,500
14
127.0.0.1
Prone to scratching? My old MBP with its anti-glare screen had not one scratch on it after 3 years. In fact I found it to be more difficult to scratch due to its somewhat textured feel.

Difficult to clean? Don't touch your screen is the best advice of course, but I actually found it to be easier to clean the anti-glare screen than my current unibody's screen. A little iClear and a little effort and it was good as new. The glass screen that I have now seems to "grab" grease and grime which makes it more difficult to completely clean. I rarely had to clean my anti-glare screen whereas my current glass screen needs more frequent cleanings.
 
mikes70mustang

mikes70mustang

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2008
1,591
0
US
I had a matte dell for a few years, i never scratched it. Smudges, just get screen cleaner. For all the reading I do, matte seems to be better.
 
cluthz

cluthz

macrumors 68040
Jun 15, 2004
3,118
4
Norway
I've never had problems with smudges and scratches on any of my laptops.
You do once in awhile have to clean it thoroughly because there are always someone that wanna touch your screen..
 
shambo

shambo

macrumors 6502a
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
Hmmm now let me guess, the OP is a frustrated glossy owner trying to discredit the fantastic matte screen?
 
mpqtpie

mpqtpie

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 11, 2005
53
0
Florida
Update

shambo said:
Hmmm now let me guess, the OP is a frustrated glossy owner trying to discredit the fantastic matte screen?
Click to expand...

Lol, no def not a glossy screen owner. :D Not trying to discredit the matte screen either but wanted to see if it was just my screen having these issues or if it was an overall issue with all of them.

--------

Thanks for the comments everyone. I will have to look into that screen cleaner that you guys mentioned. My screen has been fine since I posted, but I also have avoided touching it now as much as possible.

I can tell you that I've had a 12" powerbook and a powerpc ibook and those screens seemed much more resilient. The MBP smudges aren't just regular smudges, the screen really seems to absorb it like a piece of cloth would absorb it.

I still love the matte screen and would recommend it if you don't like glossy--just be careful not to mess with the screen!
 
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