Why is the MacBook display inferior to the MacBook Pro's?

daneoni said:

Is the MacBook display innately inferior hardware wise due to Apple cheaping out or is the GPU to blame?

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The first one. The Macbook uses the same cheap parts as any other $500 PC laptop. It just costs more because Apple decided it would, and plenty of folks are willing to buy it.

Well, the MabcBook Pro's screen is higher-res compared to the MacBooks, especially if its the hi-res 17".


It might also be because the MacBook Pro's have the LED backlight, but Im not sure.

bbbensen said:

Well, the MacBook Pro's screen is higher-res compared to the MacBooks, especially if its the hi-res 17".

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I agree, the MBP will look sharper because it's a higher res screen.

daneoni said:

I was just looking at my brother's MBP screen and the images looked richer and less...'washed' out. Both are 6-bit TN panels right?

Is the MacBook display innately inferior hardware wise due to Apple cheaping out or is the GPU to blame?

Another question what's the best screen Apple currently ships out of cupertino...iMac?...Cinema Display?...MacBook Pro?. Actually the answer to that is probably the iPhone screen

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Hmm.. Even with it's inferior display, one has to ask "What makes the MacBook so popular?" Is it the physical size, the style and looks of the product, the system's performance, the display or the price? I know.. Lets start a thread and ask the users shell we?

Personally, I like the compactness of the MacBook but the display on the system isn't so great, i find there's a concentration of light towards the bottom of the display.. I know this doesn't have anything to do with the fact it's not LED backlighting cause previous systems regular CCFL doesn't appear to have this problem.. Nor is it suitable for creating DTP mostly due to the low resolution.

The only time I really feel that our MacBook screens are not up-to-par is when my machine is sitting next to my friend's MBP. Otherwise, the screen -- short of the strange font effect -- is superior to my Dell Latitude screen. I'm more or less happy with it.

Anyway, the MBP is hundreds and hundreds of dollars MORE than the MB, so I guess it should have "better things" than simply a larger screen.

Yeah.. the money you pay extra is for a aluminum case and a actual graphics chip with it's own onboard memory. Oh and you get twice the noise cause there's an additional fan - still one can still cook breakfast on it...

Too funny...

UltraNEO* said:

Yeah.. the money you pay extra is for a aluminum case and a actual graphics chip with it's own onboard memory. Oh and you get twice the noise cause there's an additional fan - still one can still cook breakfast on it...

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over easy PLEASE! LOL

daneoni said:

I guess it makes sense for Apple to cheap out on displays since the MacBook itself is priced as a consumer but still put a decent display on it at least...doesn't have to be high end

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Marketing perspective:

Why would they? Sorry to say but due to technology being so advanced now, Apple needs to somehow differentiate their product lines. I would submit that about 90% of the people who buy a MB never consider the screen quality. Apple is not going to enhance a product like the MB with a better screen when most people won't even notice. They will eventually add LED technology to it, but not because the MB should have it, rather they will do it because of the green aspects surrounding LED screens and the mounting pressure from green Earthy organizations.

People who buy a MB aren't interested in buying the best. They are buying an Apple consumer product because they are drawn to the design, Apple brand, and the OS. Most people who are concerned with screen qualities like pixel density, and sharper images are people who are willing to pay a premium with the MBP. And honestly, people who are truly concerned with the best technology aspect of a high end laptop aren't buying Apple anyway. Apple doesn't sell the best technology in many of its products anymore. They have realized people buy their products for design and the OS more than the actual function. You can get an ugly Dell for function, Apple represents sexy radical innovation for the sake of better design, not enhanced performance or technology (not all of the time, but for the most part).

The hardware inside the 2 laptop lines (MB or MBP) are essentially the same except for a graphics card. The real difference is the screen, aluminum, graphics card, and higher prestige. If Apple didn't include a lesser quality screen on the MB people would have one less reason to splurge on the MBP. Apple needs MORE reasons to make that jump, not less.

Apple is very efficient at product differentiation, and maximizing their profit. They don't really put the consumer in first hand, and have no reason to, because people are buying Apple products like never before. The MacBook looks 10 times better than the average notebook out there.

There's nothing wrong with the MacBook display, it's just that the MBP display is bigger, higher res and better graphics card. For all intents and purposes, the MacBook is an entry-level laptop. If you want "pro-graphics" you have to go with the "pro" machine. After all, that's what Apple wants you to do.

I've seen a few Macbooks, mine included, with screens which look very "washed out". Calibrating the screens improved them greatly.

yadmonkey said:

I've seen a few Macbooks, mine included, with screens which look very "washed out". Calibrating the screens improved them greatly.

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I totally agree. After reading numerous posts on here i invested in a "spyder" which has proven to be a worthy investment and I have calibrated both my macbook and my 23" ACD.